
Eplus3D launches EP-M3050 metal powder bed fusion system with 3.05-meter build area and up to 256 lasers
Hardware
Originally reported by 3D Printing Industry
Eplus3D, the Hangzhou-based metal additive manufacturing manufacturer, has launched the EP-M3050, a metal powder bed fusion (LPBF) system that achieves a 3,050 x 3,050 mm build area with a five-meter Z-axis, breaking the three-meter barrier for single-build production. The system ships standard with 100 fiber lasers and scales to 256, delivering theoretical print speeds up to 3,500 cm³/h. Eplus3D offers three build chamber configurations—square, cylindrical, and ring-shaped—to match aerospace and energy casing geometries, and has already demonstrated a 2.8-meter casing printed as a single integral component. The company states it can custom-build LPBF systems up to 5m x 10m x 5m, and has placed over 100 units of its one-meter-class systems (EP-M1250, EP-M1550, EP-M2050) and more than 200 units with at least one axis exceeding a meter.
This launch redefines the practical ceiling for metal LPBF, which has historically been constrained to sub-meter build volumes for serial production. The EP-M3050 directly targets large-format applications in aerospace, oil and gas, and heavy industrial machinery—verticals where conventional fabrication methods like forging, casting, and machining dominate. Eplus3D's installed base of large-format systems provides a process knowledge foundation that competitors like SLM Solutions (now Nikon SLM Solutions) and EOS have not matched at this scale. The system's ring-shaped chamber configuration is particularly relevant for aerospace casings and energy-sector pressure vessels, where material waste reduction and single-piece integrity are critical. The move also signals that Chinese AM manufacturers are not merely matching Western specs but are integrating materials, service capacity, and customer references to compete on application-specific value.
For buyers evaluating large-format LPBF, the EP-M3050's credibility rests on Eplus3D's track record with its one-meter-class systems rather than on the novelty of the build volume alone. The key execution risk is maintaining part quality across a 3-meter build plate during multi-day prints, which the company claims to have solved through coordinated scan strategies and real-time process control. Users should verify that the 2.8-meter casing demonstration was produced under production-representative conditions, not as a one-off engineering showcase. The system's 220,000 kg weight and 135 kW power draw also impose facility requirements that will limit initial adoption to well-capitalized aerospace primes and energy OEMs.
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