Modix unveils MAMA-1000, hybrid 3D printer for large-scale builds

Modix has pushed hybrid large-format printing further with the MAMA-1000, a 1,000 x 1,000 x 1,000 mm machine that combines pellet extrusion and filament extrusion on the same platform. The move lands at a moment when the big question in additive manufacturing is no longer just how large a printer can go, but how cheaply and efficiently it can keep pace with real production work.

The economics are hard to ignore. Modix says pellet material can run about $2 to $8 per kilogram, while filament typically lands around $20 to $80 per kilogram. On the MAMA-1000, the pellet side is built around DYZE Design’s Pulsar extruder and the filament side uses Modix’s Griffin Ultra head. Modix lists pellet throughput at up to 3 kg per hour and filament at up to 0.5 kg per hour, a split that shows exactly why hybrid systems are gaining attention: pellet for speed and cost, filament for precision and finer-feature sections.

That division of labor is the real story behind the machine. Pellet extrusion is well suited to large prototypes, fixtures, molds, furniture-scale parts and display pieces where throughput and material cost matter most. Filament still has the edge where surface control, small details or tighter process tuning are more important. By putting both into one printer, Modix is aiming at users who have outgrown desktop FFF but do not want to jump straight into a full industrial line just to solve a handful of large-build jobs.

Modix is also framing the MAMA-1000 as a production-ready system rather than a raw platform. The printer ships fully assembled and tested, includes an enclosure, and can be paired with options such as a pellet dryer, pigments mixer, air filter device and optional IDEX dual-head capability. That package matters in the real world, where setup time, material handling and repeatability can matter as much as the build volume itself.

The MAMA-1000 also fits into a longer arc for the company. Modix started selling small desktop printers in 2015, shifted its focus to large-scale 3D printing in 2016, and first introduced the modular MAMA concept in 2019 with build volumes ranging from 1 x 1 x 1 meters to 2 x 5 x 1 meters. At the time, Shachar Gafni said the company already counted Boeing, Amazon Robotics and General Electric among its corporate clients. Today, the MAMA line includes the MAMA-1700 at 1,700 x 1,000 x 1,000 mm and the MAMA XL-3000 at 3,000 x 1,000 x 1,000 mm, with the new MAMA-1000 now sitting at the compact end of that range.

The bigger takeaway is simple: large-format printing is moving toward mixed-material workflows that can cut cost without giving up flexibility. If hybrid pellet-plus-filament machines keep maturing, the next wave of big printers may be judged less by sheer size and more by how well they shift between throughput, finish and job type.