Modix Generation 5 Brings Tool Changing and 45-Degree Printing to Large-Format 3D Printers

Upgrading the Platform, Not Replacing the Printer

Modix has released the fifth generation of its large-format 3D printer platform, and the headline here is that existing owners do not need a new machine to get the new features. The company has moved the BIG series to a Duet 3 electronics architecture with CANBUS distributed control, which it says gives spare capacity for motors, sensors, toolboards, and accessories without redesigning the main board.

That spare capacity is the foundation for three features Modix plans to roll out commercially over the coming months: automatic tool changing, compact pellet extrusion, and 45-degree printing. All three will be demonstrated at Formnext 2026 in Hall 12.1, Booth F101.

Bondtech INDX Automatic Tool Changer

Tool changing has been a desktop-machine feature for years. Modix is bringing it to large-format Cartesian printers with the Bondtech INDX system. On Generation 5, a single printer can switch between multiple filaments and colors within one part, on machines that start at one meter in build volume and go up from there. For large production parts that need different materials in different zones, that removes the manual filament swaps and long purge cycles that currently eat into print time.

Pellet Extrusion for Throughput

The compact pellet extruder extends Modix's dual-technology strategy onto the BIG platform. Pellet feedstock is cheaper than filament by weight, and the extruder is designed for throughput on large parts where detail matters less than volume. The idea is to run filament for fine features and pellets for bulk infill on the same part, without changing machines.

45-Degree Printing Without a Belt

Angled printing has been popularized by belt printers, where the tilted build surface reduces support material and improves print speed on certain geometries. Modix's Generation 5 adopts a tilted print-head system on standard Cartesian large-format machines. The company says walls printed at an angle can produce shapes that would otherwise need extensive internal supports, saving kilograms of material and hours of post-processing on large hollow parts.

Other Improvements

Generation 5 also adds an integrated accelerometer for automated calibration and motion tuning, Ethernet as standard connectivity with removable Wi-Fi for security-sensitive environments, and a new touchscreen interface. Machines ordered through the summer are already shipping on the new platform, and Modix says it has applied a minor price update to the base model of each BIG-series printer.

The BIG series spans six models, from the BIG-60 to the two-meter-tall Everest. All of them support independent dual extrusion, high-flow filament printing, and multiple print-head configurations. Generation 5 is the most significant hardware revision Modix has made to the platform since it introduced the BIG line, and the company's positioning is clear: buy once, upgrade as technology improves.