Mar 18, 2016 | By Kira
Markforged, maker of the world’s first carbon fiber 3D printer and champion of industrial-strength desktop 3D printing, has just unveiled its newest 3D printing material, a high-strength high-temperature (HSHT) fiberglass that is twice as strong as Markforged’s standard fiberglass material and designed specifically for high-heat environments such as aerospace and automotive manufacturing.
The Mark One and recently unveiled, 40% faster Mark Two 3D printer are the only 3D printing systems in the world capable of automatically reinforcing engineering plastics to aluminum levels of performance and beyond, right on your desktop. According to the company, Markforged empowers engineers by combining “the dependability of CNC parts with the flexibility of 3D printing.”
Markforged’s patented 3D printing technology relies on two print heads: one to build nylon parts, and the other to continuously reinforce those parts with extremely strong materials including carbon fiber, fiberglass, and even Kevlar, resulting in cost-efficient 3D printed prototypes, fixtures, and even end-use parts that can actually displace machine-milled components.
With its newest 3D printing material, HSHT Fiberglass, Markforged takes industrial-strength desktop 3D printing even further. Whereas their standard Fiberglass material is 40% as still as carbon fiber and well-suited to everyday applications that require strong parts, HSHT Fiberglass is as much as two times stronger, and has a 30% higher heat deflection point of 140°C, meaning it can withstand environments over 105°C.
According to the company, these high-temperature and high-strength properties will allow customers in the aerospace and automotive industries to leverage Mark Two parts for use in ‘under hood’ applications, while still providing the advantage of same-day, desktop-made parts. Given that it was uniquely designed for high-temperature environments, the HSHT Fiberglass is currently only available with the Mark Two Enterprise Kit, which retails for $13,499 and features an extra print bed, and three sets of nozzles. 100 cm3 of HSHT Fiberglass will be included with purchase.
In addition to unveiling the Mark Two 3D printer at SolidWorks World 2016 in early February, Markforged reported a 400% revenue growth in 2015. Moving forward, the company plans to unveil even more ultra-strong 3D printed plastics for 3D printing cost-effective industrial-strength parts that solve real-world problems.
“2016 is the year of materials at Markforged,” said CEO Greg Mark. “Throughout the year you’ll see the release of stronger, more advanced materials that expand the range of parts that can be 3D printed.”
Posted in 3D Printing Materials
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Also, Arevo seems to do fiber in the original plastic, which suggests you're dealing with chopped fiber. Even if continuous strand, it would be oriented along the plastic path. MarkForged has a separate continuous fiber head and explicit control over where, and along what path, that fiber is laid down.
J. William wrote at 3/22/2016 4:48:15 AM:
It is true because the rest of the quote that you left out is ".....right on your desktop." Arevo labs is not an at home desktop machine.
H. Scholten wrote at 3/19/2016 8:59:11 AM:
This is not true: "the only 3D printing systems in the world capable of automatically reinforcing engineering plastics to aluminum levels of performance". MarkForged is not the only one to create fiber reinforced prints. Arevo offers an even more advanced technology: http://arevolabs.com/
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