Jun 24, 2016 | By Benedict
Markforged, the company behind the world’s first carbon fiber 3D printer, has released a new 3D printing material. ‘Onyx’ is a micro-carbon reinforced nylon designed for industrial-strength parts which offers superior strength, rigidity, and dimensional stability, while requiring no post-processing.
Even as a relatively new additive manufacturing process, carbon fiber 3D printing has already demonstrated its ability to provide incredibly high-strength, lightweight, and temperature-resistant 3D printed parts, prompting a diverse range of manufacturers to adopt the technology. The wave of enthusiasm for carbon fiber 3D printing is in no small part thanks to Markforged, the Massachusetts-based 3D printer manufacturer which introduced the world’s first carbon fiber 3D printer, the Mark One, back in 2014. Since then, the company has refined and improved its technology, earlier this year releasing the Mark Two 3D printer, which is able to print 40% faster than its predecessor.
Markforged continues to develop its 3D printing technology, but also produces its own carbon 3D printing materials, which include Carbon Fiber, HSHT Fiberglass, Fiberglass, and Kevlar. The latest addition to the company’s materials portfolio is Onyx, a tougher, stiffer, more heat tolerant, and more dimensionally stable 3D printing material, suited for end use parts and available to owners of the Mark Two Enterprise Kit for $190 per 800cm3 spool. According to MarkForged, Onyx delivers a superior surface quality and parts which can be used directly from the printer, requiring no post-processing, while also offering compatibility with existing materials.
The company believes that its new 3D printing material presents a viable option for manufacturers in a range of sectors, able to deliver parts of an unprecedented quality: “After hundreds of broken beams and countless reformulations, we've created a new material that raises the standard for strength and accuracy,” said Markforged's Chief Scientist Tony Gozdz, “Onyx has more than three times the stiffness of ordinary nylons, and with a heat deflection temperature of 145C, Onyx is perfectly suited for vehicles, machinery, and automation equipment.”
A number of businesses have already had a chance to try out the new Markforged 3D printing material, including Dixon Valve Company, a worldwide leader in couplings and fittings, Media Blackout, a specialist in customized professional video equipment, and Autodesk, whose chief exec Carl Bass was the first person to receive Onyx. “Now, all of a sudden, you can get great engineering materials, with the properties that you would want in finished products, and that's really going to be a game changer,” Bass said.
Onyx is currently only available on Markforged’s Mark Two Enterprise Kit, which includes a wear-resistant print head, advanced software package, and early access to future materials. Those without a Markforged 3D printer will, however, get a chance to see the material in action—when two massive combat robots sport Onyx-printed parts in a televised BattleBot competition. Team SawBlaze and Team Overhaul will both use Markforged’s latest 3D printing material on their fighting bots.
Posted in 3D Printing Materials
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