May 29, 2017 | By Benedict
Anisoprint, a Russian 3D printing company, is using its continuous fiber 3D printing technique to create reinforced plastic parts that are “15-20 times stronger and stiffer” than FDM printed parts. The company will host a conference in Moscow this week with a consortium of business partners.
3D printing plastics with reinforcing fibers is seen by many as the most cost-effective way of printing strong, metal-like parts. Generally much cheaper than true metal 3D printing processes like selective laser sintering (SLS) or selective laser melting (SLM), fiber reinforcement adds unprecedented strength to the familiar (and affordable) process of fused deposition modeling (FDM).
Massachusetts-based company Markforged has, to date, been the most successful proponent of such 3D printing technology, releasing its history-making Mark One and similarly popular Mark Two 3D printers to critical acclaim. Both printers effectively “iron” carbon fiber or other reinforcing materials into the plastic as it prints.
But when a U.S. company comes up with an innovation, it’s never long before a Russian equivalent comes along with a competing product. Hence the appearance of Anisoprint, an additive manufacturing company plugging its new continuous fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) 3D printing technique as an even better solution than Markforged’s.
Based at the Skolkovo Foundation, a scientific and technological center near Moscow with ties to the Russian government, MIT, and elsewhere, Anisoprint says its new CFRP 3D printing process produces printed parts that are “15-20 times stronger and stiffer” than their FDM equivalents—stronger even than aerospace-grade aluminum.
“Existing 3D printing technologies are rather expensive or not applicable for functional parts production,” Anisoprint says. “Our technology is a revolutionary solution combining [the] low equipment price typical for personal plastic printers with [the] capability of producing high performance structural elements.”
Advantages of Anisoprint CFRP parts:
- 15 times stronger than neat plastic
- 7 times stronger than plastic compounds
- 4 times lighter than titanium
This week, Anisoprint will get the chance to prove once and for all that its technology is no mere Markforged copy. During a two-day English-language conference that will take place over May 30-31, the company will spell out a roadmap for its future plans, inviting a consortium of nine partnering international organizations to discuss the future of this Russian-made 3D printing tech.
The international consortium, coordinated by Austria's Johannes Kepler University Linz, consists of nine scientific and manufacturing organizations from Austria, Lithuania, and Russia. It was formed after Anisoprint showcased its printer at the JEC World event in Paris last year.
“We met representatives of the Johannes Kepler University Linz [in Paris],” said Fyodor Antonov, director of Anisoprint. “One of their areas of activity is lightweight design, i.e. they design light and durable constructions, mainly from composites. The Austrians were interested in our technology and suggested that we take part in a grant application.”
The consortium will now attempt to introduce Anisoprint’s fiber-printing CFRP process to the industry, targeting specific sectors such as aerospace, automotive, and wind energy. One member of the consortium, Austrian company PRIME Aerostructures, says it could use Anisoprint’s continuous fiber 3D printing technology to fabricate the legs of its aircraft seats.
A week after the conference, Anisoprint take part in Skolkovo’s two-day Startup Village outdoor conference. The company will bring a prototype of its 3D printer to the Startup Bazaar, an exhibition of 150 new technologies.
Anisoprint has previously worked on a space-ready 3D printer that could be more flexible than the Made In Space Additive Manufacturing Facility, the International Space Station’s current 3D printer.
Posted in 3D Printer
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