MarkForged unveiled its Mark One carbon fiber 3D printer at the SolidWorks World event last week, displaying a machine that almost seamlessly prints parts encased in nylon and filled with carbon fiber, via a process called Continuous Filament Fabrication.
Two different filaments fed from two different spools into two extruder heads lays down a long, continuous carbon fiber infill.
According to the company the prints can achieve a stiffness of 20x that of ABS and 5x stronger.
MarkForged, started by Gregory Mark, is a spin-off of Aeromotions, a manufacturer of computer-controlled racecar wings.
Though carbon fiber is strong and lightweight, carbon reinforced parts could previously be obtained mostly through CNC milling, which is a costly and labor-intensive process.
Without other options in the 3D printing market, Mark was led to develop the Mark One.
This new process allows him to print parts with a higher strength-to-weight ratio than aluminium.
Because the printer is a dual-extruder machine, it can also print other materials, as well, such as the company’s own PLA, nylon, and, even, fiberglass filaments for fiberglass reinforced parts.
The machine has a build volume of 12″ x 6.25″ x 6.25″, modelled after the long-axis CNC machines.
