The way a Mark One printer is able to create objects in nylon, Kevlar, carbon fiber and fiberglass can be described as “symmetric”. Its “Continuous Filament Fabrication” technology uses two symmetrically positioned spools at the same time to combine a proprietary type of nylon with continuous fiber filament. It, thus, seems just right that the first distributor to sell MarkForged‘s 3D printer in the US is Symmetry Solutions.
Of course, the symmetry of the partnership goes well beyond just the name. Symmetry Solutions is a supplier of SOLIDWORKS CAD design software in the Upper Midwest. As many first adopters of the Mark One composite printer will likely be professional users of this Dassault Systems’ software, ideal for mechanical engineering parts, the printer and software go hand in hand.
Creating parts with composite materials as a single process can further drastically reduce production times for engineers, allowing them to actually manufacture high performance parts on what is basically a desktop 3D printing system. Currently, even the most advanced professional 3D printers require adding carbon fiber to 3D printed plastic components in a separate, additional process.
“We needed an organization that could take our one-of-a-kind 3D printer to market and get it on the desks of every engineer and designer in North America. Symmetry Solutions is the organization that can do it,” said Greg Mark, MarkForged founder and CEO. Mark realized that he could use 3D printing hardware to automate the composite lay-up process after years of designing and manufacturing high-performance composite race car wings at Aeromotions.
Mark, who is now working to build his business leveraging on a 3D printer that truly stands out from the rest, says he is looking forward to building a successful relationship with Symmetry Solutions. And the response from the distributor’s side appears to be equally enthusiastic, or, even better, symmetric.
