In the first webinar of our Series: Success in Additive Manufacturing we feature Humanetics, the global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of test crash dummies who successfully adopted additive manufacturing in their operations.
Humanetics adopted 3D printing in the early additive manufacturing days when they were looking for alternatives to cost-effectively replace the ribs in crash test dummies using 3D printing technology that could match the strength and durability needed for their test conditions. They discovered new cost savings and production speed using Markforged 3D Industrial Composite printers.
Join us and hear Kris Sullenberger, Sr. Design Engineer, share how the company continues to evolve their additive manufacturing capabilities and applications at their Huron facility.
Adaptive was asked to help respond to the need for 3D printed medical equipment to combat the COVID-19 virus. Markforged announced it was working on developing models for a testing swab to collect cells for testing of the COVID-19 virus as well as for printing face shields for medical personnel.
“The nice thing about 3D printing is that it’s very fast.” CEO Greg Mark said. “Get a group of 20 printers and printing 10 to 14,000 swabs a day.”The testing swab will require state approvals before being released.
The testing swab will require state approvals before being released.
In order to ramp up on these efforts, a couple of our large manufacturing customers who operate large 3D Printing farms such as Cummins and Caterpillar had Adaptive assist their teams to create working 3D Printing templates distributed by Markforged and others. These organizations are using their 3D Printing capacity toward supporting the needs of local medical teams and hospitals. Among the products being made include Face Shields and No-Touch Door handles.
We have in-house 3D printers and 3D scanners and 3D Printing service bureau partners for mass production.
If you want to develop a 3D printing model to support a medical/healthcare-related effort, contact us.
We can generate short-run production parts or tooling/fixturing components if your normal sources of supply are disrupted.
Adaptive supports “America Makes” through our partnership with Youngstown Business Incubator that has a 3D Printing Center as part of its Additive Manufacturing program. Adaptive also partners with Celero Partners for mass produced 3D printed parts.
Adaptive is pleased to announce a new Turbo Print feature for the X7 carbon fiber 3D printer by Markforged.
This will enable you to double the X7’s print speed without compromising on surface quality. The feature became available this week and is compatible with all second-generation X7 3D printers. The second generation of the X7 started shipping in June and this new feature will only further enhance its capabilities.
With the end of the year approaching, many businesses already have their eye on 2020 spending. But the year’s not over yet. There are several deals you can take advantage of right now that will provide you with a better 2019 tax benefit.
Buy a Markforged printer now before 2020 prices take effect. Buy before 12/31 and save!
Prices are set to increase 33% starting 12/31/2019 for these Markforged products:
The pinnacle of desktop 3D printing, the Mark Two combines micro-carbon reinforced plastic with continuous carbon fiber strands, the Mark Two enables a full range of manufacturing parts.
The Onyx Pro, with a second print head exclusively for continuous fiberglass, is your entry to seriously strong reinforced composite parts that Markforged is known for.
Specs:
BuildVolume: 320 mm x 132 mm x 154 mm
PlasticMaterials: Onyx
FiberMaterials: Fiberglass
Onyx One
The strength and stiffness of carbon fiber meet the versatility of tough nylon. Engineering class parts that are 20% stronger and 40% stiffer than ABS in a desktop format.
Specs:
BuildVolume: 320 MM x 132 mm x 154 mm
PlasticMaterials: Onyx
ZLayerResolution: 100 micron
IncludedwithPrinter: Onyx One printer with access to cloud Eiger software 800 cc Onyx spool.
We’ve recently posted two new white papers highlighting the advantages of using metal 3D printing in additive manufacturing. The first takes a look at the problems you can solve with metal additive manufacturing. The second takes a deeper dive into five applications of metal 3D printing. Read on to learn more.
What Problems Can You Solve with Metal Additive Manufacturing?
There is a lot of hype around 3D printing. You see it on the news, cool videos are circulating and lots of people have personal 3D printers for their own projects. But what about Additive Manufacturing solutions using metal 3D printed parts? This new white paper explores the benefits of metal additive manufacturing including:
Geometric Freedom
Full Automation
Minimal Tooling or Setup
Additive manufacturing solves for:
Simplified Assemblies
Optimized Geometries
Digital Inventory and Legacy Parts
Five Applications of Metal 3D Printing
Metal fabrication has been limited to cutting and forming operations for hundreds of years, yet with the advent of metal 3D printing, these methods are evolving into a new and exciting era for additive manufacturing.
Read the white paper to find the answers to questions like:
What sorts of parts could a 3D printer produce?
Would it make traditional metalworking obsolete?
What advantages does metal 3D printing possess over conventional fabrication methods?
Additionally you will learn five application spaces where metal 3D printing wins out.
Announcing Nylon White composite material available for the Mark Two and X7 Markforged 3D Printers.
It is now possible to print in Nylon and Onyx on the same printhead! But what is Nylon White?
Nylon White is an engineering thermoplastic that is non-abrasive and can be easily painted.
It replaces Tough Nylon, which will no longer be available for purchase after mid-July 2019
Nylon White is better than what came before in every way – including being more easily printable, stronger and stiffer, non-abrasive, even more moisture resistant, and smoother.
According to a recent report from Global Market Insights Inc. carbon fiber composites are in strong demand from the aerospace, defense, and automotive industries. Lightweight materials in vehicles reduce fuel consumption. Other industries such as sports and leisure, robotics, and construction are also increasing use of composites. We should expect to see growth in composites through 2024.
Greater durability, superior strength and stiffness, lighter weight materials, high impact resistance, shorter processing times and extended shelf life are all pushing these industries towards composites.
As a result, more companies are trying to tackle and offer carbon fiber composite 3D printing. Engineers, designers, and manufacturers want to evaluate design concepts much sooner, make changes on the fly, and craft components that can’t be produced with conventional methods. They want to create faster and better ways to make strong, durable, and stable parts for prototyping and production. And they’re looking to do this all at a fraction of the cost of standard methods.
In this article, we’ll examine one 3D composite printer that has become a key player in this race to composites with several innovations it has brought to the finish line.
One printer that stands out from the crowd is Mark Two by Markforged. Yes, it’s a desktop printer, but don’t let that fool you. It was selected as one of 3D HUBS Best Prosumer 3D Printers for 2018 for exceptional build quality and that can produce high quality parts reliably. The price ranges from $5499 to $13,499.
Manufacturers using the Mark Two love the fact that “parts made of nylon with a few layers of composite fibers in between can stand up to the same needs and abuses of aluminum parts.”
Let’s look under the hood and see just what makes the Markforged Mark Two a rock solid powerhouse.
The Power Behind the Mark Two
Markforged was the first to do something unique in 3D printing by using carbon fiber. It now has the potential to change the way functional prototypes, tools and fixtures are built and low-volume production end-use parts are made.
First of all the Mark Two is a sleek, minimalistic, aluminum-cased printer that is 22.6” x 12.7” x 14.2” in size. It can be set up through USB, Ethernet or WiFi right in your office.
The build volume is 12.6 x 5.2 x 6.1” which is larger than typical desktops offering more flexibility for printing.
3 Innovations Make It Unique and Powerful
Composite Material Printing developed by Markforged
The Mark Two is the world’s first 3D printer to print composite materials. It’s the only affordable 3D desktop printer that reinforces plastic materials with composite fibers while printing. This gives them a high strength to weight ratio.
These are the available material options:
Plastic Materials:
Onyx – Tough nylon with micro-carbon reinforcement Nylon – Flexible and impact-resistant Fiber Materials: (other materials coming soon)
Carbon Fiber – High performance and lightweight and the highest strength to weight ratio Fiberglass – 5x the strength of Onyx parts Kevlar® – Best abrasion resistance and highly flexible HSHT Fiberglass (High-Strength, High-Temperature Fiberglass) –Stronger parts in higher temperatures
With these options, you can choose the combination of fiber reinforcement and plastic to print parts used in many areas of manufacturing. You choose the best materials for the requirement needed like strength, weight, temperatures, and flexibility to name a few.
Revolutionary Continuous Fiber Fabrication (CFF™) developed by Markforged
Here is where Markforged sets themselves apart. The Mark Two is the only 3D printer that embeds continuous fiber strands into the micro-carbon reinforced plastic in just one construction process. This technology is different than other fiber composite 3D printers. Layers of fiber are deposited alongside the plastic. But instead of short, chopped strands, they developed a method to print layers of a continuous fiber strand. This is what enhances the stability and parts are stronger, stiffer, and can with stand greater impact like metal.
It’s the only printer that enables you to go from CAD to strong end-use parts in hours.
Eiger the Software Connectivity and Pre-Processing System, developed by Markforged
Eiger is not just software it is a system. It enables engineering and design decision-making along with branching and version-management tools for experimenting and innovating.
Eiger takes it to the next level by allowing the user to manipulate the layers and sub-layers.
A hardware review by DEVELOP3D, shows examples of how the user can manipulate the software similar to industrial composites design. The user can define the number of boundary layers and density. But they also can choose the fill-in of continuous fiber strands within the layers to reinforce the strength.
They have three fill-in options:
The first is concentric, which is one continuous strand forming rings from the outer boundary or walls of the model. This reinforces the walls and resists bending around the Z axis.
The second option is isotropic or linear fibers. It fills the complete layer with a single strand in a linear pattern and the user has control over the angle of the pattern. The linear pattern resists printed objects to bend in the XY plane.
Third, is to combine concentric with linear.
The user has full control over the layers, the rotation, and number of rings.
Uses of the Mark Two
The Mark Two can be used in several ways.
Evaluate design concepts and make engineering decisions.
Create functional prototypes.
Craft components and parts that can’t be produced with conventional methods.
Create incredibly strong production-ready end-use parts and get products to market faster.
Create on-the-fly replacement parts in hours that require more strength than a typical 3D printer is capable of as in jigs and fixtures.
The Mark Two has made its mark on 3D carbon fiber composite printing. We’ll be following future developments with the Mark Two and other options in this space.
Summary
Carbon composite 3D printing is only growing in demand. Industries such as aerospace, defense, and automotive in particular are looking to produce lighter weight and stronger equipment for more efficiency and better fuel economy.
3D composite printers can drastically change the engineering, design and manufacturing processes. The Mark Two by Markforged is a 3D desktop composite printer that has become a key player in this race to carbon fiber composites.
The Mark Two sets itself apart from other 3D printers with it’s unique Continuous Fiber Fabrication (CFF™) and plastic materials of nylon or Onyx reinforced with composite fibers such as carbon, fiberglass, Kevlar®, and HSHT Fiberglass while printing.
As a result of this unique technology, The Mark Two parts are stable, incredibly strong and stiff, and can withstand greater impact like metal. It’s an affordable 3D desktop printer with industrial quality made for engineers and manufacturers.
