Gregory Mark, co-owner of Aeromotions, unveiled the world's first carbon fiber 3D printer, which uses the strong and lightweight material as a base for building super-durable equipments, and at the same time reduces the manufacturing costs.
3D printing technology is pushing the envelope by utilizing new materials to come up with advanced products. The newest entry in the 3D printing industry is using carbon fiber, best known for its durability, extreme strength and light weight. The process of working with carbon fiber is very complex and highly expensive, which is where the new Mark One 3D printer comes into the picture. Unlike other 3D printers that use plastic, rubber and other materials as a base, Mark One uses the challenging carbon fiber, fiberglass, nylon and PLA (a thermoplastic).
Gregory Mark, co-owner of the racecar wings manufacturer Aeromotions, built the new 3D printer at his Boston-based startup MarkForged. The startup and its first working prototype debuted at SolidWorks World 2014 in San Diego, this week.
Mark's brainchild was a result of his concern for the expensive and time-consuming manufacturing process associated with carbon fiber. The Mark One uses some of the strongest material for its 3D printing technique but features a sleek design. Measuring 23 inches wide, 12 inches tall and 13 inches deep, the printer features an aluminum unibody and a translucent printing bed.
"We took the idea of 3D printing, that process of laying things down strand by strand, and we used it as a manufacturing process to make composite parts," Mark told Popular Mechanics in a statement. "We say it's like regular 3D printers do the form. We do form and function."
Using carbon fiber, Mark One can print parts that are 20 times stiffer and five times stronger than ABS, the commonly used 3D-printing material, according to MarkForged product website.
As tempting as it sounds, the printer will be listed for pre-orders starting February and shipping starts during the second half of 2014. The Mark One will bear a $5,000 price tag.
While the Mark One 3D printer is a huge step ahead for 3D printing, Stratasys also unveiled the world's first full-color 3D printer, called Objet500 Connex3, allowing users to print both in color and multiple materials. This shows how the convenience of 3D printing is attracting people's attention especially for small scale production.
