A Boston startup has introduced the first 3D printer capable of printing in carbon fiber, the super-strong and lightweight material used in race cars and space shuttles. After a year of stealth development, the Mark One printer from Mark Forged was unveiled at the SolidWorks 3D-printing expo this week and is expected to retail for just $5,000.
The desktop printer is also capable of printing in fiberglass, nylon, and the thermoplastic PLA, as well as a composite of these materials with layers of carbon fiber added for strength. Mark Forged says it will be useful in building stronger prototypes as well as
prosthetics, custom bones, tools, and fixtures.
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Pretty sweet, there was also a company that was getting funded on kickstarter that had developed PLA with carbon fiber reinforcement that was compatible with current 3D Printers.
Wake Forest University and a private firm(Organovo) have developed a 3D printer that creates organs and tissue. Your next heart may come from a printer.....
I saw that.
Amazing!
Soon I can print a new eyeball if I poke this one out, and print up a new cf rudder as needed.
I need to $ave up
Time Lapse Video Of A Machine Print Out A Human Ear In Less Than A Minute
One thing alot of people are doing are buying a 3D printer, than printing themselves the parts to a new one, reassembling it, then selling one the printers. Voila, a free 3D printer!
A co-workers brother did this a year or so ago, I think the printer was around ~$10K
On the Organ printer thing, the military has been doing this with skin for a couple of years on veterans with wounds.
How do you get the 3d cad data? can a printer also scan in 3d?
also what about the electronics? where do they come from?
Yeah, it doesn't really work like that. A few of the parts (idlers, pulleys, spacers) can be printed, but even those are cheaper to buy than to print, and the quality of an injection molded plastic part is still superior to most anything coming off a <$10K 3D printer. You still need the linear guide rails ($$ = better quality = better prints), motion systems and electronics. You can probably build yourself a makerbot style printer for under $1000, and its not too hard, but it is labor intensive to get every aligned to sub 1/32" precision.
I have a makerbot here at the office, when printing PLA it is pretty nice for a $2K machine. We've easily saved that on some parts we've printed vs. manufactured in the conventional way. A printer that can do carbon for $5k and match the strength of aluminum, I'll take two! I do expect the material to be expensive (much worse than buying ink) and the build envelope is small, but for certain prototype parts we CNC machine, this would be a time and cost savings.
I don't expect this to be very useful on our boats, given the limited print area and relatively high price of materials. I am intrigued by the manufacturing possibilities of the technology, and it may become viable for Nacra/Goodall etc. to utilize this in their shops for certain components.
I have a makerbot here at the office, when printing PLA it is pretty nice for a $2K machine. We've easily saved that on some parts we've printed vs. manufactured in the conventional way. A printer that can do carbon for $5k and match the strength of aluminum, I'll take two! I do expect the material to be expensive (much worse than buying ink) and the build envelope is small, but for certain prototype parts we CNC machine, this would be a time and cost savings.
I don't expect this to be very useful on our boats, given the limited print area and relatively high price of materials. I am intrigued by the manufacturing possibilities of the technology, and it may become viable for Nacra/Goodall etc. to utilize this in their shops for certain components.
I thought you worked at Burger King.
nuh huhhh!
does too!
I have a makerbot here at the office, when printing PLA it is pretty nice for a $2K machine. We've easily saved that on some parts we've printed vs. manufactured in the conventional way. A printer that can do carbon for $5k and match the strength of aluminum, I'll take two! I do expect the material to be expensive (much worse than buying ink) and the build envelope is small, but for certain prototype parts we CNC machine, this would be a time and cost savings.
I don't expect this to be very useful on our boats, given the limited print area and relatively high price of materials. I am intrigued by the manufacturing possibilities of the technology, and it may become viable for Nacra/Goodall etc. to utilize this in their shops for certain components.
Dang, there goes my idea of using nano-printer-bots to instantly repair hull/spar/sail damage while you sail...
Isnt this really the first carbon fibre printer?
IMHO this machine is as close to art as a machine can get:
I humbly disagree, I think it just gets better from here on out.
...
NO
That was just a Weaving machine for Biaxial Sleeves ; they
make sleevs with several types of composite materials.
A 3-D printer, actually assembles that same matrix with
the binder already added ; and do that in the shape you
desire !
Bille