Markforged’s FX10 Metal Kit add-on enables both metal and composite Additive Manufacturing
Markforged, headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts, USA, has introduced the FX10 Metal Kit, a bolt-on that brings metal capability to the company’s FX10 Additive Manufacturing machine. With the new kit, the FX10 can now process both metal filaments and composites with continuous fibre reinforcement.
Markforged also announced a new 316L stainless steel metal filament to be used with the FX10 Metal Kit. The company added that users will also be able to use 17-4PH, with additional support for other Markforged metal filaments coming in the future.
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“Customers no longer have to choose between a metal and a composite printer. Years of R&D investment and field experience have come together to provide an all-in-one solution for 3D printing to provide immediate return on investment once installed on a factory floor,” stated Shai Terem, CEO of Markforged. “The FX10 supercharges other equipment on the factory floor to be better utilised and run more efficiently, increasing productivity and reducing potential line down events.”
The FX10 Metal Kit consists of a swappable build engine that includes a metal-specific print head, material feed tubes, routing back, and dual pre-extruders. The FX10 can be swapped between metal and composite as many times as needed, with the process said to take around fifteen minutes.
“We designed the FX10 to be a modular platform, so that we are able to release new innovations and upgrades without customers having to purchase a new printer every year,” continued Terem. “Along with new software capabilities we release regularly, the FX10 Metal Kit is poised to provide continuously growing value on factory floors for years to come.”
Similar to the 5th Generation Continuous Fibre Reinforcement (CFR) build system in the FX10, that is nearly twice as fast as previous composite machines, the 2nd Generation Metal FFF engine, built on years of Markforged’s experience in metal Additive Manufacturing, is said to be significantly faster than its previous metal systems. The FX10 also has a build volume twice as large as Markforged’s earlier industrial metal AM machines.
With the Markforged AM process, metal parts are built from the metal filament and a ceramic release filament. The ceramic release is extruded as an interface between the part and supports for ease of separation and removal. Once the green metal parts are produced, they must be solvent debound (or ‘washed’ in Markforged’s terminology) and sintered in the company’s Wash-1 and Sinter-2 systems. Eiger, Markforged’s slicer and build management software automates the process, including scaling parts to account for shrinkage during the sintering stage.
The Digital Forge is the Additive Manufacturing platform that enables every aspect of the FX10 and is purpose-built to integrate into existing manufacturing ecosystems. With the Digital Forge, users can share parts across their organisation, and monitor fleet performance from a central location.
Markforged will showcase the FX10 Metal Kit at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago, Illinois, from September 9 to 14, at booth 432305. It will demonstrate Additive Manufacturing in both continuous fibre-reinforced composites and metal.
