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Stratasys' C fibre material for F123 Series 3D printers

24 Feb '21

3 min read

Pic: Stratasys

Stratasys has unveiled a new ABS-based carbon fibre material for its F123 Series 3D printers, the first composite material for the platform. Carbon fibre materials have been popular on Stratasys’ industrial-scale FDM 3D printers for end-use applications such as jigs, fixtures, and tooling. The properties of new material make it an alternative to metal parts.

With FDM ABS-CF10, Stratasys now makes carbon fibre much more accessible to the engineering and manufacturing community with high-performance F170, F270, and F370 3D printers.

The material properties of FDM ABS-CF10, featuring 10 per cent chopped carbon fibre, make it a compelling alternative to metal parts. In fact, the material is 15 per cent stronger and more than 50 per cent stiffer than standard ABS, without the weight of metal, and can be printed with a high degree of accuracy. QSR Support water-soluble material makes it possible to 3D print intricate and complex parts without time-consuming manual support removal.

UK-based Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group specialises in the conversion and modification of military, civil, and business aircraft, along with defence vehicle engineering and shelter manufacturing. The company uses both Fortus 450mc and F370 3D printers for a variety of tooling applications.

“All the tooling we create has different and often unique requirements,” said Chris Botting, materials and environmental engineering manager at Marshall. “Our F370 3D printers offer us the flexibility to choose from a wide variety of materials based on application demands while still producing functional parts. 3D printing parts that we historically would have made of metal has led to a significant cost reduction compared to machining the part out of aluminium, while reducing overall part weight. We can’t wait to begin to realise the benefits of FDM ABS-CF10 for creating manufacturing aids like we have with our other carbon fibre materials.”

Stratasys’ internal analysis suggests the additive manufacturing market for polymer jigs and fixtures is expected to grow at a 14.2 per cent annual rate between 2019 and 2023, to nearly $600 million, double the growth rate of the prior four years. With its FDM ABS-CF10 material, Stratasys is particularly focused on addressing applications in the aerospace, automotive, industrial, and recreational manufacturing industries. Parts applications include end effectors used with industrial robots, ergonomic aids such as lift assists and hand tools, and alignment fixtures on assembly lines.

“There is a reason why manufacturers are increasingly turning to 3D-printed carbon fibre materials,” said Stratasys senior vice president of Manufacturing Dick Anderson. “It’s incredibly strong, versatile, and lightweight. We want to enable all our FDM customers to take advantage of those material characteristics. Introducing FDM ABS-CF10 is a significant step in growing 3D printing’s presence in the global manufacturing industry.”

The FDM ABS-CF10 material is scheduled to be available in April 2021.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SV)

Construction Textiles

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Stratasys' C fibre material for F123 Series 3D printers

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