“It’s extremely important for us to show the world what our technology is capable of.”
This is the conclusion Tyler Alvarado, the CEO of Continuous Composites, made when carrying a complex carbon fibre 3D printed sample part across the RAPID + TCT trade show floor in 2017. He was met with a tonne of questions about a technology, Continuous Fiber 3D Printing (CF3D), that was still in development, still operating behind the curtain, and perhaps better demonstrated than explained.
Three and a half years later, Continuous Composites is finally able to do so. Ahead of Formnext Connect, where the company’s technology will be highlighted by Arkema and Siemens, two of its strategic partners, the company announced the launch of a 7,500-square-foot demonstration facility, a significant step forward in its efforts to not only disrupt the additive manufacturing space, but the composites one too.
“When I went to my first RAPID + TCT trade show in early 2017, I’m walking around showing this complex carbon fibre part that we printed to the AM community, and it quickly became clear that composites 3D printing was a disruptive new sector. It was obvious to me that in order to introduce these new materials to the additive industry, we needed to show what our breakthrough technology was capable of,” Alvarado tells TCT. “This demonstration facility is key for us, showcasing CF3D at scale for large or small composite structures.”
Continuous Composites
It represents the ‘largest scale yet’ for the demonstration of CF3D and exhibits the results of collaborations with Siemens, Arkema, Comau, Güdel and others. The earliest patents around CF3D tech were granted in 2012, the company founded in 2015, and Alvarado and co have made sure to come to market with a differentiated approach compared to other composite 3D printing vendors. Its technology combines high performance continuous fibres with a snap curing thermoset resin that instantly turns from liquid to solid after being exposed to UV light. The resulting chemical crosslink is said to create strength among subsequent layers, while its ‘snap curing’ nature enables the material to take its shape instantly without support structures. Using these resins, CF3D has the ability to print complex composite structures without secondary processing.
Harnessing these capabilities, the company is looking to enable the 3D printing of high-quality composite laminates with superior strength to weight ration compared to metals and other plastics. These materials are said to achieve fibre volume fractions in excess of 50% with porosity less than 2%, which is common in traditional composites applications in aerospace and defence. By enabling this, and by using thermosets rather than thermoplastics, Continuous Composites believes its CF3D process will be a ‘huge technology differentiator’ compared to other composite 3D printing options on the market. It is aiming to go beyond just making ‘stronger FDM parts’ and enable parts that can ‘disrupt composites.’
The new demonstration facility will aid in that. In addition to showcasing the capabilities of the technology, Continuous Composites also intends to use the building to action further research and development. The current set up uses a CNC controlled robotic work cell – though Continuous Composites says the tech is motion platform agnostic and could be packaged up into an office-friendly solution in the future – and thus much R&D is going into the robotic end effectors.
Alvarado says the company is working to develop a single lane end effector, additional end effectors that can ‘balance high resolution and high material deposition’ and an automated tool changer at the end of the robotic arm. Multi materials capabilities are being worked on, while the technology also has the ability to embed functional fibre, enabling fibre optics for sensing or metallic wire for embedding heat or electronics into a component. There is also a concentrated effort on testing and commercialising different resins, while an in-house machine shop is allowing for rapid iteration of hardware components.
Continuous Composites
As R&D continues, the company’s collaborators will have access to the facility to help push the technology towards commercialisation. Arkema has been working alongside Continuous Composites since the beginning, selected for their experience in the composites sector and expertise in thermoset resins. The company has invested in Continuous Composites, while actioning its Sartomer Business to develop a library of thermosetting resins that have been tailored to CF3D and customer-specific applications. Siemens was selected for its experience in the machine tools space, its links to Comau in a pre-existing collaboration called Run My Robot, and its software expertise. Güdel is a manufacturer of high-precision machine components and will utilise its TrackMotion Floor 50-foot linear rail to help scale CF3D. This collaborative approach is an important part of Continuous Composites’ ambitions.
“I think when you invent a breakthrough technology like CF3D, you’ve got to recognise that it’s going to take a team. The idea is bigger than yourself,” says Alvarado. “[While] big businesses bring a unique value proposition, they also have their weaknesses in their ability to be agile as there’s a lot of bureaucracy. A start-up company like Continuous Composites is complementary in our ability to be agile, innovative and move very quickly. From the beginning, our strategy has been to evaluate and form partnerships with industry leaders in their respective domain areas to really bring this technology to market and fully commercialised.”
There is work still to do before that happens. But as it takes closer, the demonstration facility will begin to serve a new purpose. Not only will it be a location for the company to prove the capabilities of its technology, not only will it be an R&D site, but it will also be open for companies to visit, configure their work cells and order the required components for integration into their facility. From there, Continuous Composites expects CF3D technology to have a significant play in the current composites landscape, such as the aerospace and automotive sectors, while also being suitable for many applications in other sectors, including energy, maritime, sporting goods and more.
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