Markforged SMW
A Mark One customer using reinforced parts as part of a tool change assembly. Source: #superstitionmachineworks
I mentioned yesterday that I felt like this year at CES 2016 we were seeing more of a focus onfunctional parts from 3D printers as opposed to trinket, never is that more true than on the MarkForged booth.
The company that specialises in printing reinforced parts for strength often showcases a standard selection of prints that they've done themselves but with the machine now in the wild for over a year we're starting to see more industrial customer applications from the Mark One 3D Printer.
On the MarkForged stand you can see a demonstration of how the technology is applied for reinforced parts as part of a tool change assembly. The customer using the technology is Superstition Machine Works who bought a Mark One specifically to create the fixtures for manufacturing high-end RC car parts.
3D Printing's uses for machine shops are developing at a rate of knots and this growth is reflected in MarkForged's financial results they've posted here at CES.
The company finished 2015 as strong as a carbon fibre reinforced part, with 400% growth in revenue year over year. Adoption of the their tech continues accelerating within and across several vertical markets including: automotive; systems integration and installation; machining services; customised durable goods; industrial automation; small lot production; tooling for mass production; and aerospace and defense.
“Our customers are able to bring products to market faster because the Mark One prints high-strength components that endure where traditional plastics parts would just break.,” said founder and CEO Greg Mark. “When we debuted this technology two years ago, our first customers were aerospace companies looking for cheaper composites, but over the last year we saw the largest growth from companies interested in high-strength, tough parts. We offer the only affordable 3D printer that prints these types of parts, and it is resonating in the market.”
