Markforged has made its Metal X and X7 additive manufacturing platforms available through a Print Farm package.
It is being pitched as a more economical way of building up metal and composite 3D printing capacity by purchasing multiple printing machines and ancillary units at once for a compromised price. Establishing a farm of 3D printing systems allows companies to scale operations and produce more volume.
“We are introducing Print Farms to help customers maximise the efficiency of our Metal X Systems. Three to five Metal X printers, one Wash and a Sinter-2 is the optimum package to maximise output,” commented Jon Reilly, VP of Product at Markforged. “A properly balanced print farm helps companies accelerate their transition to digital manufacturing.”
In a Markforged Print Farm, all pieces of machinery would be managed from a single, centralised cloud-based software platform, and with the company’s materials R&D ongoing, the capabilities of the farm will continue to increase.
On the metal side, users are already able to print with 17-4PH stainless steel, H13 tool steel, and A2 tool steel. Next month, the company plans to introduce D2 tool steel to the product line-up, which will provide users with a material that can be heat treated to a very high hardness and boasts high wear resistance and compression strength. Further additions to this portfolio will include 316L stainless steel, Inconel 625 and titanium TI-6AI-4V, which are currently under beta.
Markforged’s composite series includes two materials under the Onyx brand, the first a chopped carbon fibre-reinforced nylon and the second a recently-launched V-0 flame-retardant grade. Also in this portfolio are two fibreglass materials, a carbon fibre material, and Kevlar, a tough, lightweight material.
