BOSTON, Sept. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Within the field
of 3D printing, there is increasing emphasis on functionality as
the industry shifts away from the stereotype of rapid prototyping,
and materials are not exempt from such scrutiny. For instance,
within the field of metal additive manufacturing, metals such as
titanium with excellent tensile strength and low density are ideal
for lightweighting applications, and as such demand for these
materials is continually increasing. However, for certain
applications, metals are not sufficiently lightweight enough, which
is where composites come into play. The latest report from
IDTechEx, "3D Printing Composites 2020-2030: Technology and Market
Analysis", authored by Dr Bryony Core and Dr Richard Collins examines the key trends and
innovations in this emerging technology.
Carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic polymers, or CFRP for
short, are already established materials where a high strength to
weight ratio is key; the aerospace industry, automotive and
transportation, and luxury sporting goods, have all utilised CFRP
for this specific property. Although 3D printing composites has
been limited to date, this is to an extent a product of the
inability of most additive manufacturing hardware systems to print
continuous CFRP, as well as the propensity for increased nozzle
wear.
Despite the difficulties previously encountered with 3D printing
composites, new entrants to the market are increasing the awareness
of how the advantages of 3D printing can complement and enhance the
properties of a composite material. To date, the market has been
dominated by Boston based
start-up, Markforged, but their dominance is increasingly being
challenged by established market leaders and other start-ups
alike.
One such company is the Italian 3D printing company Roboze,
which unveiled its large format Argo 500 printer in 2017, and has
since been experiencing exponential growth rates in sales. Roboze
doesn't intend to stop there, and over the next year expects to
quintuple production to keep up with demand from aerospace,
motorsport, energy, and automotive industries. But what makes the
Argo 500 so appealing? Its FFF technology is compatible with high
temperature, high performance polymers such as PEEK and Ultem, as
well as being compatible with their own Carbon PEEK, or chopped
carbon fibre PEEK filament. Watch out for Roboze at Formnext 2019,
where they will be announcing new FFF 3D printers, new materials,
and software which enables in-print monitoring and control.
The benefits of using continuous as opposed to chopped carbon
fibre is the vastly increased strength to weight ratio that is
achieved: chopped fibres tend to improve some of the material
properties such as heat resistance, but the strength is largely
determined by the matrix material, which is the thermoplastic.
Markforged has developed software and hardware to specifically
enable continuous fibre 3D printing, but as of 2019, they aren't
alone in the market anymore. Anisoprint, a Skolkovo-based 3D
printer manufacturer, are emerging as the first direct competitor
to Markforged after they unveiled a new composite basalt fibre
reinforced thermoplastic filament for use with their Anisoprint
Composer. Having already developed their own continuous CFRP
filament, Anisoprint turned their attention to basalt fibre. Basalt
RFP is 15 times stronger than plastic, 5 times lighter than steel
and 1.5 times stronger and lighter than aluminium. In addition, it
is also radio transparent, making it ideal for non-conductive
elements and insulators.
Finally, not to be outdone, 3D printing giants Stratasys have
also engaged with the rapidly growing domain of composite 3D
printing, and started shipping its Fortus 380mc Carbon Fibre
Edition (CFE), priced at $70,000, in
2018. The Fortus 380mc CFE targets SME wishing to engage with
composite 3D printing, but at a more affordable price point than
Stratasys' high end printers priced at $200,000. Stratasys have developed both an ASA
and a Nylon12 filament infused with 35 wt% chopped carbon
fibre.
Find out more about 3D printing composites in IDTechEx's latest
report "3D Printing Composites 2020-2030: Technology and Market
Analysis" by Dr Bryony Core and Dr Richard
Collins. To see other 3D Printing research available from
IDTechEx visit www.IDTechEx.com/research/3D. Or to connect with
others on this topic, register for The IDTechEx Show! USA 2019, November 20 -
21 at the Santa Clara Convention Center, CA. Presenting the
latest emerging technologies at one event. Please visit
www.IDTechEx.com/USA to find out more.
IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its
Research, Consultancy and Event products, helping you profit from
emerging technologies. For more information on IDTechEx Research
and Consultancy contact research@IDTechEx.com or visit
www.IDTechEx.com.
Media Contact:
Jessica Abineri
Marketing Assistant
press@IDTechEx.com
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Related Links
Further IDTechEx Research on 3D Printing
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SOURCE IDTechEx