EXBuild Blog

There are two main drivers of whether or not a metal alloy is printed today: printability and demand. Though there are a wide variety of metal 3D printing processes out there, nearly all rely on metal powders. These materials take two forms in printing: raw 3D printing metal powders, or bound powder 3d printing metal filament. As a result, the metal materials printable today are to a large degree constrained by powder availability and whether or not that powder can be effectively bound. Aluminum, as an example, is notoriously difficult to print well and is as a result relatively uncommon.

At Markforged, our mission is to reinvent manufacturing. We obsessively focus on innovation at the intersection of precision engineered hardware, strong materials, and intelligent software. Our unique combination of core competencies and proven ability to deliver customer value will continue to accelerate the adoption of Additive Manufacturing, and reinvent manufacturing everywhere.

Caldwell Manufacturing is a global window and door hardware manufacturer based in upstate New York. “We’re an integrated supply partner,” says Caldwell Manufacturing CEO, Eric Mertz. “The springs that hold a window or door open, the hardware, the locks, the latches, all the mechanical hardware that makes a window or door operate, that’s what we're focused on.”

When 3D printing first arose, the imagination of users and producers alike militated against real-world use. Now expectations have slowed down as the technology has sped up to meet in the middle. There are $1,000 printers today that compare favorably to the $50,000 printers of a decade ago.

RPG Industries is a full-service manufacturer working with automotive, aerospace, and oil industry clients. Started in 1995, the company primarily offers EDM, CNC machining, waterjet cutting, and additive manufacturing services.

While metal 3D printing is not replacing traditional manufacturing methods, it is changing how we think about fabricating metal parts. The basic physical difference in how objects are made with additive produces some major functional differences. The most important of these functional differences is that additive manufacturing can be used to create complex geometries that would be difficult or impossible to achieve with traditional manufacturing methods.

Today is an exciting day as we introduce our newest material, Onyx ESD, to our Markforged customers and the rest of the manufacturing world! Onyx ESD will allow electronics manufacturers to take advantage of the Digital Forge and the massive benefits it brings, even in applications with stringent ESD safety requirements necessary to avoid damage to sensitive electronics.

The key to unlocking strength in continuous fiber 3D printing is by understanding where you can leverage strands or panels such that they distribute the loading forces in tension or bending, as we covered in the Physics of 3D Printing. Below, we share a few different methods for identifying and placing fiber within your part to provide strength where you need it.

As you design your part, consider how it can be optimized for the layer-by-layer 3D printing process. Below are six steps to keep in mind when designing your parts.

As we covered in Physics of 3D Printing, imagine the fiber is like raw spaghetti. If you try to bend it, it snaps. If you try to compress it lengthwise by trying to push the two endpoints closer together, it also snaps. However, if you load it in tension by pulling on it, it can hold a decent load. Like the spaghetti, continuous fibers are strongest when loaded in tension. The key is understanding where the fibers are loaded in tension, and how a given load can distribute amongst the local fibers.