Desktop Metal has announced the launch of a continuous fibre composite 3D printing platform named Fiber.
The desktop 3D printing system is based on a process Desktop Metal is calling micro automated fibre placement (μAFP) and is said to be able to print continuous fibre composite materials used in automated fibre placement (AFP) processes. Fiber is being made available through a subscription service in two models, HT and LT, the former of which has been developed to produce parts suitable for high-temperature environments. Both machines have been designed to be arranged in print farm configurations of six or ten machines.
Desktop Metal’s latest product release is scheduled to ship next spring and will see the company once more go head-to-head with Markforged, a company which offers a portfolio of fibre-filled composite printers and has also engaged in two lawsuits with its fellow Massachusetts-based vendor centring largely around their respective metals technologies.
In Burlington, MA, Desktop Metal's hometown, Dr Konstantine Fetfatsidis has led the technical efforts on Fiber with numerous patents having been filed. Fetfatsidis last year founded a company called Make Composites based down the road from Desktop Metal which intended to develop 'an automated manufacturing process for producing high-performance, continuous fiber-reinforced composite parts. As Fiber is launched to market, Fetfatsidis is now in position as Desktop Metal's VP of Composite Products.
“As a long-time user of multi-million-dollar AFP technology for various development-to-production aerostructure programmes, I am excited to bring AFP technology to the manufacturing floor for smaller, more complex parts,” commented Dr Fetfatsidis, formerly Advanced Manufacturing R&D Lead at Boeing company Aurora Flight Sciences. “This new print technology finally brings the material properties of AFP composites to small parts under 20 pounds, which would typically require expensive tooling, extensive manual labour, multiple consumables, and multi-step, long process cycles.”
In combining those AFP composite material properties with the speed and affordability of a desktop 3D printer, Desktop Metal believes it can appeal to many manufacturers in the aviation, automotive, electronics and consumer goods markets. An extensive materials library is also being promised by the company, with users able to harness a chopped carbon fibre-filled nylon (PA6), a chopped fibreglass-filled nylon (PA6), chopped carbon fibre-filled PEEK and PEKK, and reinforce these materials with continuous carbon or glass fibre.
Desktop Metal
Desktop Metal Fiber end effectors
Robotic end effector printed on Desktop Metal's Fiber platform.
The Fiber HT platform is able to use PEEK and PEKK thermoplastics and up to 60% continuous fibre loading with <1% porosity and can produce flame retardant parts able to withstand up to 250°C and ESD compliant parts. Fiber LT, meanwhile, is able to produce high-strength, ESD-compliant, non-marring parts using continuous fibre with <5% porosity with PA6 thermoplastics. Both Fiber models boast build volumes of 310 x 240 x 270 mm, are equipped with two printheads to deposit continuous fibre prepreg tape and chopped fibre filament, and feature a robotic tool changer architecture for future expandability.
Upon the launch of Fiber, Desktop Metal has highlighted a number of suitable applications for its μAFP technology including tooling components, such as robotic end effectors and laser etching fixtures for medical tools, end use parts in the aforementioned verticals, and components where lightweighting is critical, like in sports racing equipment. The company says parts printed on Fiber can be up to 60 times stiffer and 75 times stronger than ABS plastic parts and twice as strong and a fifth of the weight of steel components. The chance to manufacture parts with increased strength and/or reduced weight has certainly caught the attention of a couple of Desktop Metal’s current partners.
“Weight is everything in racing,” offered Will Turner, President of Turner Motorsport. “Being able to replace critical metal components with 3D printed continuous fibre means we can retain the strength of metal while lowering the overall weight of the car – making it even faster and more competitive.”
“Despite all the advantages, polymer-based AM has been lacking in the strength needed for high-performance applications, specifically a technology that bridges the gap between existing AM technology and automated fibre replacement of high-performance composites as used in industry,” added David Hauber, Engineering Manager of Trelleborg Sealing Solutions Albany, Inc.
Desktop Metal is set to debut the Fiber platform at Formnext later this month. The minimum subscription term for both Fiber models is three years, with the HT being offered at a rate of $5,495 a year and the LT available at $3,495 a year.
