Markforged introduces Print Farms for metal and composite 3D printing

3D printing company Markforged has today unveiled Print Farms, which provide an economic way for its customers to exploit and scale their metal and carbon fiber additive manufacturing capacities. The Print Farm packages essentially enable customers to purchase Markforged’s Metal X and X7 systems at combo prices and to control production from a centralized, cloud-based software platform.

With the release of its Print Farms, Markforged is hoping to provide its customer base with access to a broad range of industrial materials on one platform to unlock economic opportunities for 3D printing metal, composite and hybrid parts.

“We are introducing Print Farms to help customers maximize the efficiency of our Metal X systems,” explained Jon Reilly, VP of Product at Markforged. “Three to five Metal X printers, one Wash and a Sinter-2 is the optimum package to maximize output. A properly balanced printing farm helps companies accelerate their transition to digital manufacturing.”

Markforged currently offers a range of industrial 3D printing materials—each of which has been developed with the aim of optimizing cost, speed and efficiency. For its Metal X system, the company offers a number of high-strength metals, including 17-4PH Stainless Steel, H13 Tool Steel and A2 Tool Steel. The company has also revealed its plans to release D2 Tool Steel, a high-carbon, high-chromium tool steel that can achieve high hardness through heat treatment. The new material, expected to hit the market in September, is said to offer excellent wear resistance, abrasion resistance and high compression strength.

For its carbon fiber 3D printing systems, Markforged has a range of materials, including Onyx, a high-strength material that combines continuous fibers made from carbon fiber, fiberglass, HSHT fiberglass and Kevlar, and Onyx FR, a certified, flame-retardant material.

“Markforged Print Farms are an economic solution to build metal and carbon fiber printing capacity,” writes the company on its website. “Start with three or five Metal X printers to maximize output of your Metal X system. Customize your Print Farm with the addition of carbon fiber printers. Unlock the ability to print a full range of industrial materials in parallel from one centralized, cloud-based software platform with Markforged Print Farms.”