FX10 is the fifth-generation print system features built-in automation for quality assurance and print routines.
Markforged has revealed its newest industrial 3D printer, the FX10 at the Formnext Conference in Germany. Continuing Markforged’s heritage of reliable printers that deliver strong, precise parts, the FX10 is designed to supercharge manufacturing line productivity and profitability. The FX10 empowers users to print the right part when and where it is needed, reducing costs and cutting lead times from months to days compared to traditional manufacturing methods.
“We engineered the FX10 to be the best tool for the manufacturing floor,” said Shai Terem, CEO of Markforged. “The FX10 allows manufacturers to slash original part replacement costs when compared to traditional methods and keep production lines running without worrying about supply chain issues or spare parts inventory. The FX10 can accelerate the digitization of the manufacturing floor by increasing the adoption of digital inventory to build supply chain resiliency. Our customers now have the potential to save even more capital by reducing physical inventory and boosting production yields while decreasing operating costs.”
Designed with flexibility in mind, the printer’s modular systems are engineered to be expanded and upgraded with additional capabilities. For example, the FX10 has been designed to incorporate a printhead-integrated vision module to capture detailed part images and data to further ensure part quality and optimize printer performance. The 5th Generation Continuous Fiber Reinforcement (CFR) print system delivers high print quality in a heated print chamber allowing for print speeds that are nearly twice as fast and print sizes that are up to twice as large as previous Markforged industrial series printers, enabling the replacement of metal parts with advanced composites.
“The FX10 is another important milestone in our mission to bring industrial production to the point of need. It enables our customers to address even more industrial applications with a clear return on investment. Coupled with our Digital Source platform, we are truly starting to bring the vision of distributed manufacturing into reality,” said Terem. “The FX10 features a full suite of automation built to simplify the usage of the printer and increase adoption to build resiliency into our customers’ production. When a line is down, or a tool is needed, FX10 users can simply Press Print.”
The FX10 was designed to ensure easy adoption on the manufacturing floor starting with the first line operator. A simple touchscreen interface combined with new automation and quality assurance technologies enables users to get more parts out of the FX10 with fewer interactions needed by the operator before and during a print than with previous Markforged printers.
Markforged has also released Vega, an ultra high-performance filament designed for aerospace manufacturing on Markforged’s FX20 printer. Vega not only offers exceptional strength but also is expected to bring customers substantial advantages in weight reduction, cost efficiency, and lead time savings.
Vega builds upon Markforged’s material expertise and proven track record of engineering chopped carbon fiber-filled polymers that deliver strength, precision, and surface quality. Markforged developed Vega to be compatible with the FX20’s Continuous Fiber Reinforcement technology to deliver aluminum-strength parts.