In response to the growing use of composites across industries, Stratasys is now shipping an affordably priced additive manufacturing system dedicated for carbon-fiber-filled Nylon 12. The Fortus 380mc Carbon Fiber Edition, is an industrial-grade system and will begin shipping in this region in the next few weeks.
Recently composite material has seen a year-over-year market growth between 8 to 12 percent. Carbon fiber composite applications and carbon fiber reinforced polymers are considered clean energy technologies by the U.S. Department of Energy because they enable “light-weighting,” which reduces energy consumption. It’s estimated that each ten percent reduction in vehicle mass drives a six to eight percent increase in fuel economy.
“Our customers are pushing us for easier access to carbon fiber,” says Stratasys Senior Vice President of Sales, Pat Carey. “They’ve told us they want an affordable solution but in a reliable, industrial-grade system. So, we’re now offering a more accessible system that’s based on our Fortus 380mc platform. Because the 380mc CFE is dedicated only to carbon-fiber-filled Nylon 12 and one other material, we’re able to currently offer it at the lowest price for any of our industrial printers.”
“For many years, the additive manufacturing industry has seen a need for a diversity of machines that produce parts in high-strength composite materials,” says Terry Wohlers of Wohlers Associates, an additive manufacturing industry consultancy. “I’m hopeful the newest machine from Stratasys will help to meet this need by offering strong parts in carbon fiber and Nylon 12.”
