Today we are delighted to announce that we have become an official MarkForged reseller, and with that the availability of The Mark One Standard and The Mark One Professional within our online store.
The world’s first 3D printer designed to print parts as strong as metal.
The Mark One by MarkForged is a unique 3D printer, in that it uses a special printing process called Composite Filament Fabrication (CFF – patent pending) in combination with traditional fused filament fabrication (FFF) to print nylon parts that are reinforced with Carbon Fibre, Kevlar® or Fibreglass.
To really understand just how impressive this printer is, consider this – you will be able to print functional parts with a higher strength-to-weight ratio than aluminium, at your desk.
Interested? Here is everything you need to know about this incredible 3D printer:
Reinforce Nylon parts with Carbon Fibre, Kevlar® or Fibreglass.
The Mark One is the first 3D printer in the world designed to print with composites. Its core printing material is high-grade nylon, and we have already seen nylon-only parts made by this printer in our Tazo the dog story. But what sets this printer apart is the ability to add composite reinforcement to parts thanks to two extruder nozzles – one dedicated to the core filament, Nylon, and one dedicated to composites – and these work together during the printing process to create parts that are up to 24x stronger than ABS parts, and just as strong as 6061 aluminium.
A 3D printer for both prototyping and end-use parts.
Parts are so strong, that this printer isn’t limited to prototyping – it can create end-use parts with ease. In addition, The Mark One 3D printer is happy to pause its printing cycle, so that additional electrical and mechanical components and sensors can be embedded into printed parts. As a result, The Mark One gifts businesses and educational institutions the opportunity to really push their designs using materials like carbon fibre, fibreglass, and Kevlar® (Professional model only).
Here’s how the materials stack up:
Carbon Fibre CFF: Highest strength-to-weight and highest thermal conductivity.
Kevlar® CFF: Best abrasion resistance and best impact resistance.
Fibreglass CFF: Highest strength-to-cost and electrically insulating.
Nylon FFF: A tough engineering plastic with low friction.
What fascinates us most about The Mark One, however, is just how refined the printer’s output is. Parts are smooth without any sanding or finishing, and due to the strength and pliability of the nylon filament, nylon-only parts can be cleanly bent without breaking. Yet add a little carbon fibre, Kevlar or fibreglass into the mix, and parts become rock solid. This means you can create parts with multiple personalities, and for multiple uses. One impressive application we have seen recently is for a fibreglass reinforced nylon steering assembly for a race car. This part regularly withstands 800 N of force, and despite massive abuse, the part refuses to fail! Now that’s what we call durability.
Ideally suited to engineering applications – yet so simple to use.
Being able to print with nylon and Carbon Fibre, Kevlar® or Fibreglass, The Mark One is a 3D printer ideally suited to engineering applications.
And yet, it’s no more complicated in use than any other desktop printer. No, really – this printer is so easy to set up and use, that even a beginner to 3D printing could have a go. This is why we recommend The Mark One to educational institutions so highly, because students of all age groups can enjoy it.
Essential to its ease of use its bespoke software, Eiger. Eiger is a browser-based software that takes CAD models and sends them to print. It offers a huge level of control over the process, allowing you to adjust the strength and flexibility of parts – based on the amount of reinforcement material used – while also being completely wireless. It’s a fantastic piece of software in every way, and it’s been designed with the beginner in mind – while including the features professionals expect.
Buy your Mark One from GoPrint3D today
The Mark One is a fantastic 3D printer for a wide range of environments, especially engineering, industry and education – and you can buy yours online with us right now for a great price. Choose between the Standard or Professional models (the only difference between them functionality wise is that the Standard model cannot print with Kevlar®), and get 30 days free support from us. Or to find out more, simply give us a call on 01765 540 115 or contact us.
