MarkForged has today announced two new 3D printers – the Onyx One and Onyx Pro. The new Onyx line can 3D print engineering quality parts, that are tougher and more durable than parts printed with standard thermoplastics.
These new printers have been designed from the ground up to 3D print chopped carbon fibre, a material that due to its abrasiveness, causes numerous issues for other 3D printers. For instance, chopped carbon wears brass nozzles down very quickly, and it is notoriously difficult to get consistency from.
We’ve made Onyx more accessible than ever. Learn more here: https://t.co/B4SyebRzJp pic.twitter.com/mgEe5zK34L
— MARKFORGED (@Markforged) November 17, 2016
It goes without saying, that the Onyx One and the Onyx Pro are not toys. They are serious pieces of equipment, for engineers who need to create hardy and durable parts for mechanical assemblies. However, because they cost less than the MarkForged Mark Two and other industrial-grade desktop 3D printers, they are more accessible for engineers who are new to 3D printing, and to companies that want to see what 3D printing can do for them, without spending a small fortune.
The Onyx Pro
The Onyx Pro supports Onyx, a chopped carbon fibre and nylon filament, and fibreglass, which can be used to reinforce Onyx-printed parts for outstanding strength and durability. Unlike ABS and other thermoplastics, Onyx won’t crack or break under stress and it has outstanding thermal properties. And, because it is part nylon, it prints reliably with excellent detail.
The Onyx Pro has dual extruders, with one extruder dedicated to printing Onyx, and the other dedicated to printing fibreglass CFF. The Onyx Pro can print at a layer height of 100-microns, and it supports an interesting new beta feature called “Turbo Printing”, which enables you to print parts twice as fast with no loss of surface quality or resolution.
With a build volume of 320 mm x 132 mm x 154 mm, the Onyx Pro offers enough space for larger projects. You can 3D print parts with just Onyx, or you can reinforce parts with fibreglass. Fibreglass has the highest strength-to-cost ratio of all Markforged materials. It is electrically insulating and extremely strong, hence why it is used to manufacture parts for Formula 1 cars. Combined with Onyx, you can 3D print parts that are stronger and more resilient than metal.
The Onyx One
The Onyx One has the same build volume as the Onyx Pro, and it too can print at a layer height of 100-microns. However, the Onyx One can only print Onyx filament, and it has a single extruder. As you would expect, there is a huge upside to this though, and that upside is price: The Onyx One is near half the price of the Onyx Pro, so it represents excellent value for money.
When printed on its own, Onyx is still strong and stiff (Onyx has a flexural strength of 81 MPa and a tensile stress at break percentage of 30 MPa), and it has outstanding mechanical properties. However, where this filament really excels is when it is used for customer-facing assemblies. When printed, parts made from Onyx are a deep matte black with a unique texture. The Onyx One also supports “Turbo Printing” through Eigar, so you still benefit from super-fast print speeds.
Together with this announcement, MarkForged has also made changes to their existing 3D printer lineup, by discontinuing the Mark Two Standard and Professional models, and promoting the Mark Two Enterprise to sole flagship status, and renaming it simply “The Mark Two”. The result is a much more uniform range of 3D printers.
To find out more about the Markforged Onyx Pro and Onyx One, check out the official web page.
