The Stratasys 380mc CFE 3D printer
The Fortus 380mc Carbon Fiber Edition, previously given a brief mention here back in April, has been given its full launch with the eye-catching price tag of €70,000.
Stratasys has previously offered the Carbon-Fiber-Filled Nylon 12 material on its high-end production 3D printers in the €200K-€350K range, and admits that this new machine opens the technology up to a new segment of the market.
“Our customers are pushing us for easier access to carbon fibre,” says Stratasys senior sales VP 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.
A part 3D printed using Nylon 12CF
Given that the 380mc CFE is dedicated only to printing carbon-fiber-filled Nylon 12 and a support material, Stratasys says it is able to offer it at the lowest price of any of its ‘industrial’ printers.
Stratasys’ Nylon 12CF material is 35 per cent chopped carbon fiber by weight, and exhibits the highest stiffness-to-weight ratio of any Stratasys FDM 3D printed part, while claiming to be ‘up to four times stronger than a competitively priced alternative in the X and Y axis’.
Layer thickness runs at 0.254 mm, while the system compatible with ASA thermoplastic can build in 0.127 mm layer thicknesses.
A 355 x 305 x 305mm build chamber and water-soluble support material removal should make this an interesting option for a wide range of industry vertices looking to add composites build capabilities in-house.
