Desktop 3D Printers Make Carbon Plastic Parts

Markforged recently introduced its Onyx Series of desktop 3D printers. Onyx Series printers work with the company's Onyx filament, which, Markforged says, consists of chopped carbon fiber within nylon and provides twice the strength and stiffness of pure plastic. Image courtesy of Markforged Inc.

Onyx series 3D printers are engineered to work with the company's Onyx filament introduced earlier this year. Made of chopped carbon fiber within nylon for twice the strength and stiffness of pure plastic, parts printed in Onyx, says Markforged, have an elegant carbon black finish directly off the 3D printer. The company adds that the material is designed for end-use applications as well as prototyping with a finished look requiring no post-processing.

This intake was 3D-printed in Onyx chopped carbon fiber within nylon material. Image courtesy of Markforged Inc.

The Onyx series has two models: The Onyx One and the Onyx Pro. The Onyx One features a single printhead while the Onyx Pro comes with a second printhead exclusively for continuous fiberglass for five times the strength of Onyx material alone. The Onyx One is field-upgradeable with a second printhead for producing advanced fiberglass composite parts.

Onyx series 3D printers have a print volume of 12.60x5.20x6.05 in. (320x132x154 mm) and a Z layer resolution of 100 microns. Both Onyx Series printers come with a built-in touchscreen for managing the printer, connecting to Wi-Fi and setting other operator options.

This 3D-printed soft jaw for machining an airfoil was 3D-printed on the Onyx Pro. Image courtesy of Markforged Inc.

The systems are also supplied with the company's Eiger cloud-based file management and slicer software. The new Turbo Print speed setting available through Eiger software enables users to fabricate parts up to two times faster than with previous editions of the software with no loss of surface quality or resolution, says Markforged.

Shown here is a impeller on an SAE Mini Baja vehicle from Olin College 3D-printed in Onyx material. Image courtesy of Markforged Inc.

“Our belief is that every designer and engineer should have broad access to strong, elegant parts from a reliable printer they love to use,” says Greg Mark, CEO of Markforged, in a press statement. “With the Onyx One, we provide our customers with superior parts in a seamless integrated system of hardware, material and software to deliver a quality experience at an accessible price point.”

The Onyx One is priced at $3,499 and the Onyx Pro is $6,999. Both prices include Eiger software and starter materials.

For more information on the Markforged Onyx series of 3D printers, go here.

Learn more about Markforged Eiger software.

Learn more about Onyx and other materials offered by Markforged.

Request a free Markforged sample part.

Arrange a demo of a Markforged 3D printer.

See why DE's editors selected Onyx series of 3D desktop printers as their Pick of the Week.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company's website.