3D Printer Designed for the Factory Floor

Markforged Holding Corp. unveiled the FX10 3D printer at the FormNext trade show. The printer is designed to be used on the factory floor, to support production operations by minimizing downtime by fabricating replacement parts as needed.

According to the company, the FX10 enables manufacturers to shorten lead teams and reduce costs associated with replacement parts. The printer features a modular design, facilitating upgrades. The heated chamber enables print speeds that are nearly twice as fast and print sizes that are up to twice as large as previous Markforged industrial series printers, enabling the replacement of metal parts with advanced composites.

The printer also features a touchscreen interface, with new automation and quality assurance technologies. Printhead-mounted optical sensors automatically verify the dimensional accuracy of the part. A laser micrometer in the FX10 scans parts during printing and assists with the machine’s automatic calibration. Inspection software interprets the data from the sensors for dimensional verification, providing users with quality assurance as soon as a print finishes.

The material drawer of the FX10 contains built-in, individually sealed storage bays for up to four 800cc spools. FX10 is able to automatically execute spool changeovers between filament storage bays during a print, and users can reload empty spool bays without disrupting a print.