A new range of high-temperature carbon-fiber composite filaments is being developed for Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing. With the addition of these products to the KyronMAX® family, MCG Advanced Materials aims to demonstrate the potential of directly 3D printing carbon-fiber composite parts, while still benefiting from the properties of the high-strength material.
The composite filaments integrate chopped carbon fibers into a thermoplastic matrix. This matrix can be composed of different thermoplastic materials, including high-temperature thermoplastics, such as, Nylon, PPA, PEKK, and PEEK , all of which will be offered as part of MCG Advanced Materials’s standard Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) materials portfolio. Each matrix offers its own set of unique properties when combined with fiber reinforcement. MCG Advanced Materials is backward integrated into carbon fiber and has the ability to not only adjust the dimensions of the carbon fiber itself but also the ‘adhesion layer’ on the carbon fiber to make it compatible with a specific thermoplastic matrix, adding to the strength of the material and the final part.
1-10
Functional prototyping and small series
Very high
Low
Very low
<1 week
Small –Medium
All, KyronMAX®
3D Printing (FDM or FFF) of a visual/ functional part.
1-10
Functional prototyping and small series
Very high
Low
Very low
<2 week
Small –Medium
All, KyronMAX®
SPRINT (Soluble Printed Injection Tooling) is based on AddiFab's Freeform Injection Molding technology. It provides the flexibility of 3D printing (of the mold) with injection molding quality. It enables the production of small series parts that are 100% functional and can be scaled at low risk to high volume injection molding. Max size of the printed mold 96x54x150mm. Up to 4 molds can be combined to expand the build envelope.
1-100
Machining (CNC)
Moderate
Low – Medium
Low
2 weeks
Small –Medium
Limited by degree of fillers or very soft materials
Customization of plates, rods or near net shapes.
10-1000
Near net injection molding + Machining (CNC)
Moderate
Low – Medium
Medium
2 weeks
Small – Very large
Limited by degree of fillers or very soft materials
Cost effective way of production by combining injection molding of near net shape (NNS) in combination with machining for adding features and creating very tight tolerances.
100-10,000
Injection molding – Machined aluminum tool
Low - moderate
Low – Medium
Medium
4 – 6 weeks
Small – Very large
All, KyronMAX®
Conventional injection molding.
100-250,000
Injection molding – 3D printed metal insert in mother tool
Moderate
Medium – High
Medium
<6 weeks
Medium
All, KyronMAX®
Injection molding with a 3D printed metal insert. Max size is approx. 250x250x250 mm.
>10,000-1 Million
Injection molding – Hardened Steel tool
High
High
High
10 – 24 weeks
Low – Medium
All, KyronMAX®
Complete hardened tool with moving parts.
| Number of Parts | Manufacturing Technology | Design Freedom | Volume (#parts) | Upfront investment (Tool) | Speed | Size part | Material | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1-10 |
Functional prototyping and small series |
Very high |
Low |
Very low |
<1 week |
Small –Medium |
All, KyronMAX® |
3D Printing (FDM or FFF) of a visual/ functional part. |
|
1-10 |
Functional prototyping and small series |
Very high |
Low |
Very low |
<2 week |
Small –Medium |
All, KyronMAX® |
SPRINT (Soluble Printed Injection Tooling) is based on AddiFab's Freeform Injection Molding technology. It provides the flexibility of 3D printing (of the mold) with injection molding quality. It enables the production of small series parts that are 100% functional and can be scaled at low risk to high volume injection molding. Max size of the printed mold 96x54x150mm. Up to 4 molds can be combined to expand the build envelope. |
|
1-100 |
Machining (CNC) |
Moderate |
Low – Medium |
Low |
2 weeks |
Small –Medium |
Limited by degree of fillers or very soft materials |
Customization of plates, rods or near net shapes. |
|
10-1000 |
Near net injection molding + Machining (CNC) |
Moderate |
Low – Medium |
Medium |
2 weeks |
Small – Very large |
Limited by degree of fillers or very soft materials |
Cost effective way of production by combining injection molding of near net shape (NNS) in combination with machining for adding features and creating very tight tolerances. |
|
100-10,000 |
Injection molding – Machined aluminum tool |
Low - moderate |
Low – Medium |
Medium |
4 – 6 weeks |
Small – Very large |
All, KyronMAX® |
Conventional injection molding. |
|
100-250,000 |
Injection molding – 3D printed metal insert in mother tool |
Moderate |
Medium – High |
Medium |
<6 weeks |
Medium |
All, KyronMAX® |
Injection molding with a 3D printed metal insert. Max size is approx. 250x250x250 mm. |
|
>10,000-1 Million |
Injection molding – Hardened Steel tool |
High |
High |
High |
10 – 24 weeks |
Low – Medium |
All, KyronMAX® |
Complete hardened tool with moving parts. |
How does the relative production cost compare to CNC Machining and 3D Printing (FFF, Fused Filament Fabrication) of a sorting wheel like?
Learn about how SPRINT (Soluble Printed Injection Tooling) could facilitate smooth scaling of your product in this case study.
What is the relative production cost in comparison between CNC Machining and 3D Printing (FFF, Fused Filament Fabrication) of an assembly collet?
Learn how 3D Printing (FFF) of the assembly collet resulted in an astonishing 87% reduction of material usage in this case study.
MCG Advanced Materials offers an extensive range of manufacturing technologies, in which 3D printing (FFF) offers several advantages compared to conventional manufacturing methods:
Lower cost: 3D printing eliminates the need for expensive tooling, minimizes material waste compared to subtractive processes, and has no minimum order quantity (MOQ)
Design freedom: 3D printing enables product designers and engineers to design more lightweight parts (lattices, honeycomb structures), to consolidate multiple parts into a single structure, and to produce previously impossible designs
Production agility: 3D printing reduces part development time by eliminating steps in the prototyping workflow, can simplify shipping and logistics with distributed manufacturing, and can be used to produce emergency replacement parts on demand.
Inspiring stories from the winners of High-temperature carbon-fiber 3D Printing Challenge held in December 2021. In this challenge, the participants were asked to incorporate the strength and properties of the KyronMax® carbon-fiber 3D printing filament with the flexibility and sustainability of 3D printing in their design.
