Carbon Fiber 3D Printing Material Solutions.

Leverage the Benefits of Carbon Fiber 3D Printing

Stratasys Carbon Fiber

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Why Use Carbon Fiber in 3D Printing?

Simply put, composites and thermoplastics deliver unparalleled strength. Making strong and reliable end-use parts just got easier with our materials advancements. At Stratasys, we're motivated by our customers’ demands to develop and fabricate their designs quickly to achieve the strongest part performance in the most intense environments, the first time and every time.

Advantages of Carbon Fiber in 3D Printing

Carbon fiber 3D printing has several advantages that make it an appealing choice in manufacturing. Its superior strength-to-weight ratio is one of its major selling points, providing the ability to create parts that are as strong as metal but significantly lighter. This not only enables more efficient designs but also can lead to significant savings in transport and fuel costs in industries such as automotive and aerospace. In addition, carbon fiber filled materials have greater strength and stiffness compared to their non-filled base materials. The higher mechanical properties of 3D printed carbon fiber parts opens up a wider array of applications where traditional non-filled materials may not have been optimal.

Carbon Fiber Composite Materials

Carbon fiber 3D printing is not just a novel technology – it's a powerful tool that expands the realm of what's possible in design and manufacturing. It allows for rapid prototyping and faster iterations, meaning designs can be tested and improved more quickly.

Nylon 12 Carbon Fibre

Carbon Reinforced. FDM Nylon 12 Carbon Fibre (Nylon 12CF) combines nylon 12 and chopped carbon fibre to achieve the highest flexural strength and stiffness-to-weight ratio of any FDM material. Nylon 12CF provides a cleaner carbon fibre additive process than SLA with equivalent strength properties. Lightweight Strength. FDM Nylon 12CF offers the strength and rigidity to replace metal in certain applications. Replace heavy metal tools with lighter, ergonomic carbon fibre FDM tools. Validate designs faster with carbon fibre functional prototypes instead of costly and time-consuming metal prototypes.

FDM Nylon-CF10

FDM Nylon-CF10 is a nylon carbon fibre filament. The base polymer is filled 10% by weight with chopped carbon, which produces a composite material 67% stronger and 190% stiffer than the nylon base material. FDM Nylon-CF10 is also possesses good chemical resistance, toughness and abrasion resistance. The material’s strength and rigidity make it an excellent choice to replace metal for appropriate work holding fixtures and other manufacturing tooling. Its chemical resistance is also a desirable feature in an environment exposed to typical manufacturing fluids. FDM Nylon-CF10 possesses a uniform matte finish that produces a visually appealing surface finish.

ABS-CF10

The benefits of ABS with the stiffness of carbon fibre. Stratasys ABS-CF10 combines the benefits of a carbon fibre filament with the desirable mechanical properties and ease of use of ABS 3D printing material. The result is an engineering thermoplastic with superior strength and rigidity for factory floor tooling applications. Significantly reduce your tooling lead time by 3D printing them with Stratasys ABS-CF10 instead of machining. Depending on the application, carbon-reinforced ABS can replace metal for lighter, more ergonomic tooling. Combined with soluble support, Stratasys ABS-CF10 can achieve complex geometries that aren’t possible with machining.

FDM Nylon CF12 - Carbon Fiber - An Industrial FDM 3D Printing Material

Carbon Reinforced. FDM Nylon 12 Carbon Fibre (Nylon 12CF) combines nylon 12 and chopped carbon fibre to achieve the highest flexural strength and stiffness-to-weight ratio of any FDM material. Nylon 12CF provides a cleaner carbon fibre additive process than SLA with equivalent strength properties. Lightweight Strength. FDM Nylon 12CF offers the strength and rigidity to replace metal in certain applications. Replace heavy metal tools with lighter, ergonomic carbon fibre FDM tools. Validate designs faster with carbon fibre functional prototypes instead of costly and time-consuming metal prototypes.

FDM Nylon-CF10 is a nylon carbon fibre filament. The base polymer is filled 10% by weight with chopped carbon, which produces a composite material 67% stronger and 190% stiffer than the nylon base material. FDM Nylon-CF10 is also possesses good chemical resistance, toughness and abrasion resistance. The material’s strength and rigidity make it an excellent choice to replace metal for appropriate work holding fixtures and other manufacturing tooling. Its chemical resistance is also a desirable feature in an environment exposed to typical manufacturing fluids. FDM Nylon-CF10 possesses a uniform matte finish that produces a visually appealing surface finish.

The benefits of ABS with the stiffness of carbon fibre. Stratasys ABS-CF10 combines the benefits of a carbon fibre filament with the desirable mechanical properties and ease of use of ABS 3D printing material. The result is an engineering thermoplastic with superior strength and rigidity for factory floor tooling applications. Significantly reduce your tooling lead time by 3D printing them with Stratasys ABS-CF10 instead of machining. Depending on the application, carbon-reinforced ABS can replace metal for lighter, more ergonomic tooling. Combined with soluble support, Stratasys ABS-CF10 can achieve complex geometries that aren’t possible with machining.

Choosing a Carbon Fiber 3D Printer

There are critical considerations that can make or break your composite printing experience such as:

Material performance and availability
Crucial components and features necessary for successful composite printing
Repeatability and reliability
Throughput and build volume
Ease of use

At Stratasys, we believe in transparency and enabling our customers with the necessary information to evaluate part performance and ensure a seamless printing experience. Watch our on-demand webinar where Stratasys engineers discuss essential insights needed to make an informed decision when investing in a composite 3D printer.

Watch the Webinar

Commercial Carbon Fiber Capable Printers

Stratasys composite-ready carbon fiber 3D printers offer a selection of material choices and build capacity.

Max Build Size
Materials
Cartridge capacity
Software
Brochure

F170

Max Build Size
Materials
Cartridge capacity
Software GrabCAD Print, GrabCAD Print Pro3
Brochure Download brochure

F190CR

Max Build Size 305 x 254 x 305 mm (12 x 10 x 12 in.)
Materials ABS-CF10
ABS-M30
ASA
FDM Nylon-CF10
TPU 92A
Support Material - QSR
Cartridge capacity 2
Material spool bays (1 model – 1 support)
Software GrabCAD Print
GrabCAD Print Pro
Brochure Download brochure

F370

Max Build Size
Materials
Cartridge capacity
Software GrabCAD Print, GrabCAD Print Pro2, and Insight™
Brochure Download brochure

F370CR

Max Build Size 355 x 254 x 355 mm
(14 x 10 x 14 in.)
Materials ABS-M30
ASA
FDM TPU 92A
ABS-CF10
PC-ABS
Diran 410MF07
ABS-ESD7
FDM Nylon-CF10
Cartridge capacity 4
Material spool bays (2 model – 2 support)
Auto material changeover
Software GrabCAD Print
GrabCAD Print Pro
Insight
Brochure Download brochure

Industrial Carbon Fiber Capable Printers

Build Size
Cartridge capacity
Materials
Software
Brochure

Fortus 450mc

Build Size 406 x 355 x 406 mm (16 x 14 x 16 in.)
Cartridge capacity
Materials
Software All Fortus systems include Insight™ and Control Center™ job processing and management software. Compatible with GrabCAD Print™ , GrabCAD Print Pro™ and Streamline Pro for use with part processing, job reports, scheduling and remote monitoring. OpenAM software is available through the purchase of an OpenAM License
Brochure Download brochure

F3300

Build Size 600 x 600 x 800 mm (23.6 x 23.6 x 31.5 in.)
Cartridge capacity
Materials
Software GrabCAD Print, GrabCAD Print Pro, Insight, MTConnect enabled
Brochure Download brochure

F900

Build Size 914.4 x 609.6 x 914.4 mm (36 x 24 x 36 in.) Platen supports two build zones for either a small or large build sheet
Cartridge capacity
Materials
Software All Fortus systems include Insight and Control Center™ job processing and management software. Compatible with GrabCAD Print and GrabCAD Streamline Pro™ for use with job reports, scheduling and remote monitoring. U.S. government agency STIG compliance via Stratasys ProtectAM technology is powered by Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® software. GrabCAD Print Pro is available
Brochure Download brochure

"I don't think everyone was aware of the possibility of being able to 3D print parts with this level of strength until they began seeing the capabilities of (carbon fibre) Nylon 12CF."

Rob Humphries, prototyping engineer, Thule

Carbon Fiber Case Studies

Stratasys carbon fiber-ready 3D printers and carbon fiber composite materials are at the heart of the industry-altering work our customers create. If you want to learn how carbon fiber 3D printing changed the game, hear directly from our customers.

SSL cuts lead time for customised composite tooling by embracing 3D printing.

SSL cuts lead time for customised composite tooling by embracing 3D printing and reduces the expense and time-consuming process of traditional methods.

Swift Engineering shaves off production time by embracing 3D printing.

Swift Engineering shaves off production by embracing 3D printing for sacrificial tooling applications using composite 3D printing materials.

Thule embraces additive manufacturing with FDM Nylon 12 Carbon Fibre.

Thule uses additive manufacturing with Stratasys Nylon 12 Carbon Fibre to 3D print functional prototypes, save time, cost, and drive innovation.

SSL cuts lead time for customised composite tooling by embracing 3D printing and reduces the expense and time-consuming process of traditional methods.

Swift Engineering shaves off production by embracing 3D printing for sacrificial tooling applications using composite 3D printing materials.

Thule uses additive manufacturing with Stratasys Nylon 12 Carbon Fibre to 3D print functional prototypes, save time, cost, and drive innovation.

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