Carbon fiber reinforced composites and their applications in manufacturing are considered a clean energy technology. Because they are lightweight materials, they can reduce energy consumption if used to make automotive parts. Relevant data show that when this type of material reduces the weight of a car by 10%, the fuel economy of the car will increase by 6% -8%.
Stratasys, an industrial-grade 3D printing company, introduced the more economical Fortus 380mc CFE (Carbon Fiber Edition) system on the basis of mature industrial fused deposition molding (FDM) 3D printing equipment, which is specially designed for 3D printing of carbon fiber reinforced materials. Introduced by more cost-sensitive industrial users, it is suitable for automotive, aerospace, sports equipment, medical equipment and other fields.
Can be used for lightweight fixtures and parts manufacturing
Stratasys was one of the first companies to provide additive manufacturing technology for carbon fiber reinforced composites. However, as the demand for carbon fiber composite 3D printing applications has grown in the market, the demand for more economical carbon fiber composite 3D printing solutions has also increased. In response to this market demand, Stratasys has launched a more economical carbon fiber composite Materials 3D printing equipment Fortus 380mc CFE, this equipment can manufacture nylon 12 carbon fiber material and is compatible with ASA thermoplastics.
Typical applications for additive manufacturing of nylon 12 carbon fiber materials include:
Functional prototype of components
Short-term small batch production of parts
Manufacturing lightweight fixtures
Substituting metal materials for manufacturing high-strength, lightweight components
Stratasys Fortus 380mc CFE carbon fiber composite 3D solution is suitable for industries including: automotive manufacturing, leisure sports equipment, marine equipment, prosthetics and orthotics manufacturing, medical equipment, aerospace, and energy industries.
The famous racing team Team Penske applied Stratasys 3D printing technology in the rapid iteration of racing and final component manufacturing, including 3D printing of nylon 12 carbon fiber material.
Team Penske applied Stratasys' nylon 12 carbon fiber 3D printing technology in both IndyCar and NASCAR racing cars. Team Penske recently manufactured a nylon 12 carbon fiber 3D printed mirror housing for its NASCAR racing car.
The housing has high impact resistance, high rigidity, and is lightweight. The stiffness of this carbon fiber-reinforced nylon material has unique advantages when manufacturing thin-walled parts, and parts made with them will not bend and deform under aerodynamic loads.
Similar to typical carbon fiber reinforced injection molded parts, Stratasys' nylon 12 carbon fiber material contains 35% carbon fiber ratio (by weight).
The Fortus 380mc CFE 3D printing system produces parts with repeatable dimensional accuracy without noticeable warpage or shrinkage of the parts and maintaining tight tolerances. Stratasys says the advantages of the Fortus 380mc CFE include higher strength on the X / Y axis, mechanical strength at 40% higher temperatures, and faster printing.
The print layer thickness of the Fortus 380mc CFE is 0.254 mm. The print layer thickness when manufacturing ASA thermoplastic materials can be 0.254 mm or 0.127 mm. The construction room of the 3D printer measures 355 x 305 x 305 mm, and the supporting material of the part is water-soluble, which does not need to be manually removed.
3D Science Valley Review
For the manufacturing industry, carbon fiber reinforced material is an important composite material. This material can provide the strength equivalent to that of metal, and it is very light. Carbon fiber is used in industries that need to consider the weight-to-strength ratio, including aerospace and automotive. Wide application prospects.
From the perspective of 3D Science Valley, the combination of printing technology and materials may promote the application of carbon fiber materials in the automotive field, especially the application of new energy vehicles, because lightweight is a major demand for new energy vehicles.
The National Development and Reform Commission approved 15 new energy vehicle companies, including BAIC New Energy, and BAIC New Energy's 2017 report card was 103,199 vehicles, an increase of 98% year-on-year. It is the first domestic production and sales company to exceed 100,000 vehicles. Pure electric vehicle company. Other homes include Changjiang Automobile, Qianqi Automobile, Chery New Energy, Minan Automobile, Wanxiang Group, Jiangling New Energy, Jinkang New Energy, Guoneng New Energy, Yundu New Energy, Lanzhou Zhidou, Henan Suda, Zhejiang Hezhong, Land Ark, JAC Volkswagen. It is worth mentioning that the K50 of the future car uses a lot of carbon fiber and aluminum alloy materials. Of course, the price is also expensive, around 700,000.