
Markforged: Introducing Pure Copper Material for the Metal X 3D printer
The Markforged Metal X 3D printer provides cost and speed efficiencies to copper. This 3D printer makes it easy to create complex parts with high electrical and thermal conductivity.
Markforged, the leading manufacturer of metal and carbon fiber 3D printers, has announced on February 13, 2020, the release of pure copper material for the Markforged Metal X system. It makes it the only reliable, affordable, and safe way to the 3D print copper – one of the most widely used material. Copper 3D printing can lead to reduced lead time and cost of the parts, as well as it can eliminate the need for holding expensive inventory. Thus, 3D printing copper parts on-demand can benefit manufacturers in keeping the production cost in control and increasing the supply chain efficiency of customers. Available today, Markforged Metal X provides an easy and fast way to print geometrically complex copper with high electrical and thermal conductivity.
“Copper powers our world. It’s everywhere. It builds our cars, enables phones, and keeps electrical equipment running,” said Greg Mark, Markforged CEO and Founder. “Copper has traditionally been an expensive and challenging material to machine and incompatible for 3D printing in a pure form with other techniques. Now, we’ve made it easier and cheaper to produce. Markforged 3D printed Copper will be a game-changer for the automotive and electronics industries, and it will open the door to innovation across many more.”
Copper – the new material introduced by Markforged is available for the Metal X 3D printer, which is Markforged’s patented technology for safely and rapidly 3D printing metal. Metal X is capable of printing various materials which includes aerospace superalloys like Inconel 625, 17-4 PH Stainless Steel, H13 Tool Steel, D2 Tool Steel, and A2 Tool Steel along with Copper which is the lastest in the lineup of material. The Markforged Metal X 3D printer is used by various industries across six continents. This 3D printing system is used by manufacturers for printing applications such as functional prototypes, tooling, and fixtures, and end-use production parts. It helps customers in reducing manufacturing costs and improve supply chain efficiency.
Automotive Spot Welding with Markforged Copper Shanks
“Every automotive factory in the world uses copper for welding,” Greg Mark added. “Complex production parts are required to weld tight spots of the car body. They cost thousands of dollars to make and can have months-long lead times. But Markforged is changing all of that by enabling manufacturers to produce parts in-house, so they get them faster and for significantly lower costs. With our 3D printed parts, automotive manufacturers can print the parts they need on-demand instead of holding significant inventory and will be able to design new kinds of welding shanks that were never before possible.”
Markforged has delivered hundreds of its 3D printers to nine of the ten highest-valued auto manufacturers in the world. To conduct in-depth weld testing using copper, Markfrged partnered with one of its existing customers – a well known automotive manufacturer. After conducting thousands of tests, the auto manufacturers have been thrilled with the results. The testing of welds showed the same resistance as traditionally manufactured spot welding shanks, and they plan to extend the use of the 3D printing parts to the production line. The use of Markforged additive manufacturing technology by the automotive manufactures has resulted in reducing the lead time by 12x and part costs by 6x.
“I’ve always been impressed with the technology behind the Markforged Metal X system, and our experience with 3D printed copper has been incredible – especially when looking at its conductivity and structural stability,” noted the maintenance manager at the global automotive manufacturer. “And now that we’ve successfully evaluated weld testing, we plan on expanding our metal 3D printing capacity for this and other metal components. 3D printing copper with Markforged is faster and more cost-effective than purchasing complex machined components, and we expect it to help us mitigate downtime exposure and reduce inventory costs by $200,000 a year using only one Metal X system.”
Material Benefits
- Harness high thermal and electrical conductivity — including greater than 350 W/mK thermal conductivity and 84% IACS electrical conductivity
- Consistently create complex, tight tolerance parts with the safe, easy, and affordable Metal X system
- Bring copper part production in-house, reducing lead time to a few days