Carbon Fibre 3D Printing

Within the Digital Workshops we have two methods of printing with Carbon Fibre: chopped strand CF and continuous strand CF. If you're interested in learning more or using either of these machines, contact us to get started!

How it Works

Both methods of printing with CF use an FFF printing process, and include fibre into the part in different ways, outlined below.

Chopped Fibers are short-length fibers chopped into segments less than a millimeter in length and mixed into traditional thermoplastics to form what is called a filled plastic. These can be printed with an FFF printing process, specifically for us the Fortus 380mc in Sheaf.

Continuous Fibers require a slightly different 3D printing method, in which continuous fiber strands are coated in a curing agent and laid down into a thermoplastic matrix extruded via a secondary print nozzle. This process is called Continuous Fiber Fabrication (CFF), and is available on our Markforged Mark Two in Sheaf.

Fortus 380mc

Build volume: 355 x 305 x 305 mm

Layer height: 0.127 mm to 0.330 mm

Materials:

Base materials: Nylon 12CF (35% chopped carbon fiber), ASA

Reinforcement materials: N/A, model and support material only

If using Nylon 12CF, material will be used for the entire part.

Support options: Soluble or breakaway support

Common Applications:

Functional engineering prototypes
Custom manufacturing jigs, drill guides, and workholding fixtures
Low-volume production and end-use composite components

Markforged Mark Two

Build volume: 320 x 132 x 154 mm

Layer height: 0.1 mm to 0.25 mm (default 0.1 mm)

Materials:

Base materials: Onyx, Nylon, PLA, TPU

Reinforcement materials: Carbon fiber, fiberglass, HSHT fiberglass, and Kevlar

Reinforcement materials can be applied to specific areas/layers of the part to reduce cost.

Support options: Base material is used as a support material, designed to be breakaway

Common Applications:

End use manufacturing tooling
Functional engineering prototypes
On demand replacement parts

Either way you add fiber, the addition of the fibers boosts part strength and other material properties, but the amount it helps differs depending on the way that fiber is used, and what fiber it is.

Generally speaking, a continuous carbon fiber 3D print is stronger than chopped carbon fiber 3D because the continuity distributes any applied loads.

Printing Workflow - How to print

Design and Slice

Remove Supports

Design your part: Use any CAD software to design your model, and export it in a 3D printable file format (STL, OBJ or 3MF).
Set up the file for printing: Email your file to acmdigitalworkshop@shu.ac.uk and one of the Digital Workshops technicans will set up your file on the machine software ready for printing. Note: If printing on the Markforged, technicians will work with you to determine where to place carbon fibre strands.

You can also book a slot to set up your prints with a technician if you're interested in a more in depth look at how the process works.

Prepare the printer: The technicians will then get the printer ready by loading material and performing machine checks.
Print: Sit back and relax as the machine does it's magic.
Support removal: Support can either be manually removed or technicians will put your parts into a solution to dissolve any support material.

How much will it cost?

The cost of printing your part(s) will depend entirely on the size of the part and which materials/printer you decide to use.

All prints are charged at a price per gram of material, and you'll be given a quote before your parts start printing, so you can decide how to proceed.

Specific material prices can be found on the main 3D printing page.

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