Mark One - Carbon Fiber 3D Printer

[LambdaFF]

The article on 3Dprint is nice. Having seen composite parts made "the old way" with layers upon layers then vacuum bag, layers, vacuum bag ... it seems to me that is will save a lot of time.

I for one am very interested by the announcement, but I will need to see their software and the way it handles layer orientation before going any further.

[bringho]

I'm quite certain the strength of a 3D printed part (for example a curved shell like a nose cone, a wing tip or something like that) with carbon strands embedded in the filament never can compete with the same shell created the regular way with layers of weaves criss crossing over a the bulged surface because of the way the model is sliced and printed layer by layer.

Some of the properties may be achieved if one were to have the build plate swivel under the extruder. This together with a slicer that slices the thickness of the surface should be able to produce a part with each layer consisting of fibres criss crossing each other...

[bringho]

How do they cut the carbon fibre when the head moves between extrude paths?