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Carbon fiber materials and carbon-reinforced polymers can replace metal for lighter, more ergonomic tooling. Add to that the power of additive manufacturing to print the part, rather than machine it, and you can significantly reduce both your part weight and tooling lead time. In this article, we are going to review the differences in printable carbon fiber materials and the machines capable of printing them to understand how the 3D printing industry has created approachable solutions for just about every level of production. 

The MakerBot Method line is an open-source platform that brings a world of new options for prototypes right to your desktop. Recently, MakerBot extended the capabilities for their Method platform and launched the Carbon Fiber Edition, which consists of a composite carbon fiber extruder that further expands the printers' production range so that it can create stronger and lighter parts. To expand their material library and enhanced the Method platform's capabilities, MakerBot just launched the new Nylon 12 Carbon Fiber and several Polycarbonate materials. Let's take a look at what is now possible with these new materials.

Throughout this series of articles, we have looked at how different departments across multiple universities have used 3D printing as part of their curricula and projects. So far, we have explored areas such as Performing Arts, Engineering and Chemistry. With its versatility, 3D printing has impacted areas that one wouldn't normally consider when it comes to implementing these technologies. Did you know that some universities have used 3D printing to solve cold cases? Let's look at some examples throughout this article in our series.

Since the launch of the METHOD platform, MakerBot has been expanding the material capabilities of their METHOD and METHOD X 3D printers. This week, they announced the newest addition to enhance the METHOD platform; a composite carbon fiber extruder that further expands the printers' production range so that it can now create stronger and lighter parts with carbon fiber-infused composite material.

MakerBot recently announced that it was further expanding the material capabilities of its Method platform with a new experimental MakerBot LABS print head and what they are calling the "Partner Materials Development Program." This opens up the Method platform to use a potentially unlimited number of materials as filament suppliers can now qualify their 3D printing materials for the platform in-house. Engineers and designers can discover the resulting pre-qualified materials from leading filament companies to explore new 3D printing applications.  

MakerBot Method 3D printers use production-grade thermoplastics to create functional prototypes, manufacturing tools and end-use parts that are durable, detailed and dimensionally accurate, all from a desktop sized printer. Getting industrial-grade jobs from a smaller footprint makes 3D printing real ABS much more convenient. Let's take a look at these new materials and what they mean for desktop 3D printing.

MakerBot has announced an enhanced version of their new MakerBot Method 3D printing platform, the Method X. This manufacturing workstation builds on the existing Method  performance printer framework, keeping all the key features and benefits of the standard model, and expands the material options available giving the Method X the capability to create manufacturing tools and end-use production parts.

Polylactic Acid (PLA) is one of the most widely used thermoplastics in 3D printing, specifically in Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) printers. PLA is widely used on hobbyist level printers for its speed and overall part quality, but it's not very popular on higher-end machines because it lacks strength and resistance to heat and chemicals. That makes it unsuitable for any kind of applications that rely on those qualities, like jigs and fixtures. However, there are characteristics of PLA that could make it very useful for engineers or hobbyists on certain types of projects.

MakerBot Method is MakerBot's newest addition to their 3D printer portfolio. A pioneer in the professional segment category built with improved, patented industrial technologies from Stratasys®, combined with MakerBot's industry-leading accessibility and smart workflow features. Method will allow organizations to adopt 3D printing on a larger scale. Industrial designers and mechanical engineers will now be able to accelerate their innovation process and become more agile. Method is designed for professionals who need immediate access to a 3D printer in order to speed up their design cycles.