Because Plastic was too mainstream for 3d printing.

Mark One with the printed artifact.

We have seen all kinds of 3D printers, plastic, rubber, chocolate and even food. This however is serious business. The worlds first Carbon Fibre 3D printer is in town. This is a revolution in the 3D printing world. We now, not only have accessible technology to create objects from drawings, but we also have the technology to create really durable objects at that.

Carbon fiber is an extremely strong and light fiber-reinforced polymer. It is being used in various feilds from medication to Formula one racing. It is not only extremely light weight but also extremely strong. Carbon Fibre is expensive to manufacture because of the complex process involved.



Bringing carbon fiber to 3D printing opens up new avenues for the industry. Imagine being able to print a carbon fibre component at will. It will give us the opportunity to innovate and contribute. Real life applications of Carbon fibre range from, creating a really light and flexible prosthetic limb to use in new age automobile technology like carbon fibre brakes.

Mark One

The printer, named Mark One, was designed by creator Gregory Mark as a way to reduce carbon fiber manufacturing costs. The $5,000 (£3,000) Mark One printer is just 22 inches by 13 inches and can easily sit on most desktops. It uses a spool of carbon fibre to create objects that are up to five times stronger than parts made by 3D printers in plastic.

"We took the idea of 3D printing, that process of laying things down strand by strand, and we used it as a manufacturing process to make composite parts. We say it's like regular 3D printers do the form. We do form and function." Mark Quoted.

Printing Technology: Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) / Composite Filament Fabrication (CFF)

Build Size: 305mm x 160mm x 160mm (12″ x 6.25″ x 6.25″, 486ci)

Material Compatibility: Carbon Fiber, Fiberglass, Nylon, PLA

Highest Layer Resolution: FFF Printing: 100 Microns / CFF Printing: 200 Microns

Extruders: Dual Quick Change

Filament Sizes: FFF: 1.75mm, CFF: MF4

Pause / Resume Prints: Yes

Software: Cloud Enabled

Supported OS: Mac OS 10.7 Lion +, Win XP+, Linux*

Supported Browser: Chrome 30+, Firefox 10+, Safari 6+*

Supported Files: STL, .OBJ

Connectivity: WiFi, USB, SD Card