Stratasys adds carbon fiber on the F123 series printers with ABS-CF10

Article by Kelly Clancy updated February 19, 2021

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Can you 3D print carbon fiber? Stratasys F123 series printers including the F170, F270, and F370 are now capable of printing stronger, stiffer, and lighter-weight parts with the addition of a carbon fiber material – ABS-CF10.

ABS-CF10 is an ABS-based material with 10% chopped carbon fiber, making it 15% stronger and 50% stiffer than ABS. The combination of ABS and carbon fiber offers more desirable mechanical properties for tooling applications than ABS. It is the first fiber reinforced material on the Stratasys F123 series printers.

Below you can see the difference in stiffness and strength compared to other materials available on the F123 series printers.

ABS-CF10 compared to other F123 materials

This new material allows the F123 series printers to print parts with enough strength to replace metal components in functional prototyping, tooling applications, and production parts. The new carbon fiber material is ideal for automotive, industrial, recreational, and aerospace manufacturing.

Easiest way to print carbon fiber

Printing with carbon fiber is simple on the F123 printers. Drop a canister of FDM ABS-CF10 in the printer and you are ready to print! Get strong, stiff, light-weight parts in a matter of hours.

Current owners of the F123 series printers can run ABS-CF10 with a hardware head upgrade. A dedicated head is required due to the abrasiveness of the material; however, it can be changed easily with no service visit required. The new material does not require different trays or support, you can use the standard build trays and QSR soluble support.

Below are two example parts printed with ABS-CF10 material on the F123 series printer.

Stratasys F123 series machines

With the addition of the carbon fiber material, the F123 series printers can now print up to 8 different FDM materials including PLA, ABS-ESD7, ABS-M30, ASA, PC-ABS, TPU 92A and Diran. The printers allow you to produce fast, effective prototypes for concept development, as well as highly accurate and robust parts for design validation and functional performance.

Key features and benefits of the F123 printers:

  • Large build size – print large, dense parts successfully with large build size options (up to 14 x 10 x 14 in)
  • Easy installation and operation – simple plug and play operation. Fast, easy material change-out, plus auto-calibration means less time troubleshooting.
  • Office friendly – Ultra low noise level during building and fully enclosed system with auto-locking door.

Sign up for a webinar

Register for the on-demand webinar “ABS-Carbon Fiber: Expanding Additive Applications & Enhancing Manufacturing Efficiency” to learn more about this new carbon fiber material.

Register

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Kelly Clancy

Kelly has been working in the 3D technology industry since 2014. Kelly is an Assistant Marketing Manager based at Javelin head office in Oakville, Ontario.