After several months of waiting, they’ve finally announced FibreSeeker, the first personal continuous carbon fibre 3D printer.
Continuous carbon fibre is quite different from normal “chopped” carbon fibre 3D printer filaments. In those filaments, you’ll find very tiny segments of carbon fibre mixed in with the polymer, much like gravel in concrete. It makes the prints more rigid.
Continuous carbon fibre, on the other hand, is extraordinarily strong — stronger than steel. It’s been used in select professional 3D printers, such as those from Markforged and Anisoprint for a few years. In those machines, there’s an extra toolhead that literally lays down full strands of strong carbon fibre into the polymer print as the job proceeds. Those prints are unbelievably strong and can easily substitute for metal parts so long as the operating temperature isn’t too high.
Up to now, this amazing 3D print technology has been only available to professionals able to afford the more expensive continuous carbon fibre equipment. That will now change with the new equipment from FibreSeek.
The company, which seems to be an offshoot of Anisoprint, has somehow devised a system, the FibreSeeker 3, that can perform continuous carbon fibre 3D printing at a much lower price. They call the technology “continuous fibre coextrusion”, or “CFC”. FibreSeek lists part strength as up to 900MPa, which is quite strong.
Features of the FibreSeeker 3:
- Dual nozzles, enabling use of soluble support material
- 300 x 300 x 245 mm build volume
- 500mm/s maximum print speed
- Automated machine calibration
- One-click slicing software
The software is a key component of the system because normal slicing software does not understand how to lay down lengths of carbon fibre. Think about how to devise the “strand path” for arbitrary geometries, and you’ll get the idea of how complex this might be.
It also appears that FibreSeek will launch the FibreSeeker 3 via Kickstarter. There’s already a pre-launch page available with some information about the system. Unfortunately, they haven’t published pricing yet. However, it’s expected to be significantly less than current continuous carbon fibre 3D printers.
The FibreSeeker 3 apparently operates in three modes: polymer only, carbon fibre + polymer, and carbon fibre + polymer with a higher ratio of carbon fibre, used to produce extremely strong parts.
FibreSeeker 3 also includes an onboard AI camera for intelligent system monitoring. That’s becoming a standard feature on most devices these days, and even more for a professional-level machine like the FibreSeeker 3.
The FibreSeeker 3’s extrusion system should be able to handle a wide range of polymers, as it has hot ends that can reach 320C and 350C (the CFC nozzle). The enclosure will also capture heat and possibly permit use of higher temperature materials.
One interesting specification is that the FibreSeeker 3’s software is now compatible only Windows 11 and Mac OS, and is said to plan the fiber path in a more easy manner than the older Anisoprint software.
There will be more information forthcoming, no doubt, so let’s keep watch on this very interesting 3D printer.
Via FibreSeek and Kickstarter
