MarkForged Receives Prestigious Award for Composites Excellence (ACE)

SOMERVILLE, Mass., Oct. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA) has awarded MarkForged with an Award for Composites Excellence (ACE) in the Manufacturing category at the 2014 Composites and Advanced Materials Expo (CAMX) in Orlando, Fla. MarkForged received the Material and Process Innovation Award for their Mark One Composite 3D Printer, the world's first 3D Printer to print continuous carbon fiber, Kevlar®, and fiberglass.

"Every year, I'm so impressed by the talent and creativity that our ACE Awards winners possess," said Tom Dobbins, president of ACMA. "I love to see how the members of our industry continue to push the boundaries and grow the industry through these amazing projects."

Designed to print with parts with the strength of metal, the Mark One is the world's first 3D printer capable of printing continuous carbon fiber, Kevlar^®, and fiberglass. Using a patent pending Composite Filament Fabrication (CFF™) print head along side a FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication) printhead, the Mark One can create functional parts by combining a proprietary nylon with continuous fiber filaments.

The Material and Process Innovation Award honors a material or process that best contributes to efficient manufacturing and product sustainability in the manufacturing of a specific, end-use composites product. Entries use innovative materials, production techniques or methods that result in better quality, reduced production costs, increased production rates and volume, or reduced life cycle costs.

MarkForged's innovative new material and printing process allows designers and engineers to 3D print real composite parts that are up to 5X stronger and 20X stiffer than traditionally 3D printed parts made from ABS plastic. The composite industry is particularly excited by the Mark One's ability to selectively place continuous fiber reinforcement inside nylon parts, allowing engineers to control material cost and avoid the trimming, mold-making, and curing required in traditional composite part lay-up. "Many of our customers had never made composites before, and they are using the Mark One to produce brackets, tooling and fixtures that they used to make from aluminum," says Greg Mark, CEO and Founder of MarkForged. "It's amazing to see the innovative parts people are making with this new process."

About MarkForged:
MarkForged was founded by an MIT aerospace engineer – the kind of person who loves pushing the envelope. After years of designing and manufacturing high-performance composite race car wings at Aeromotions, Greg Mark realized that he could use 3D printing hardware to automate the composite lay-up process. He assembled a team of the best and brightest, and MarkForged was born. Learn more at markforged.com.

MarkForged is backed by Matrix Partners and North Bridge Venture Partners.

Watch the story behind the Mark One: http://youtu.be/Y5wjjDBdgeE

For more information or PR inquiries, contact: [email protected]

About ACMA
The American Composites Manufacturing Association (ACMA) is the world's largest composites industry trade group. We are manufacturers, material and equipment suppliers, distributors, academia and end users, dedicated to growing the composites market. We serve our members and the industry by promoting the competitive advantage and versatility of composite materials. ACMA offers composites industry educational resources through our CAMX show, conferences and Certified Composites Technician (CCT®) program. We develop standards and specifications that drive preference for the use of composites in place of traditional materials. We lead advocacy efforts via legislative and regulatory channels to achieve a more viable composites industry. Together, we are shaping the future of composites. Learn more at www.acmanet.org.

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SOURCE MarkForged

Related Links

http://www.markforged.com