Markforged Unveils Metal Kit for FX10 Composite 3D Printer

As Markforged excels in building additive manufacturing (AM) ecosystems for both composites and metals, its latest release should come as no surprise: the FX10 Metal Kit, which enables owners of the FX10 composite printer to now utilize the machine to produce parts from metal filaments. Markforged launched the FX10 at Formnext 2023, touting the printer as a more compact version of the FX20, the company’s “most sophisticated” system.

The Metal Kit print engine includes a print-head designed for metals, twin pre-extruders, material feed tubes, and a routing back. Markforged claims that users can swap the composite engine for the Metal Kit in as little as 15 minutes.

At launch, the Metal Kit is compatible with a new 316L stainless filament and Markforged’s existing 17-4 PH (stainless steel) filament, with the company anticipating future expansion of the Metal Kit’s materials catalog. According to Markforged, this “2nd Generation Metal FFF engine” increases print speeds almost 2x compared to the company’s previous metal extrusion capabilities.

In a press release about Markforged’s launch of the FX10 Metal Kit, the company’s CEO, Shai Terem, said, “Customers no longer have to choose between a metal and a composite printer. Years of R&D investment and field experience have come together to provide an all-in-one solution for 3D printing to provide immediate return on investment once installed on a factory floor. The FX10 supercharges other equipment on the factory floor to be better utilized and run more efficiently, increasing productivity and reducing potential line down events.

“We designed the FX10 to be a modular platform, so that we are able to release new innovations and upgrades without customers having to purchase a new printer every year. Along with new software capabilities we release regularly, the FX10 Metal Kit is poised to provide continuously growing value on factory floors for years to come.”

If AM is in the midst of transition towards its next evolutionary phase, I think there are few companies out there which have positioned themselves better than Markforged to capitalize on the demand drivers likeliest to dominate that next phase. Over the last year, the company has built its brand messaging very tightly around the Markforged ecosystem’s ability to help customers address unexpected downtime on the factory floor.

The significance of that is that this use of AM is perhaps the best way for new adopters to see a quick ROI, which enables those customers to take on additional print capacity sooner than would be the case, otherwise. The release of the Metal Kit takes that same logic even further, enabling customers who already own the FX10 to take on metal print capacity with less investment than would be required for a whole new printer.

Finally, it’s possible that this same capability could ultimately allow Markforged to stop making new Metal X machines, enabling the company to refine its focus on its newer systems.