Markforged Announces the Metal X Gen 2, Next Day Metal, and the X7 Field Edition
Markforged (Watertown, MA), the creator of the integrated metal and carbon fiber additive manufacturing platform, The Digital Forge, recently announced three key additions to the platform: the Metal X Gen 2, Next Day Metal, and the X7 Field Edition.
Posted: August 12, 2021
Together, these new hardware and software releases are built to help manufacturers reinvent the way they overcome global supply chain challenges by producing parts efficiently and safely at the point of need. Whether on a factory floor or deployed in the most remote areas of the world, these advances are designed to enable manufacturers to recover faster when parts break, operate with less on-hand inventory and minimize equipment downtime. Markforged will be in Booth A1100.
The Metal X Gen 2 builds on the rich legacy of its predecessor, the original Metal X System released in 2017, by pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in printing complex, industrial-grade metal parts with key hardware developments that improve user experience and increase operator safety to make metal printing even easier. New features — an external seven-inch touchscreen, door position sensors, and additional chamber insulation — make the Gen 2 even more energy- and time-efficient than before.
In tandem with the introduction of the Metal X Gen 2, Markforged will be releasing Next Day Metal across its entire global fleet of metal printers. This over-the-air software update unlocks print speeds up-to twice as fast as before to produce high-quality, strong metal parts. Wash and dry times — an essential step in the metal 3D printing process — are now more accurate for smaller parts, shortening the required debind cycle time. These factors, combined with an approximately 17-hour small parts express run on the Sinter-2 post-processing oven, can give manufacturers the parts they need more quickly and — thanks to increased capacity on each printer — allows them to scale their additive manufacturing operation.
Supply chain and manufacturing challenges relying on The Digital Forge are not limited to the factory floor. The X7 Field Edition (X7 FE) allows Markforged technology to be deployed in the most demanding environments in every corner of the world, helping engineers, operators, and service members reinvent the way they tackle global supply chain challenges.
The X7 FE is a ruggedized, field-deployable industrial 3D printer for tactical response to inventory challenges in remote locations, as utilized by the U.S. Marine Corps XFAB program. The X7 FE is equipped with a rotomolded high-impact polyethylene Pelican case to protect it during transportation through harsh environments. The case contains all the tools, spare parts, and materials required for maintenance and repair operations in the field. Customers can drop the unit directly into harsh environments like combat zones and exploration sites and be printing in less than two minutes.
Markforged is transforming manufacturing by addressing 3D printing as a holistic problem. Our process innovations are only possible by a combined effort in advanced cloud computing, cutting-edge materials science and industrial design. Our vision is to increase manufacturing system efficiency through better and faster ways of making functional prototypes, tools and fixtures, and end-use parts, at scale.
Booth A1100
