Markforged’s desktop printers start with the Onyx One at about $4,500. It uses only the company’s Onyx material, which is a chopped carbon fiber reinforced Nylon, which offers far more strength and stiffness than commonly used thermoplastics, such as PLA or ABS. On top of that, the material provides a sleek carbon black surface finish that makes it ideal for end-use applications or even aesthetically pleasing prototypes.

Another intriguing feature of the Onyx One 3D printer is scalability. Those looking to produce even stronger 3D printed parts can upgrade to the Onyx Pro (priced at about $10,000), which uses their patented dual print head technology for continuous fiberglass reinforcement.

From there, customers can trade up even further to the Mark Two industrial 3D printer, which is capable of delivering metal-strength composites that are 10 times stronger than other thermoplastics.

Markforged has established the Onyx One as an entry point for beginners and businesses that may someday transition into their more advanced machines.

Featuring the same bells and whistles as the Onyx One, the Pro version goes one step further with its ability to print not only with the Onyx materials but also continuous fiberglass reinforced Nylon making it one of the most affordable continuous fiber 3D printers on the market. Markforged says the fiberglass Onyx material is extremely durable and capable of replacing some machined aluminum parts.

Looking virtually identical to the Onyx One, the Pro version has a second spool holder for the continuous fiber.

The Markforged Mark Two (Gen 2), again offers all the features of the two Onyx printers and looks almost identical, but this 3D printer can also print with continuous carbon fiber reinforced Nylon, continuous Kevlar reinforced Nylon, and continuous High Strength High Temperature (HSHT) fiberglass reinforced Nylon.

The machine is also designed to optimize precision. The print bed snaps into place with 10-micron accuracy so you can pause a print, remove the bed, add components, click the bed back in and then carry on with the print as if nothing ever interrupted it.

The machine has a touchscreen interface and uses Eiger, a cloud-based software, to track the materials being used and optimize print settings accordingly. Eiger can also work within most browsers, easily importing CAD drawings without the need of cumbersome software.

Markforged’s X series is characterized by a larger print volume than the Onyx or Mark Two.

The X3 doesn’t print continuous fibers like the Mark Two, instead printing with the company’s Onyx carbon-fiber filled Nylon, also in flame resistant and ESD versions. Essentially the X3 is like a larger version of the Onyx One, but it can print in a higher resolution (Z layer resolution of 50 microns vs Onyx One’s 100 microns).

Designed for industrial and continuous use, each piece of hardware in the filament extrusion system — from the nozzles to the extruder hobs — can resist wear from micro carbon fiber-filled nylon filaments and maintain print quality over thousands of hours, the company says. Out-of-material sensors ensure that you’re always printing while a scanning laser on the printhead enables the printer to dynamically adjust the first layers of a print to achieve ideal bed adhesion.

So if the X3 is the industrial version of the Onyx One, the X5 is the industrial version of the Onyx Pro. The X5 prints with the same materials as the Onyx Pro but like the X3, is larger than its desktop little brother and can print in finer detail.

Markforged markets this printer for commercial use boasting more precision-machined hardware for better accuracy and advanced sensors than the Onyx series. The X5 also features micron-level laser scanning for closed-loop calibration, reliably yielding parts with high repeatability and high surface finish.

Featuring all the bells and whistles of the X5, the X7 is Markforged most popular 3D printer. It can print with all of the company’s carbon fiber-filled and continuous fiber materials, but it’s more than materials that sets the X7 apart.

Early in 2021, Markforged announced the availability of its Blacksmith machine learning software for the X7. Blacksmith uses AI to help the 3D printing system to adapt and account for variables so it produces parts that are accurate and precise first time, the company says.

Blacksmith can harness data from each individual printer set-up as well as across fleets of X7 printers to learn with every print. With the support of Blacksmith, the X7’s integrated laser micrometer and a patented smart scanning process can compare parts as they’re printed against the design file loaded into the machine.

In 2021, Mark forged introduced the Markforged X7 Field Edition, which is essentially the X7 in a cool military-grade travel case.

If it wasn’t for the price tag you might want this for luggage, but the case that makes the X7 a “Field Edition” is a timely response to the increasing use of metal additive manufacturing on site at remote locations in either the oil and gas industry, or for deployed military. In fact, the U.S. Marine Corps XFAB program has field-tested the Markforged X7 in the field.

The main difference between an X7 and an X7 Field Edition is the outer case, custom foam inserts, and included tools, consumables, and spare parts, such as print head and extruder. The printer also substitutes the lower material storage cabinet found on the standard X7, opting for a simplified drybox setup like the Mark Two.

The X7 FE starts at $89,500

Markforged says you can “drop” – presumably by aircraft – the unit directly into harsh environments like combat zones and exploration sites and be printing in less than two minutes. The high-impact polyethylene Pelican case will protect the printer inside.

The new FX20 is by far Markforged most ambitious industrial-grade 3D printer. It’s bigger, faster, and the company says “more sophisticated” than the rest of the Markforged family. Setting it apart is its ability to print with high-temperature Ultem 9085, a flame-retardant, high-performance thermoplastic used to create tools and end-use parts in aerospace, automative, and heavy industry.

Although you have several options on the market if you’re looking to print with Ultem filament, the FX20 may be the only one that can reinforce the already strong Ultem with continuous carbon fiber. Ultem has a lower impact strength relative to other high-performance plastics, such as PEEK and PEI, but is generally less expansive, so reinforcing this material with continuous fibers should solve the strength issue while remaining affordable. An extra large spools of Markforged’s Ultem 9085 filament is about $1,400 (still less than the same amount of PEEK).

The FX20 can print with the full line of Markforged materials.

Markforged says the FX20 is the most precise machine the company has ever produced and it’s massive compared to the rest of its family. Its turbo mode builds parts faster than any other Markforged machine. New XL spools offer four times the material without spool changeover.

The FX20 features a 7-inch touchscreen from which users can control every aspect of the printer. Automated calibration and leveling reduce operator input, while a wide variety of sensors give live feedback on machine performance. A material bay contains two active XL spools and can store two more with precise moisture control.

The FX20 runs on the Eiger software and there’s no news yet if Markforged’s Blacksmith software is available for the FX20.

The FX20 and Ultem 9085 filament are expected to ship worldwide in the first half of 2022 and we should hear a market price for the unit soon (check back here).

The Metal X System is one of the most accessible metal 3D printers on the market particularly appealing to small manufacturers. The systems can print in a wide range of materials from stainless steels to copper with pretty minimal training.

Especially compared to other more industrial metal 3D printing systems, the Metal X is affordable and, because it doesn’t use metal powder, like most other systems, it’s office-safe. The printer uses a bound powder filament and FDM technology, so producing metal parts requires several more steps than just the printing part. After printing, your metal parts need debinding to remove the polymer that holds the metal powder into a rod, then you sinter your parts in a furnace.

Metal for the Masses

Markforged Metal X: Review the Specs & Use Cases

Fortunately, Markforged also makes a debinding machine, the Wash-1, with specialized fluid to remove the primary binding material, leaving the part semi-porous so the remaining binder can easily burn off during sintering. The Markforged furnace, the Sinter-2, features a 17-hour express run, for overnight sintering of part batches weighing less than 250 grams.

Unlike most other printer manufacturers, Markforged does not release specs like nozzle temperature, bed, or chamber temperature. These measurements seemingly don’t matter because you can’t use third-party materials.

In 2021, Markforged announced a software update that actually increased the speed of the Metal X. Called Next Day Metal, the update is the culmination of process improvements over the last three years. Now, it’s possible to go from design to part in as little as 28 hours.

The Gen 2 version of the Metal X, which was also introduced in 2021, features some small but significant upgrades. For example, the printer gains door position sensors that automatically pause active prints when the door is open and improved chamber insulation that shortens warm-up times and improves print consistency.

Eiger is Markforged’s integrated, connected platform designed to take you from CAD to functional part quickly. The browser-based workflow is fast and intuitive.

Eiger enables you to print composite parts reinforced with continuous fibers and metals. You can prep parts for printing with a single click, or drill deeply into part settings to optimize your final product.

A secure part library enables you to dynamically manage engineering projects of any size — complete with versioning. Eiger part files are securely stored and can be versioned, edited, and printed anywhere.

Eiger Fleet, launched in Sept. 2021, is a single place to manage your printer fleet in real-time, whether in one spot or worldwide. Benefit from automatic updates while getting analytics, usage data, and live telemetry in a single place. You can also give the right people access to the right devices and parts — when and where they need it — based on projects and team responsibilities.

Eiger Fleet also enables you to track and analyze part costs and lead time for insights into your additive manufacturing return on investment.

Blacksmith is Markforged’s adaptive manufacturing platform that connects part design, production, and inspection with a powerful AI.

Blacksmith enables Markforged’s X7 to change how future parts are printed based on scans of previous prints. First, the onboard laser micrometer scans an OEM certified artifact to field calibrate the X7, enabling software augmented printer consistency and scan accuracy. Next, as you slice a part, Eiger’s patented “intelligent scanning algorithm” creates an integrated scan tool path. The X7 scans the part while printing and creates a point cloud of dimensional data. Then, Blacksmith compares the point cloud measured during printing to the design file, generating a detailed error field for the part and overlaying it on the initial STL. Eiger presents this error field in an easily parsable online report. Using these tools, you can set tolerance limits, compare different prints of the same part, and browse a centralized scan library of print quality data.

As Blacksmith leverages federated learning with Markforged’s large fleet of connected 3D printers. The company expects adaptive manufacturing technology to expand beyond the X7, enabling corrective actions from metal and composite printers.