Markforged printed parts can replace machined metal parts in packaging machinery, offering cutting-edge solutions for components.
Advanced materials like Onyx and continuous fibre reinforcements—including carbon fibre, fibreglass, and Kevlar—allow for complex geometries and lightweight designs.
Parts reinforced with composites can outperform traditional thermoplastics, including PEEK, for strength-to-weight ratio and durability.
The Markforged ecosystem: Streamlined production
Markforged’s ecosystem integrates hardware, software, and materials for seamless production workflows.
For instance, the Markforged X7 Digital Forge Industrial Quality Solution from Additive-X provides everything needed to manufacture packaging machinery components in-house.
Its Digital Forge platform rapidly produces high-performance, low-volume parts without compromising strength or reliability.
The Eiger cloud platform manages, controls, and monitors parts across multiple locations – ideal for your global manufacturing operations.
Performance Advisor, a recent software addition, automatically optimises print settings for stronger parts while minimising cost and print time increases. You can use it to enhance part performance without extensive user input or specific use-case knowledge.
Then there’s Blacksmith, Markforged’s Adaptive Manufacturing Platform that integrates AI with 3D printing. It offers printer calibration, in-process part inspection using laser scanning, and automated quality reports to reduce production costs, accelerate time to market, and improve manufacturing productivity through intelligent automation and data analysis.
The Markforged experience: Agility and efficiency in packaging
You can benefit from Markforged’s ability to rapidly iterate designs and produce functional prototypes. Your newfound agility reduces your time-to-market and enables quick problem-solving during development phases.
Farason Corporation, a packaging machinery builder, leveraged Markforged technology to develop custom hybrid parts for handling irregularly shaped shampoo bottles. Their solution reduced size, weight, and part count while incorporating trusted gripper components.
Improving machinery performance
Markforged printed parts enhance your packaging machinery performance in several ways:
- Customisation: Complex geometries allow for optimised components tailored to your specific packaging applications
- Weight reduction: Lightweight materials improve machine efficiency and reduce wear on moving parts
- Strength: Continuous fibre reinforcement provides industrial-grade durability for critical components
- Rapid iteration: Quick design changes and prototyping lead to faster problem-solving and innovation
Advantages for manufacturing machinery components
Markforged offers significant advantages for producing machinery components:
- Cost-effective low-volume production: Eliminates the need for expensive tooling or long lead times for outsourced parts
- On-demand manufacturing: Print replacement parts or upgrades as needed, reducing inventory costs and machine downtime
- Design freedom: Create optimised geometries that were previously impossible or cost-prohibitive to manufacture
- Material versatility: Choose from a range of engineering-grade materials to meet specific performance requirements
Industries benefiting from Markforged printed parts
While packaging machinery is a prime application, you can leverage Markforged technology in other industries:
- Food and beverage: Custom tooling and food-safe components for processing equipment
- Pharmaceuticals: Precise parts for drug manufacturing and packaging
- Consumer goods: Rapid prototyping and custom fixtures for production lines
- Automotive: Lightweight, high-strength components for assembly lines and testing equipment
Summing up
Markforged 3D printers are powerful tools for enhancing machinery performance, reducing costs, and accelerating innovation.
Integrating Markforged technology into your operations will help you gain a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving packaging industry.