3D printed, carbon fibre reinforced plastics for the masses

Graphite is currently the only service bureau in the UK market with a dedicated machine to run these highly advanced sintering materials. The carbon fibre reinforced plastic in the parts built by Graphite's process provide very high stiffness-to-weight and strength-to-weight ratios.

Since the development of carbon-reinforced SLS materials in 2004, these proven products have been the materials of choice for Formula One. Within this industry, wings, ducts and brake caps are now routinely manufactured using Carbon-SLS.

Replacing a ‘traditional’ carbon composite part with Carbon-SLS can reap even greater benefits when the part design is optimised for the additive manufacturing techniology. By exploiting the freedom in design offered by 3D printing, components can be built more efficiently by integrating features and functionality such as cooling channels, bores, threads and cores.

Without the constraints of conventional machining, finite element analysis and optimisation can be utilised to precisely locate where the stresses are in a required component. It is then possible to employ the minimum volume of material required to withstand such loads in the design of that component.

This results in a part geometry that puts material only where it is needed and not as a result of any physical or financial constrictions of the part manufacturing process.