3D People’s material selection is carefully curated to offer different properties and characteristics suitable for a broad range of practical applications. We have been delighted to offer our customers custom CFF 3D prints through our on-demand 3D printing service; however, for reasons we explain in this article, we have decided to discontinue our offering of CFF technology.
What is CFF 3D Printing?
CFF is a filament extrusion technology that encloses a continuous fibre reinforcement within the plastic base material to create composite 3D prints. When utilised correctly, CFF produces 3D printed parts with excellent strength and stiffness. The Onyx plastic base material can be printed without additional fibre reinforcement and has an attractive satin finish.
Why we have decided to discontinue CFF technology
Our vision is to utilise additive manufacturing technologies to make production-grade parts for end-use applications. Over the years, we have produced thousands of CFF 3D prints for countless applications. Recently, we have seen a steady decline in interest in CFF technology, largely due to the addition of new materials such as PA12 Nylon (MJF).
Onyx (CFF) 3D prints are expensive.
Onyx is a PA12 Nylon polymer base material used in CFF 3D printing. Even without additional continuous fibre reinforcement, Onyx 3D prints are more expensive than powder bed fusion PA12 Nylon counterparts.Onyx (CFF) 3D prints have next to no benefit over PA12 Nylon (SLS or MJF)
Without enclosing continuous fibre reinforcement within the 3D print, Onyx parts do not have any advantages over PA12 Nylon 3D prints produced using SLS or MJF technology.Onyx (CFF) 3D prints with Continuous Carbon Fibre Reinforcement are expensive.
Adding even a small amount of carbon fibre adds significantly to the unit price. While this can be acceptable for some specialist applications, it is too expensive to be viable for the vast majority of end-use parts.Onyx + Continuous Carbon Fibre Reinforcement Onyx parts do not add isotropic strength.
The continuous fibre reinforcement adds strength and stiffness to selected layers within 3D printed parts. The reinforcement does not cross between layers, making the parts prone to delamination.Onyx (CFF) 3D prints with Continuous Carbon Fibre Reinforcement require specialist design.
One of the advantages of 3D printing is the freedom to produce geometries with limited design constraints. However, with CFF, parts need to be designed specifically for the addition of continuous fibre reinforcement.Onyx (CFF) 3D prints with Continuous Carbon Fibre Reinforcement require technical consultation.
To place a reinforced CFF order a project meeting with a skilled technical consultant is required to validate the design, set up the custom reinforcement and prepare the quotation.Onyx (CFF) 3D prints have more design constraints.
Similarly to FDM 3D printing, CFF technology requires support material, limiting the geometries that can be produced.CFF has limited quantity price breaks.
Batch manufacturing end-use parts is an important aspect of our service offering that is often not possible with CFF technology. Due to the high material costs and manual processes required for CFF production, we cannot offer substantial quantity discounts.
What is an alternative material to Onyx?
The short answer is either PA12 Nylon (SLS) or PA12 Nylon (MJF). 99% of the CFF orders we’ve received in the past year could be produced in SLS or MJF for a more competitive price, with a better level of detail and almost identical working properties.
Where can I get CFF 3D prints now?
We understand that this change will not suit everyone. Just like any tool in a workshop, there is sometimes a specific application that is just perfect.
Option 1: Buy a desktop Markforged Mark Two 3D printer
If you’d like to replicate the parts you’ve ordered from us previously, you can purchase a Markforged Mark Two. The machine build is exceptionally high quality, and they are intuitive and easy to operate.
Option 2: Use a CFF 3D Printing Bureau Service
Although we are no longer offering CFF 3D prints, there are other great companies offering Onyx and fibre-reinforced 3D prints.
We'd love to hear your feedback!
Drop us an email at print@3dpeople.uk and let us know how this change affects you.