Last October, I wrote about how the versatility of the Markforged FX10 helped explain what made the company an attractive asset to Nano Dimension. Recently, the business case for the FX10 was put on display when Markforged announced that supercar auto shop Graham Rahal Performance (GRP) was using the FX10 to print both metal end-use parts and composite tooling, including stainless steel exhaust flanges for the Lamborghini Revuelto.
Now, Markforged has announced that two other FX10 users, advanced lighting specialist Spectrum Networks and aerospace component manufacturer ALOFT AeroArchitects, are using the system to manufacture certified flight-ready parts like LED retrofits for halogen lighting fixtures. This is a prime example of how suppliers are using AM to find workarounds for long lead times that the aircraft industry increasingly faces during scheduled maintenance checks: for parts like Spectrum Networks’ SPN 31 LED retrofit, adopting the FX10 means the difference between waiting months and waiting weeks.
This is especially helpful to a company like ALOFT AeroArchitects, which installs the components that Spectrum prints. ALOFT specializes in servicing private planes for individuals like world leaders, which means that the typical volume of parts that the company requires ideally fits the production volumes that industrial-scale 3D printers excel at. According to Markforged, Spectrum Networks printed over 10,000 certified parts in 2024 with Markforged hardware.
Notably, with the FX10 in particular, users get the advantage of automated laser micrometer inspection, further enhancing the overall speed and reliability AM can offer in contrast to conventional manufacturing techniques. And, finally, as mentioned concerning the previous case study with GRP and the Revuelto, the fact that the FX10 enables users to easily switch between composites and metals opens up the potential to use the machine for an unusually wide range of parts.
In a press release about Spectrum Networks and ALOFT AeroArchitects use of the Markforged FX10 for certified aerospace parts, the Director of Technology at ALOFT, Colby Hall, said, “Our customers expect absolute reliability. …Markforged’s technology allows us to receive parts with unmatched precision and traceability while cutting lead times from up to six months to just a few weeks.”
Niel Gunnarson, President and COO of Spectrum Networks, LLC, said, “You’re able to pull the part right off the machine and ship it out the door, as is. With Continuous Fiber Reinforcement, we noticed quickly that it gives us structural properties that we never thought were possible. Our customers are able to use that information and propose designs that they need using those benefits.”
The more that we see the Nano Dimension acquisition story unfold, the more apparent it becomes that Markforged is the centerpiece of that story. And this isn’t solely because the Desktop Metal acquisition was so questionable, nor because the Nano Dimension brand itself doesn’t seem to be doing much of anything these days. To give Markforged some deserved credit, the company truly has built a business model that seems to fit what the manufacturing sector needs right now.
A theme that I come back to repeatedly when I think about the AM industry is that the companies that succeed figure out how to find the right partners to produce the right applications for the right customers. (For instance, this is something that I spoke to Carbon CEO Phil DeSimone about for an interview published earlier this year.) That sounds like a simple enough strategy, but pulling it off in the context of a manufacturing supply chain, especially with new production techniques, takes years to get off the ground.
This is why, despite all the challenges it has faced since going public, a company like Markforged has staying power. If just one of its customers is using its ecosystem to produce over 10,000 certified aerospace parts a year, that’s a foundation that can be built upon.
Along those lines, with all the many different technologies that Markforged has delved into over the years, it’s fascinating to watch all its experience culminate in a single platform, the FX10. This isn’t to suggest that the company won’t continue to focus on its other products, as well. But if Markforged did narrow down its focus onto a much smaller range of products, I’m not sure that would be the worst thing for Nano Dimension.
Images courtesy of Markforged
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