The application of composite materials in 3D printing is showing a rapid growth trend, especially in high-end manufacturing fields.
[Qiming Additive Manufacturing]3D printing of composite materials significantly enhances the performance of traditional materials through structural optimization and material composites.They possess characteristics such as high strength, low density, corrosion resistance, and high-temperature resistance, making them widely used in aerospace, automotive manufacturing, and medical devices, helping to reduce weight, improve efficiency, and enhance structural strength and performance.
Currently, composite material3D printing technology has developed various innovative solutions: including processes that embed carbon fiber slices into thermoplastic filament through extrusion, robotic continuous fiber 3D printing technology, and solutions that incorporate carbon fiber or glass fiber composite materials into SLS powder.
We have compiled a list of dozens of companies involved in 3D printing composite materials, including material manufacturers and integrated equipment + material companies. Today, we will first look at international companies (Part 1), sorted alphabetically, for informational reference. Please feel free to leave comments for additions or corrections:
01
3D Systems
A giant in additive manufacturing,3D Systems is headquartered in South Carolina and is a pioneer in stereolithography (SLA) technology. It also produces industrial-grade selective laser sintering (SLS) systems and fused deposition modeling (FDM) systems, and is involved in the field of Industry 4.0 technology. The company’scomposite 3D printing hardwareincludes the ProX series SLA printers, which are compatible with Accura Bluestone nano-composite materials, as well as the sPro series SLS equipment. 3D Systems has launched several composite materials for the sPro series equipment, including glass-filled powders under the DuraForm brand.
Currently,3D Systems’ material product portfolio includes aboutdozens of composite materials, ranging from filled resins compatible with specific SLA devices and their Figure 4 platform, to carbon fiber and glass fiber filled nylon powders suitable for SLS solutions, and VisiJet multi-material composites designed for its multi-jet printing (MJP) technology.
In the extrusion molding field,3D Systems’ EXT Titan Pellet series products (including EXT 800 Titan Pellet, EXT 1070 Titan Pellet, and EXT 1270 Titan Pellet) can 3D print high-temperature engineering materials filled with glass and carbon fibers. In 2022, 3D Systems acquired Titan Additive, expanding its product portfolio to include large format additive manufacturing (LFAM) in the composite materials sector.
02
3DXTech
A material manufacturer,3DXTech is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and offers the most diverse range of short-cut fiber composite filaments for thermoplastic extrusion in the market. 3DXTech has been operating since 2014 and was acquired by CORE Industrial Partners in 2021. In 2019, the company launched its self-developedhigh-temperature 3D printer GEARBOX HT2 for composite printing, which is not limited to using 3DXTech’s own materials and remains the only printer the company has launched to date.
By 2025, 3DXTech’s product portfolio will include14 types of carbon fiber reinforced materials (13 filament products and 1 pellet product), including carbon fiber reinforced polyether ketone (branded as CarbonX). Additionally, the company offers 9 types of glass fiber filaments, including glass fiber reinforced polyether ether ketone (branded as FibreX). Furthermore, 3DXTech provides two composite materials under the Triton brand that are compatible with Stratasys equipment, one being carbon fiber filled and the other being glass fiber filled.
03
9T
Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Zurich,9T Labs provides collaborative engineering support and a completecomposite manufacturing solution, covering hardware, software, and materials (including carbon fiber reinforced nylon 12 (PA12) and polyether ketone (PEKK)). Among composite additive manufacturing companies, 9T Labs was the first to launch a continuous composite 3D printing solution aimed at mass production of parts—the Red Series Additive Fusion Solution, which includes manufacturing modules, post-processing fusion modules, and process monitoring software.
In recent years, the company has grown rapidly, establishing a branch in Boston to expand into the U.S. market after completing a $17 million financing round in 2022, while also expanding its workforce in Europe. In 2023, 9T Labs achieved several milestone advancements, including successful participation in the European Space Agency’s (ESA) StarTiger project and collaboration with Oris to launch the luxurious ProPilot altimeter watch. 9T Labs’ continuous composite 3D printing technology has been widely applied in aerospace, automotive manufacturing, luxury goods, medical, and motorsport fields.
04
Ai Build
Ai Build is a London-based company focused on large-scale 3D printing and automation technology. One of its business units—Rapid Moulds—focuses onrapid manufacturing of large-scale composite molds. The company’s proprietary AiMaker system can extrude composite materials at a rate of 3 kg per hour with minimal material waste and almost no manual operation.
In recent years, the company has increasingly emphasized its software business, developing an AI-based platform that simplifies and optimizes hybrid additive manufacturing processes. One of the core functions of this software is to generate continuous tool paths for robotic extrusion systems.
05
Airtech
Airtech Advanced Materials Group is a leading supplier in the field of pellet and filament composites. Founded in California in 1973, the company initially served as a distributor of vacuum bagging materials and composite mold materials for the aerospace industry. Over the years, the company has rapidly expanded its business into new markets such as marine and automotive, and has opened new factories worldwide. In 2019, Airtech officially entered the additive manufacturing industry, launching the Print-Tech additive manufacturing mold solution for composites, as well as the first Dahltram mold resin for additive manufacturing.
Today, Airtech’s Dahltram mold resin has become an indispensable component in many composite 3D printing applications and has been certified for nearly all large format additive manufacturing (LFAM) hardware solutions, suitable for equipment produced by companies such as Caracol, CMS, CEAD, Ingersoll, Thermwood, JuggerBot 3D, and KraussMaffei Technologies. Its material series includes: Dahltram T-100GF—a glass fiber reinforced recycled PETG composite pellet material; Dahltram U-350CF—a carbon fiber composite based on polyether sulfone (PESU); Dahltram I-350CF—a composite based on polyether imide (PEI), ideal for high-temperature applications; as well as other composites based on polycarbonate (PC) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS). Additionally, Airtech offers a small amount of Dahlpram cleaning compounds for fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printers.
06
Anisoprint
Anisoprint was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Moscow, focusing oncomposite materials and has developed its own 3D printers, supporting materials, and software products. Over the years, Anisoprint first moved its headquarters to Luxembourg, and recently established an office in Shanghai, with its production base relocated to Singapore.
Anisoprint has developed a unique continuous fiber 3D printing technology—Composite Fiber Coextrusion (CFC). This technology uses a dual independent filament design: one filament for thermoplastic materials and the other for reinforcement materials, both fed into a single extrusion head simultaneously. This technology allows users to control the fiber volume ratio and specify “complex curved trajectories” to construct internal lattice structures. The company offers both desktop and industrial-grade composite 3D printing solutions: the desktop system is compatible with nylon (PA) filaments and can be reinforced with basalt or carbon fibers; the industrial-grade platform ProM IS 500 supports more material options, including polyether imide (PEI), polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polyether ketone (PEKK), polyaryletherketone (PAEK), polyphenylsulfone (PPSU), polysulfone (PSU), nylon (PA), and polycarbonate (PC).
07
Ansys
Based in Pennsylvania, Ansys is a leader in the field of engineering simulation software, with a product portfolio that includes composite manufacturing solutions. Within its Ansys Mechanical finite element analysis (FEA) software, Ansys Composite PrepPost (ACP) serves as a specialized tool forcomposite layer modeling and failure analysis, supporting users in structural simulation, thermal simulation, and curing process simulation. This software helps users predict residual stresses and potential deformations in reinforced components.
08
Arkema
Global materials giant Arkema producesvarious composite materials, including high-strength polyether ketone (PEKK).German company EOS uses Arkema’s PEKK materialto manufacture its carbon fiber reinforced HT-23 powder. Since acquiring Oxford Performance Materials in 2009, Arkema has become a leader in the global PEKK production sector; its Kepstan brand PEKK materials can be filled with glass fibers, carbon fibers, or carbon nanotubes (the company’s Graphistrength series carbon nanotube products are also sold separately). Additionally, Arkema collaborates with small companies such as Continuous Composites and 9T Labs.
09
Arris Composites
Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Berkeley, California, Arris Composites has developed a proprietary technology called“Additive Molding,”which combines 3D printing with traditional mass manufacturing processes.According to Arris, its additive molding technology achieves more precise fiber orientation than other additive manufacturing methods, allowing engineers to accurately place reinforcement fibers in specific locations where parts need strengthening.
In 2023, Arris increased its annual production capacity to over 1 million parts by establishing a partnership with a new contract manufacturer in Malaysia (which has production bases in both Berkeley headquarters and Taiwan). Recently, Arris raised $34 million in its latest funding round, bringing its total funding to over $100 million. As an expert in the composite materials field, the company is actively expanding its business in the defense sector: not only collaborating with the U.S. Army and the Ground Vehicle Systems Command (DEVCOM GVSC) to develop lightweight vehicle seats but also undertaking research projects on the application of carbon fiber plates in military boots.
10
CEAD
The Dutch company CEAD has developedcontinuous composite large-scale 3D printing technology. Its CFAM Prime printer employs continuous fiber additive manufacturing (CFAM) technology to achieve high-speed additive manufacturing of large composite parts. This technology is compatible with almost all thermoplastic materials and supports short-cut fibers and continuous glass/carbon fiber reinforcement.
In 2023, CEAD opened a new modern factory in Delft, Netherlands. In 2024, the company announced plans to establish a North American production base in Detroit to deepen collaboration with U.S. partners. Additionally, CEAD is collaborating with the Italian company Belotti to develop BEAD hybrid technology, which combines large format additive manufacturing (LFAM) with CNC milling processes for composite part production.
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