moi composites and Autodesk to bring 6.5m 3D printed boat to Formnext

moi composites, an Italian startup specializing in Continuous Fiber Manufacturing (CFM), will be bringing quite the sample part to Formnext 2019 in collaboration with Autodesk and others. Spanning 6.5 meters in length (22 ft.) and reaching 2.5 meters in height, the part is actually a 3D printed boat called MAMBO.

MAMBO, which stands for (motor additive manufacturing boat), is a trimaran boat 3D printed from a continuous fiberglass composite. At Formnext, visitors will be able to see the impressive print at Autodesk’s booth. The project also involved collaborations with Owens Corning, a specialist in fiberglass composite materials; Formnext; and marine companies Catmarine, Osculati, Micad and UCINA.

The 3D printed MAMBO boat was printed directly; it did not quire any molds in its production. This facet of its construction, along with the impressive scale of the boat, will help moi composites to showcase the potential of its proprietary composite 3D printing technique for large-scale parts. The technique, Continuous Fiber Manufacturing, was originally pioneered by +LAB from the Politecnico di Milano and is capable of selectively depositing continuous fiber thermosetting composite materials.

The boat also integrates a wavy shape that is unique to composite 3D printing. That is, it would be impossible to achieve using more traditional composite production techniques like hand lamination, automated tape laying, fiber placement or filament winding production.

The MAMBO boat, which is still a work in progress, is ultimately expected to weigh about 800 kg (altogether not a bad weight for a structure of that size). With the deadline imminent, moi composites and its partners are confident the project will come together in time to bring it to Formnext. After the international AM event, the boat will be displayed at other conferences and shows around the world.

Prior to printing the boat, moi composites demonstrated its CFM technology by 3D printing a BMX bike frame using a 6-axis robotic arm. The bike frame, made from a glass fiber composite material, weighed 40% less than its steel counterpart.