A new 3D printer can print carbon fiber and other composite materials.
Created by Boston-based startup MarkForged, it's called the Mark One.
See also: 7 Things You Didn't Know About 3D Printing
Company founder Gregory Mark showed off the printer at the SolidWorks World design conference in San Diego, Calif. this week.
"We took the idea of 3D printing, that process of laying things down strand by strand, and we used it as a manufacturing process to make composite parts," Mark said in an interview with Popular Mechanics. "We say it's like regular 3D printers do the form. We do form and function."
In addition to carbon fiber, the Mark One can print other composite materials, including nylon, fiberglass and PLA (a thermoplastic made from renewable materials).
The advantage of 3D printing with composite materials, as opposed to the plastics that 3D printers typically use, is their strength; they are much stronger than plastics, and therefore have a wider range of potential applications.
The 3D printer will cost $5,000, and will be available for pre-order on MarkForged's website beginning in February. Mark said the company is keeping the price of the printer low to ensure that it's as accessible to as many people as possible.
"It's a material that everybody knows, but probably most people haven't used," he said. "We wanted to make it really easy for people to start printing with it, so they can explore prosthetics, custom bones, tools and fixtures."

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.