CEAD CFAM Prime — Technical data

The CFAM Prime was CEAD's first large gantry system and was presented at the end of 2018 with two Dutch launch customers from shipbuilding and composites. CFAM stands for Continuous Fibre Additive Manufacturing: the extruder melts plastic pellets and lays down a continuous glass or carbon fibre together with the bead, reinforcing the part along the print path. The enclosed build volume measures 4,000 × 2,000 × 1,500 mm, and CEAD quotes an average of 15 kg of material per hour. It is controlled by a Siemens Sinumerik and processes PP, PET and ABS up to PEEK.

Used CFAM Prime systems date from the first production years from 2019 and mostly ran in research or shipbuilding. What matters most is whether the continuous fibre feed is complete and working, since it is what sets the system apart from a plain pellet printer. Check screw and nozzle, fibre cutter, gantry axes and the enclosure with its heating. As CEAD no longer lists the model on its home page, ask before buying how long spare parts and control updates will remain available.