Onyx GF by Markforged: the new colored composite material for industrial production
Strength, rigidity and colour-coding in a single material for manufacturing jigs, error-proofing devices and high-visibility components directly in-house.
Markforged is expanding its Onyx material family with Onyx GF, a new glass-fiber-reinforced nylon designed to bring functional color to manufacturing environments without compromising the strength and stiffness required for tooling, jigs, fixtures, and industrial components.
The innovation goes beyond aesthetics. On the shop floor, color is an operational tool: it helps operators quickly identify a tool, associate a component with a production line, distinguish a revision, or flag an area requiring attention. With Onyx GF, this visual function is built directly into the material, eliminating the need for subsequent painting, labeling, or marking.
The material is available in red, yellow, blue, green, grigio, and white—colors that are useful for implementing visual management strategies, 5S systems, and rapid identification procedures within production facilities.
Functional Color and Industrial Performance
Onyx GF is a short-fiber glass-reinforced nylon developed for applications requiring stability, dimensional accuracy, and printing reliability. Compared to more traditional colored plastic solutions, it allows for the creation of components that are visually recognizable yet also suitable for technical use in production.
Since the color is part of the material’s formulation, it is not applied after printing. This reduces manual steps, finishing time, and potential variations between batches.
In a manufacturing setting, Onyx GF can help:
- reduce assembly errors;
- distinguish tools, jigs, and fixtures by line or department;
- support 5S procedures and visual management systems;
- identify product revisions or variants;
- make safety- or maintenance-related components more visible.
For more demanding applications, components printed in Onyx GF can also be reinforced with continuous carbon fiber using Markforged’s Continuous Fiber Reinforcement technology on compatible printers.
Onyx GF: for tooling and production components
Onyx GF is designed for companies that use 3D printing to produce tooling and operational components directly on the shop floor.
- Color-coded jigs and fixtures based on production line
On an assembly line, tools and fixtures may look similar but are intended for different products, variants, or stages. Printing these components in different colors helps operators identify them more quickly and reduces the risk of misuse.
For example, a company might use green jigs for a specific line, blue fixtures for a product family, gray components for general use, and red jigs for critical stages or specific checks.
This approach is useful in sectors such as automotive, automation, packaging, electronics, and mechanical engineering, where format changes, product variants, and repetitive processes require tools that are clear, organized, and easily identifiable.
- Error-proofing tools and poka-yoke devices
Color can reinforce the function of devices designed to prevent operational errors. Colored guides, inserts, reference marks, or supports can clearly indicate where to position a component, which side to orient, or which tool to use.
With Onyx GF, you can produce the following in-house:
– visual assembly references;
– positioning guides;
– inspection templates;
– inserts to distinguish between right and left sides;
– supports dedicated to a specific product revision.
The advantage is twofold: it improves operational clarity while maintaining the durability required for daily use in production.
- Safety, Maintenance, and High-Visibility Components
Colors such as red and yellow can be used to create components that need to attract operators’ attention, for example, near machinery, robotic cells, or complex operational areas.
Onyx GF can be used to produce lightweight guards, sensor mounts, brackets, covers, visual indicators, or components intended for maintenance. In these cases, color does not replace safety procedures but can complement them by making certain physical elements of the system more recognizable.
- Automotive, Aerospace, Food, and Pharmaceutical
In sectors such as automotive and aerospace, high-contrast components can support FOD prevention programs by making it easier to identify tools or parts that are out of place.
In the food & beverage and pharmaceutical industries, on the other hand, color coding can help distinguish areas, lines, or processes, reducing the risk of cross-contamination between tools intended for different operational zones.
Application examples include caps, covers, maintenance tools, assembly fixtures, colored fasteners, and custom components for specific production lines.
Compatibility
Onyx GF is available for Markforged’s FX series industrial platforms, such as the FX20 and FX10, and is designed to integrate into the workflows already used by users of these 3D printers.
The choice of the correct material must always be evaluated based on the end application: loads, operating environment, required precision, any need for continuous reinforcement, temperature, and the component’s function.
Would you like to find out if Onyx GF is suitable for your production?
As a Markforged Diamond Partner, 3DZ helps companies choose the technology, materials and workflow best suited to their manufacturing applications.
With Onyx GF, you can explore new solutions for tooling, jigs and fixtures, error-proofing devices, high-visibility components, maintenance aids and non-conductive parts for technical applications.
Contact a 3DZ expert to analyse your specific application and find out how to integrate Onyx GF into your production processes.
