The new composite 3D printers are designed for manufacturers and industrial machinists to supplement traditional fabrication technologies with high-strength composite 3D printing. The printers help manufacturers produce end use parts faster and more cost-effectively, and are ideal for jigs, fixtures and workholding tools.
“I’ve been working in engineering for over 35 years, and I love to innovate – not just in new product development but also in the processes and tools we use to develop our products. For more than 20 years Stratasys has allowed me to do just that through 3D printing,” said Dave Thompson, Vice President of Worldwide Engineering and Customer Care – Contractor Equipment Division for Graco, Inc. (NYSE: GGG), a global leader of fluid handling equipment based in Minneapolis and F370CR beta customer. “Over the years we have grown our fleet of Stratasys printers and expanded our applications beyond prototyping to tooling, fixtures and grippers for our robots. The new Stratasys F370CR printer will allow us to bring our AM applications to a new level, extend the life of our tools and even provide for a better surface finish.”
The new 3D printers include integrated GrabCAD Print™ software that provides a simple and intuitive CAD-to-print workflow and includes advanced features to ensure successful prints. Stratasys also provides enterprise application connectivity through the MTConnect standard and its GrabCAD Software Development Kit. The composite-ready F123 Series printers include reusable build trays, a built-in camera for remote monitoring and a 7-inch control touchscreen. The F370CR printer also offers auto-changeover of materials, which means there is no need to interrupt a build to replace materials – a new canister is simply put in place and the build continues.
“Stratasys is providing manufacturers with the 3D printers and materials to support the growth of additive manufacturing on the factory floor, including these new printers that give manufacturers the ability to build stronger, print stiffer and print more accurately,” said Dick Anderson, Senior Vice President, Manufacturing for Stratasys. “We have the verified and published data that proves these new printers have dimensional repeatability of up to 99% regardless of part size or geometric complexity. That, together with 99% uptime and unique service and support, gives manufacturers the confidence to accelerate their adoption of additive manufacturing.”
Compared to comparable competitive printers, the Stratasys composite-ready F123 Series of printers offer more material availability, a larger build volume, soluble support options and a lower cost-per-build volume due to the large oven size. Further, the larger, fully heated build chamber of the F190CR and F370CR printers, coupled with the ability to use stabilizer walls, allows manufacturers to build taller parts than could be printed in competitors machines.
Stratasys has also introduced FDM Nylon-CF10, a new composite material for the F123 Series printers that is over 60% stronger and nearly three times as stiff as its base nylon material. The chopped carbon fiber material is just one of many thermoplastic materials available for the F123 Series printers. When used with Stratasys soluble support, manufacturers have the ability to print any geometry without restriction. The F190CR and F370CR printers also support several other engineered thermoplastics.
