Industrial 3D Printer is Dedicated to
Carbon-Fiber-Filled Nylon 12 on Proven Industrial Platform
In response to the growing use of composites across industries,
Stratasys (Nasdaq:SSYS) is now shipping an affordably priced
additive manufacturing system dedicated for carbon-fiber-filled
Nylon 12. The Fortus 380mc Carbon Fiber Edition, previewed at RAPID
2018, is an industrial quality system that is being offered at
$70,000 in the US. It began shipping last week.
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the full release here:
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For both IndyCar and NASCAR circuits,
Team Penske uses Stratasys FDM and carbon-fiber-filled Nylon 12 for
strong, lightweight parts. (Photo: Team Penske)
Recently composite material has seen a year-over-year market
growth between 8 to 12 percent. Carbon fiber composite applications
and carbon fiber reinforced polymers are considered clean energy
technologies by the U.S. Department of Energy because they enable
“light-weighting,” which reduces energy consumption. It’s estimated
that each ten percent reduction in vehicle mass drives a six to
eight percent increase in fuel economy.
Stratasys was one of the first to offer a carbon fiber filled
composite for additive, but it previously offered the material only
on high-end production 3D printers in the $200K-$350K range. “Our
customers are pushing us for easier access to carbon fiber,” says
Stratasys Senior Vice President of Sales, Pat Carey. “They’ve told
us they want an affordable solution but in a reliable,
industrial-quality system. So we’re now offering a more accessible
system that’s based on our Fortus 380mc platform. Because the 380mc
CFE is dedicated only to carbon-fiber-filled Nylon 12 and one other
material, we’re able to currently offer it at the lowest price for
any of our industrial printers.”
“For many years, the additive manufacturing industry has seen a
need for a diversity of machines that produce parts in
high-strength composite materials,” says Terry Wohlers of Wohlers
Associates, an additive manufacturing industry consultancy. “I'm
hopeful the newest machine from Stratasys will help to meet this
need by offering strong parts in carbon fiber and Nylon
12.”
For both its IndyCar and NASCAR race cars, Team Penske uses FDM
to produce prototypes and end-use parts from carbon-fiber-filled
Nylon 12 composite material. The team recently used the composite
to produce a mirror housing for its NASCAR race teams. After
designing the mirror housing, engineers then customized the design
for each of their Cup Series drivers before building the final
parts from the composite via FDM. The carbon-fiber-based material
enabled Team Penske to produce lightweight mirror housings with
high impact resistance and high stiffness, each of which is
critical in motorsports. The composite’s stiffness is especially
beneficial when making thin-walled parts, so the parts won’t flex
under the aerodynamic loads produced on track.
Additive applications for carbon-fiber-filled Nylon 12 may
include:
- Functional prototyping of composite or
metal parts
- Short production runs in a
high-strength material
- Producing lightweight assembly tools
for better ergonomics and reduced worker fatigue
- Replacing metal parts with high
strength, lightweight composite ones
Stratasys expects the quickest adopters of its Fortus 380mc CFE
3D Printer to be those making tooling and fixtures and those in
industries that include Automotive; Recreational Sporting
Equipment; Marine; Orthosis and Prosthesis; Defense; Aerospace;
Medical Equipment; Oil and Gas.
Similar to a typical injection molded carbon fiber reinforced
plastic part, Stratasys Nylon 12CF is 35 percent chopped carbon
fiber by weight, and it exhibits the highest stiffness-to-weight
ratio of any FDM or FFF 3D printed part.
The Fortus 380mc CFE is based on a proven platform that produces
parts with repeatable dimensional accuracy. Parts don’t exhibit
appreciable warpage or shrinkage and will hold to a tight
tolerance. Stratasys Nylon 12CF is up to four times stronger than a
competitively priced alternative in the X and Y axis, and it will
maintain its mechanical properties at a 40 percent higher
temperature. The Fortus 380mc CFE is between two and five times
faster than the competitively priced carbon-fiber-based 3D
printer.
The Fortus 380mc CFE builds parts in 0.010 in. (0.254 mm) layer
thickness. The system is also compatible with ASA thermoplastic,
for which is can build in either 0.010 or .005 in. (0.127 mm) layer
thicknesses. The 3D printer’s build chamber measures 14 x 12 x 12
in. (355 x 305 x 305 mm). It offers water-soluble support material
removal, which eliminates the need for manual labor to remove the
supports. This in turn allows the creation of fine and intricate
geometries, which wouldn’t be possible without the soluble support
material, because the fine features could be destroyed during
cleaning, or intricate geometries might be too laborious or
impossible to remove the support material.
The Fortus 380mc Carbon Fiber Edition 3D Printer and a Team
Penske NASCAR race car will be on display at the Stratasys IMTS
booth # 431600 September 10 — 15 at Chicago’s McCormick Place.
Stratasys is a global leader in additive manufacturing or
3D printing technology, and is the manufacturer of FDM® and
PolyJet™ 3D Printers. The company’s technologies are used to create
prototypes, manufacturing tools, and production parts for
industries, including aerospace, automotive, healthcare, consumer
products and education. For 30 years, Stratasys products have
helped manufacturers reduce product-development time, cost, and
time-to-market, as well as reduce or eliminate tooling costs and
improve product quality. The Stratasys 3D printing ecosystem of
solutions and expertise includes: 3D printers, materials, software,
expert services, and on-demand parts production. Online
at: www.stratasys.com,
http://blog.stratasys.com and LinkedIn.
Stratasys, FDM, and Fortus are registered trademarks, and Nylon
12CF and 380mc CFE and the Stratasys signet are trademarks of
Stratasys Ltd. and/or its subsidiaries or affiliates.
Note Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsThe statements
in this press release relating to Stratasys’ beliefs regarding the
benefits its customers will experience from the Fortus 380mc Carbon
Fiber Edition and Nylon 12CF, as well as its possible applications,
are forward-looking statements reflecting management's current
expectations and beliefs. These forward-looking statements are
based on current information that is, by its nature, subject to
rapid and even abrupt change. Due to risks and uncertainties
associated with Stratasys' business, actual results could differ
materially from those projected or implied by these forward-looking
statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not
limited to: the risk that customers will not perceive the benefits
of the Fortus 380mc Carbon Fiber Edition or Nylon 12CF to be the
same as Stratasys does; and other risk factors set forth under the
caption “Risk Factors” in Stratasys' most recent Annual Report on
Form 20-F, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
on February 28, 2018. Stratasys is under no obligation (and
expressly disclaims any obligation) to update or alter its
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by the
rules and regulations of the SEC.
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