Stratasys expands offering with 13 new Validated materials
As well as other third party open material options for the Fortus 450mc printer
Stratasys has validated 13 new materials for the Fortus 450mc 3D printer, as well as SAF PA12 powder from the company’s new materials partner, ALM, for the H350 3D printer, which is powered by SAF technology. The OpenAM software, including an open material license, is also now available for the Fortus 450mc printer – enabling printing with exploratory open materials.
“There should be no limits on what’s possible with 3D printing,” said Dr. Yoav Zeif, CEO of Stratasys. “The polymer materials industry is investing in additive manufacturing like they never have before, and we want our world-class customers to be able to take full advantage of those innovations in chemistry as quickly as possible. Our hybrid materials strategy does just that because the world urgently needs to make this shift to additive manufacturing at scale.”
DI Labs is a fast-growing additive manufacturing service bureau, built by product development engineers with deep technical knowledge – making it an ideal global launch partner, and the first beta site, for the OpenAM solution. “Our Fortus 450mc printer offers us consistent and reliable printing outcomes, but until now, we’ve been limited by materials,” said Carl Douglass, CEO of DI Labs. “We’re proud to have engineers working directly with the Stratasys development team to fine-tune this new software platform and help optimize the process of printing with materials like PEKK, PEEK, and others. The OpenAM software will allow us to unlock endless opportunities using additive for complex aerospace, medical device, heavy industrial, and automotive applications.”
13 new Validated FDM materials
Stratasys is partnering with Covestro, Kimya, and Victrex plc to make Stratasys Validated materials available for Stratasys FDM printers, starting with the Fortus 450mc. These materials have been validated by Stratasys with basic reliability testing to accelerate the expansion of material options available in the marketplace.
The recently validated FDM materials, which are available for order now, and are expected to ship by early 2023, include VICTREX AM 200, a strong, semi-crystalline PAEK filament, Covestro Addigy PA6/66-GF20 FR LS, a flame-resistant, glass fiber composite material, Kimya PC-FR, a flame-resistant, polycarbonate material, and FDM HIPS, an affordable, high impact polystyrene-based material.
In addition to these materials, several existing materials are now available as Validated color materials, including ULTEM 9085 Red, Dream Gray, White, Jana White, Gunship Gray, and Aircraft Gray, PC Red, and Black, and PCS-ABS Red.
Access to third-party open materials for the Fortus 450mc
Stratasys also continues to expand the use cases served by the Fortus 450mc 3D printer by giving customers access to third-party open materials through an annual OpenAM materials license, which Stratasys provided to Origin One customers earlier this year. The software, used in conjunction with GrabCAD Print or Insight, provides parameter controls and printer tuning capabilities for customers who wish to use open-market filaments or newly-developed proprietary formulas. The software can also be used to adjust parameters to meet unique customer requirements for Stratasys Preferred and Validated materials.
ALM to provide PA12 powder
Stratasys has recently selected Advanced Laser Materials (ALM) as the first provider of the SAF PA12 material, for the H350 3D printer. PA12, also known as nylon 12, is one of the most popular materials in industrial 3D printing today – providing geometric accuracy, chemical resistance, and stiffness for machine components, communications industry applications, and prototyping.
Powder bed additive manufacturing systems come with special requirements for materials to address production applications, and ALM specializes in the engineering, testing, and manufacturing of high-quality polymer materials. “Stratasys’ focus on production, material quality, and process repeatability are key value drivers of the H350 printer,” said Donnie Vanelli, President of ALM. “ALM shines by tailoring powders for specific applications and processes, and our collaboration with Stratasys is important to those customers scaling their AM production and who will see a compelling value in the combination of ALM PA12 and SAF technology – exceeding their quality expectations”.
Stratasys currently expects to be able to take orders for SAF PA12 before the end of the year.
