TriMech Blog

Polylactic Acid (PLA) is one of the most widely used thermoplastics in 3D printing, specifically in Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) printers. PLA is widely used on hobbyist level printers for its speed and overall part quality, but it's not very popular on higher-end machines because it lacks strength and resistance to heat and chemicals. That makes it unsuitable for any kind of applications that rely on those qualities, like jigs and fixtures. However, there are characteristics of PLA that could make it very useful for engineers or hobbyists on certain types of projects.

Have you ever 3D printed a part and it wasn't as strong as you'd hoped? Maybe before printing, you decide your part needs additional strength in one area and not another. Maybe you're going to drill a hole or put a threaded insert inside of a part and you just wanted to add strength just to those key areas. Well, now there's a tool that can do that without having to send the design back into your 3D CAD software. In this video blog, TriMech Application Engineer Ricky Shannon will walk through the new GrabCAD Print Advanced FDM toolset.

PLA and ABS material filaments are very popular choices for 3D printing. They are both thermoplastics, are used in a wide range of printer models and have an ideal price range, which makes them great options for printing 3D projects. To get the best results you need not only to take care of your printer, but also remember to store your materials properly.

Here at TriMech’s Connecticut office, we had been printing in 17-4 stainless steel using the Desktop Metal Studio Printer beta unit, but in December of 2018, we installed the complete Desktop Metal Studio System! Having the debinder and furnace in-house has really helped us speed up design time on our prototype sample parts.

Now, it’s time to unveil our first official TriMech branded sample part in 17-4 stainless steel from the Studio System, a metal bottle opener.

Today I’d like to introduce some new 3D printing materials which take our prototype automotive lighting component printing capabilities to the next level: the VeroVivid Color Family.

MakerBot Method is MakerBot's newest addition to their 3D printer portfolio. A pioneer in the professional segment category built with improved, patented industrial technologies from Stratasys®, combined with MakerBot's industry-leading accessibility and smart workflow features. Method will allow organizations to adopt 3D printing at a larger scale. Industrial designers and mechanical engineers will now be able to accelerate their innovation process and become more agile. Method is designed for professionals who need immediate access to a 3D printer in order to speed up their design cycles.

We eat, sleep, breath and dream 3D printers. We're also well aware that we're not the norm and some people are just starting to learn about our obsession. As the printers gain popularity and start getting talked about more and more, we've noticed that there are a few misconceptions about the technology. Rather than turning a blind eye, we're taking a page out of the MythBusters' playbook and setting the record straight.

Magic is in the air this holiday season at TriMech with all of the new toys we’ve been getting here in our print lab lately. Since we’ve been given the gift of an incredible new Stratasys J750, I decided that it would be great to get into the holiday spirit and create a miniature winter scene to share with some of my clients and co-workers that don’t get to experience all of the charm and joy that snow brings this time of year.

When it comes to selecting a high-strength material, Stratasys offers many different materials to choose from depending on your specific requirements. One of the strongest available materials is ULTEM 1010, a high-performance industrial-grade thermoplastic noted for its high strength, stiffness, and broad chemical resistance. With the recent addition of the Antero 800NA material, you may be wondering which material is right for your specific application. In this post we’re going to discuss some of the key differences between ULTEM 1010 and Antero 800NA and take a closer look at this new material.

3D printing in color has been around longer than you think. Do you need a prototype printed in yellow ABS? No problem, load a yellow spool of filament in your 3D printer and voilà! You have yourself a yellow part. How about blue? We have you covered, just toss some blue photopolymer in your SLA vat and BAM! A blue part can be printed. How about a part with multiple colors? No problem. Break out the trusty sandpaper and good old-fashion elbow grease, maybe some primer, then either spray or hand paint your model until your heart is content.

Oh… you were hoping to have full color printed parts straight off the printer? Why didn’t you say so? Let me introduce you to Stratasys PolyJet technology.

FDM parts are probably the most popular type of 3D printed parts. The FDM (fused deposition modeling) process is “melting” a solid thermoplastic filament, like a hot glue gun. If you plan on testing your parts in a strenuous process, FDM may be the best choice. These materials specialize in high tensile strength and resistance to high temperatures.

Color for FDM parts are available in a relatively wide range of colors in the most common materials like ABS and ASA. And if you can't get the exact color directly from the filament you're using, there are a variety of other methods you can use. 

You may be asking yourself, "what makes the Stratasys F123 Series any better than its predecessors?" Is it the easy material change, customer replaceable components, or the multi-material flexibility? Keep reading to find out the key differences that set the F123 Series in a class of its own.