TriMech Blog

Today, quadcopters, more commonly referred to as "Drones," have evolved into many different categories. From Scenic Quads that are GPS controlled, used to capture amazing scenery and widely used for movie/video photography to a $5 toy for an indoor flying session, drones have become instinctively popular. Now with the advancement in 3D printing materials such as thermoplastics in the Stratasys FDM family, for years we have been replacing traditional manufacturing tools and end-use parts.

It's finally fall! For everyone who was dying in the summer sun, we finally made it and get some relief from the heavy heat! To me, fall is the time for watching leaves change color, eating my share of turkey on Thanksgiving and my favorite, riding my motorcycle through the mountains! Every year I cram as many weekend rides into the Blue Ridge Mountains to see the trees and enjoy the crisp air as possible. Like many riders, I have a camera to capture all the great scenery, as well as any road hazards. I typically mount my camera on the motorcycle itself, however, that’s only because I can’t find a mount that perfectly fits my helmet. 

One of the advantages of having a Stratasys 3D printer is the plethora of materials available. But, it is a double-edge sword because it can be overwhelming when trying to pick the right thermoplastic or photopolymer material for your design. 

The J750 is Stratasys’ new flagship PolyJet 3D printer, capable of creating some of the most amazing parts and assemblies you can imagine. Here at TriMech, we’ve upgraded to the newest version of the J750 with all of the latest updates, and we’re all incredibly excited to start making new parts that fully take advantage of what this state of the art system can do!

I LOVE HALLOWEEN, I am a giant child! So, I decided to play around with some of the different technologies that we offer here at TriMech.

Stratasys printers offer a wide range of material options across their FDM product line. These materials are all true thermoplastics that are common to many traditional forms of fabrication (i.e. ABS, PC, Nylon, Ultem). The majority of FDM printed parts are used for prototyping, jig, fixtures, tooling and end-use applications. In these settings, it's common for the 3D printed parts to come in contact with various chemicals. This means when deciding which material is the best fit for an application it's important to not just look at the strength of a particular material (tensile strength, impact-resistance, elongation at break, etc.), but we must also look at how a material can hold up to potential chemical exposure.

TriMech is fortunate to work with clients from Maine to Florida and out to Arkansas, offering a range of engineering solutions. This week's client story showcases a global packaging solutions provider and their use of Stratasys FDM technology. 

3D printing is progressively changing the way products are designed, prototyped and you guessed it - packaged! For example, one of our longtime clients is a global packaging solutions provider who produces packaging products for virtually every industry. Their corporate office uses Stratasys 3D printing equipment to advance their development and testing of thermoformed packaging products.

With the announcement of the new Studio System+, Desktop Metal is bringing additional innovative capabilities to the world’s first office-friendly metal 3D printing solution for rapid prototyping. The three-part system, including printer, debinder and furnace, automates metal 3D printing by integration with Desktop Metal’s cloud-based software to deliver a seamless workflow —from digital file to sintered part.

We want to tell you about a great application for our Stratasys FDM printers: 3D printing sacrificial cores. This is perfect for creating composite parts (such as hollow carbon fiber auto parts) with higher precision than traditional methods. Perhaps the best part is that it doesn’t require much complexity or expense on the 3D printing side, and the results are arguably better than you get with traditional methods. You’re getting the end-use part, in the real composite material, but with more design flexibility and smooth surfaces inside and out.

Built to scale, the new Studio Fleet leverages Studio System+ technology, including a software-controlled workflow and stackable shelving for batch processing. For the first time, on-demand metal 3D printing will deliver accessible and scalable manufacturing that adapts to diverse business needs, part requirements, production volumes and cost constraints. 

3D printing has come a long way from where it started. It has made so many advances that it can even help save people's lives. Currently, Stratasys offers (3) different materials that have either been tested by the raw material manufacturer, or by Stratasys, and have some level of compliance.