FDM Technology Page 1

This week Stratasys announced an all-new composite series of 3D printers. These printers include the F190CR and F370CR and are equipped with hardened components to operate with composite materials.  

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing is probably the most common and highly adopted form of 3D printing. When you picture 3D printing or additive manufacturing, FDM is likely the technology that first comes to mind. FDM is extrusion based, which means plastic is heated until is becomes semi-liquid and is extruded along computer-controlled tool paths to build objects layer-by-layer.

Resin removal for additive manufacturing is notoriously difficult and messy. Parts come off the printer with excess resin material that needs to be removed. Traditional resin removal processes are unable to scale and can cause bottlenecks in the additive workflow. That’s why choosing an automated solution can assist additive manufacturers with these common post-processing struggles.

When you think of making models using an Additive Technology, one of the things that certainly comes to mind these days is that you can make parts in color! Some technology are better suited to this, such as our PolyJet technology using the Stratasys J55 or J850, which I’ve created all sorts of content for on our blog in the past, but you seldom of FDM technology as an option. I'll show you how easy it is!

Stratasys FDM, or fused-deposition modeling, is a popular form of 3D printing used by both hobbyists and large-scale industries alike. The process can be described as controlling a hot glue gun on a flat plane to selectively deposit thermoplastic material onto a flat build plate layer-by-layer. Many FDM printers have multiple nozzles configured to specifically print model or support material. This article takes a brief look at the top 5 industries that benefit the most from FDM 3D printers:

3D Printing has enabled many of the world’s most demanding industries to break into new areas of manufacturing and production with materials that can withstand the harshest environments.

As market demand for low-mid volume manufacturing surges due to economic and environmental pressures, the focal point of additive manufacturing has shifted material development to include mechanical properties such as lower coefficients of friction, increased rigidity or even increased heat resistance to meet stringent product design requirements.

The new PostProcess VORSA 500 reduces FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) 3D printing support material removal processing times by over 50%.

PostProcess Technologies have a new solution in the company’s lineup of automated, intelligent post-printing solutions for additive manufacturing (AM). The new VORSA 500™ leverages PostProcess’ proven technology for consistent, hands-free support structure removal on 3D printed FDM parts.

With so many material options across Stratasys’s line of 3D printers, careful consideration must be given when deciding which material to use for your specific application. We must look at more than just the strength of the material (tensile strength, impact-resistance, elongation at break, etc.), consideration must also be given to how the material will react if exposed to chemicals.

Keeping a properly maintained and efficient running 3D printer takes time and a dedicated schedule so that your printer continues to reliably print parts as it did on day one. In the long run, a properly maintained printer is simply easier to run, more efficient, less trouble, offers better prints and provides a higher ROI. There are four main categories to maintaining your FDM printer so that it continues to produce optimal and reliable prints, and in this article, we’ll break down the maintenance items into four sections. They are calibration, material storage, tips and flicker brush system, and overall cleanliness of the machine.