TriMech Blog

The Stratasys F123 Series prints accurate, durable and repeatable parts with engineering grade and fast draft PLA material options. It’s a smart business move as it’s designed for the way you work. The Stratasys F123 Series boasts many advancements that make it a worthy replacement for those now dated machines that break down quickly.

Generally speaking, Fused Deposition Modeling or “FDM” technology (the kind that layers material from spools of filament) is the most common and widely accessible form of 3D printing being used today. Whether you're an absolute beginner to 3D printing or have been using FDM printers for years, it can get confusing when comparing printer options and how important they are to what you are trying to create. With all the different hardware configurations, material options and applications available, it's worth taking a closer look at some of the fundamental features found in consumer-level (or “hobbyist”) printers and those in industrial-grade 3D printers to better understand how either can achieve specific production goals.

Stratasys GrabCAD Print is a sophisticated 3D printing app that allows designers and engineers to prepare, schedule and monitor 3D printing jobs. Since its release, GrabCAD has continued to make exciting updates to this software and we will be updating you every other month on its new features. In this set of release notes, we will be looking at versions 1.29, 1.30 and the just-released 1.31.

Stratasys 3D printers offer two main technologies through which multi-color printing can be accomplished. PolyJet technology is the most widely known that allows you to 3D print multi-color, multi-material parts and is known for its detailed and realistic results. Surprisingly, many people do not know that single-print, multi-colored prints are also possible when using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology. Using Stratasys 3D printers and GrabCAD Print software, the process is actually very simple.

Within the past few decades, robotic arms have allowed the manufacturing industry to develop into the fast production entity it is today. First used in the automotive industry, robotic arms can be programmed to take on any task that calls for high repeatability and precision. Today, robotic arms are used in almost every industry imaginable: from medical, to agriculture, to electronics manufacturing- and additive manufacturing tools like 3D printing is making the technology even more accessible.

Stratasys ABS thermoplastic materials have been used primarily to create durable parts and prototypes. Specialty ABS materials take prototypes to a whole new level by making them functional. The increased strength, transparency and ability to be bio-compatible set these specialty ABS materials apart and allow prints to be closer to the final product. They are changing the game for many industries. 

Congratulations, you just finished designing your CAD model! Now, what's the next step? Prototyping! It's the next phase in the design cycle that helps you mitigate and reduce errors and issues. Prototyping allows you to test your model for functionality and design features. It has become more affordable and accessible as this trend continues at a non-linear rate. This phase decreases the time to market and increases productivity. Newer enhancements offer a more functional prototype and ability to rapid manufacture. Let’s review several things that you can leverage today to help make your prototypes in an efficient and affordable way.

In our previous blog post, we walked through the process of setting up an airflow study over the front of the Thunder Roadster. We used SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation to set up a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis to verify that incoming air is adhering to the surface of the car and entering the hood scoop at racing speeds. With the results verified, the next step is to design new inlet components to route as much of that air to the engine as possible to improve performance.

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is a 3D printing technology that uses production-grade thermoplastics to create prototypes, end-use products, replacement parts and much more. These thermoplastic materials are strong and resistant to high temperatures. If your parts will be tested through an arduous process, FDM may be the best choice. There are several ways in which FDM can help improve the flow of product development in different parts of the process.

This week's Product Story showcases Milwaukee School of Engineering and their use of Stratasys F123 series printers and Stratasys materials.

Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) offers an innovative partnership between business and education in its Additive Manufacturing Lab. Students have the opportunity to work with businesses as they address unique challenges that arise when developing new products. The engineering students partner with Additive Lab consortium members to find a solution for these challenges.

TriMech’s solution partner, Stratasys, has recently signed an agreement with Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports and Don Schumacher Racing. This agreement allows the automotive teams to leverage the Fortus and F123 series of 3D printers as part of their additive manufacturing process to stay ahead of the competition by accelerating component prototyping, proof-of-concept and finished ultralight usable components.