TriMech Blog

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.

FDM Nylon 12CF is a chopped carbon fiber-filled polyamide 12 material that is available for 3D printing on compatible Stratasys Fortus production systems. The material is 35% carbon-fiber by weight and has a high strength-to-weight ratio with a tensile strength on par with high-performance FDM material.
 

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.

3D printing processes are easy to implement and offer a wide variety of materials to support a part’s requirements while eliminating cost, lead time and design barriers to adopting manufacturing aids on the shop floor. 3D printed jigs and fixtures open up new possibilities for manufacturing-floor productivity, with fast and nearly labor-free production that doesn't require the overhead of highly skilled CAM programmers and machinists.

In May 2016, Stratasys released GrabCad Print, 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 - July 2018 sees the launch of GrabCAD Print 1.20.

In most cases, when working with prototypes for consumer goods, product development engineers want a print that will most closely represent the final production part. The ability to print new iterations on the fly, as multiple changes typically take place, is crucial. This is where 3D printing comes in handy. Keep reading to learn the advantages of both PolyJet and FDM technologies when it comes to consumer goods.

Taking a design from a concept to a physical artifact that exists in the real world is exhilarating. With the design help from SOLIDWORKS in part 1, the analysis help from Simulation in part 2 and help from solidThinking Inspire in part 3, the kayak frames are now optimized for 3D printing. In video four we walk through choosing the proper 3D printing technology and options to build our parts.

So you've finished printing your FDM part, but how do you really make it stand out as a finished product? Color adds depth, contrast and character and ultimately brings a product to life. This is true for concept models, marketing samples and finished goods. The process of turning an FDM part into an eye-catching sample is the same as that for other plastic parts.

These are the five simple steps to make a part come to life:

The Stratasys F900 already holds the title as the most proven and reliable manufacturing 3D printer. But it didn't earn that without continuous improvements. Keep reading to learn about the advancements made to the Stratasys F900 (formally the Fortus 900) in order to uphold their most reliable 3D manufacturing system title. 

For over a decade, companies have tried to pin FDM technology against PolyJet technology. Whether it be the fine detail of PolyJet capabilities outweighing the lack of support needed for FDM, or that the strength of materials available in FDM is worth the additional time of printing over the PolyJet, an argument can usually be made to justify one over the other. Although some industries may always lean one way more than the other, I am here to discuss the benefits of having both technologies under the same roof.

In May 2016, Stratasys released GrabCad Print, 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 I will be updating you every month on its new features - May 2018 launches GrabCAD Print 1.16 & 1.17.