For many decades, mold making and casting were the go-to methods to produce realistic prototypes of smaller plastic goods. Often referred to as Room Temperature Vulcanization (RTV) or silicone molding, this is the process of producing a master part and making a flexible mold off that master. Then, the mold is filled with a two-part urethane resin, which cures into the shape of the mold. This produces a part that exactly mimics the original master’s shape and surface finish. This process is extremely versatile and is in use in many industries. Still, it requires a skilled model maker to produce a master and understand the proper molding techniques to achieve the desired result. Today, 3D printing is changing the way RTV molding is approached and no 3D printing technology is better suited for the task than Stratasys’ PolyJet technology. In this article, we will illustrate the process of RTV molding and explore how PolyJet printing can augment the various steps.

We’ve all heard it before – prank, gag, joke, high jinx, whatever you call it, the day for them only comes once a year. You guessed it, April Fools' Day! Commonly celebrated on April 1^st in America, April Fools' Day is an annual custom consisting of silly jokes and funny pranks. Believed to have originated in the 12^th century, this holiday permeates cultures around the world in different ways and is constantly evolving as technology continues to advance. Since the Stratasys J Series of PolyJet 3D printers can produce hyper-realistic parts, we decided to put it to the test and prank a fellow co-worker.

If you own a 3D production system or have considered 3D printing as a solution, it is important to understand which is more important for your application: dimensional accuracy and repeatability or resolution. In this blog article, we discuss why layer thickness is listed as microns in 3D printing and why that matters.

In 2019, Stratasys announced that their J735/J750 and their J835/J850 PolyJet machines successfully passed the rigorous requirements needed to make them the world’s first and only PANTONE-validated 3D printers. This was a huge hit and manufacturers around the world were rejoicing. Last month, Stratasys launched the newest member of their J-series, the J826, which is also PANTONE-capable. This changes the game for 3D printing as design and prototype colors can now be matched with 100% specificity, making the process from concept to final product even more accurate. 

Stratasys just released the newest addition to their J-series family of PolyJet 3D printers, the Stratasys J826, an entry-level printer for the enterprise design world. Just like the J850, the J826 has been created using Stratasys' best-in-class PolyJet technology and is part of the only family of printers currently available that can print full-color, multi-material models in a single print. It provides the same end-to-end solution for the design process and ultra-realistic simulation at a lower price point.

Almost everybody loves chocolate, right? That’s exactly what I was thinking when I was working on some models for our previous Halloween and Christmas candy articles. As I was working on those projects, I came across a surprisingly quick and easy way to apply full-color patterned textures to CAD models for 3D printing on the Stratasys J750 and J850, using SOLIDWORKS Visualize, and had the idea to use this method to make chocolate bars for Valentine’s Day!

PolyJet technology uses resins that are dispensed onto a build tray in very small droplets and cured between passes with ultraviolet light in order to create a 3D shape or shapes. PolyJet 3D printers use this process to create parts with a high level of detail and realism because they can print in multiple materials/colors at once and at a higher resolution than other print technology like Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF). Stratasys PolyJet machines can blend anywhere from two to six resins in order to obtain features like soft touch points and full range of color in a single printed part. This makes the technology very attractive for multiple industries when needing to create realistic prototypes and tactile end-use-parts. In this blog article, we highlight some of the most common blends of these composite or "digital" materials and how they are made.

In October, we 3D printed some cool-looking lollipops on our Stratasys J-series PolyJet 3D printer to showcase the life-like quality that can be achieved with Vero and Agilus30 materials. Keeping up with the candy theme for the holidays, I thought it would be fun to create an incredibly life-like jawbreaker on the J750, which also provides an exciting opportunity to go over the Part Priority feature in GrabCAD Print. This feature helps novice modelers and users of CAD software that don’t make great watertight models create amazing 3D printed parts, exactly how they want them to be without needing to go back and fix their models.

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 1.32, 1.33, and the just-released 1.34.

Over the past year, we at TriMech have been able to make some fantastic full-color PolyJet models using the Stratasys J750, but as we close in on 2020, Stratasys has just announced the newest addition to their J-series of PolyJet 3D printers, the J850. To celebrate, and also to prepare for Halloween, we’re taking full advantage of what the J-series can do by making some incredible full-color rigid and flexible semi-translucent TriMech lollipops!