Inkjet & Digital Printing
UK SERVICE BUREAU, IPF, RESPONDS TO NEED FOR 3D PRINTED COLOR PARTS WITH NEW STRATASYS OBJET500 CONNEX3 COLOR MULTI-MATERIAL 3D PRINTER
Monday 28. April 2014 - IPF has also installed its second Fortus 400mc 3D Printer, leveraging the strength and durability of Stratasys' Nylon 12 material
Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq: SSYS ), a leading global provider of 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions, today announced that UK service bureau, IPF, has installed a PolyJet-based Objet500 Connex3 Color Multi-material 3D Printer through Stratasys reseller, Tri-Tech 3D. IPF has also invested in its second FDM-based Fortus 400mc 3D Printer to support demanding applications in prototyping, tooling and low-volume manufacturing.
Following more than 10 years’ experience with Stratasys PolyJet technology, IPF turned to the Objet500 Connex3 3D Printer due to a growing customer demand for vibrant color parts.
“Our customers always strive to reduce prototyping costs while retaining the very best quality,” says Gary Miller, Head of 3D Printing and Rapid Prototyping at IPF. “The ability to combine color and multiple-materials in a single build enables us to produce fully-functional parts that are closer to the final product than any other technology – in a matter of hours. We’re now better placed than ever before to meet the demands of our customers, while saving them costs.”
Featuring a unique triple-jetting technology, the Objet500 Connex3 3D Printer combines droplets of three base materials to produce parts with virtually unlimited combinations of rigid, flexible, and transparent materials, as well as color digital materials – all in a single print run.
“The Objet500 Connex3 is essentially three Connex 3D printers in one – it prints in color, has the capability to combine multi-materials, including rigid and flexible, and has the capability to print color composite digital materials,” says Miller. “We also see a demand for being able to combine flexible parts with Stratasys’ Digital ABS material, something that was unheard of before this technology was available. Our customers can now benefit from multi-material parts with great toughness.”
Fortus 400mc 3D Production System Supports Growing Trend Towards Rapid Manufacturing Applications
Following several years of utilizing Stratasys’ FDM technology for prototyping, IPF decided to invest in a second Fortus 400mc 3D Production System to support its growing demand for directly manufactured parts. Adding to its portfolio of FDM materials, IPF has also introduced Stratasys’ Nylon 12 material specifically for applications requiring tough, durable parts capable of withstanding functional testing.
“Over the past few years, we have been seeing a growing trend where more and more of our customers are moving towards directly manufactured parts,” continues Miller. “Two years ago it was 5% of our customer base – now I would say 15% of our jobs are for rapid manufacturing applications as opposed to our usual prototyping trade. Our new Fortus 400mc 3D Production System expands our capacity to manufacture parts that our customers can test in the same environment as the final product.”
Andy Middleton, Senior Vice President and General Manager EMEA at Stratasys concludes, “The purchase of IPF’s first Objet500 Connex3 Color Multi-material 3D Printer and their second FDM-based Fortus Production System demonstrates a strong belief in our technology to support its customers’ requirements. We have seen increasing growth in rapid manufacturing applications, mirrored by the proliferation of our Fortus systems. As for color, multi-material 3D printing – we believe this is the future of product design.”