Stratasys and Spring SRL at EuroMold 2013
Italy has well and truly caught the 3D printing bug if one service bureau's response to demand is anything to go by.
Leading manufacturer of 3D printers, 3D printing materials and other associated technologies Stratasys has announced that Società Progettazione Ingegnerizzazione SRL (Spring SRL) has finalised the purchase of its seventh FDM 3D printer.
Spring SRL signed on the dotted line at EuroMold 2013 in Frankfurt through Italian reseller Technimold.
Spring SRL is Stratasys' largest Italian FDM service bureau and the company after years of utilising the company's rapid prototyping technology decided to invest in a second Stratasys Fortus 900mc Production System to support its ever-increasing demand for directly manufactured parts including jigs ad fixtures, and end-use pieces.
Co-founder and CEO of Spring SRL Fabio Gualdo said: "FDM technology has always been a core part of our service offering to customers as it allows us to produce tough parts that can endure the stress of functional testing.
"We purchased the Fortus 900mc to directly manufacture parts that would be impossible to produce with traditional technology and material, such as carbon fibre. Our customers across various industries have been amazed at the quality, speed and performance of 3D printed end-use parts and this was a key part of our decision to invest further in Stratasys' Fortus Production Systems."
Spring SRL offers its customers a full range of Stratasys FDM materials including ABS M30i and PC-ISO for medical modeling. The company's activities are currently made up of 70 per cent Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM) and 30 per cent prototype parts for functional testing in numerous industries including racing, medical and aerospace.
The company's army of 3D printers are working non-stop, racking up some 42,000 hours per year; combining the FDM benefits with Spring SRL's Engineering Department of over 10 years' experience, gained over thousands of projects.
For the aerospace and racing industries, Spring SRL uses Stratasys FDM 3D printing technology to produce a number of parts including 3D-printed end-use armrests featured in a number of aeroplanes and vehicles. Directly 3D printing the final part enables Spring SRL to reduce its turnaround time by 66 per cent and costs 50 per cent compared to traditional methods such as CNC.
Gualdo continued: "As in so many industries today, deadlines are becoming shorter and shorter. 3D printing, combined with our know-how and design skills, has helped us reduce our lead time significantly as we can make several design iterations to a product quicker than we ever could with traditional manufacturing process. We have also been able to save our customers money as no tooling is required and this has strengthened our reputation as the leading Italian service bureau.
"When approached to produce the armrests, we instantly knew that the ULTEM 9085 material from Stratasys, with its high strength-to-weight ratio, would be the ideal material for this project. The high performance material enabled us to reduce the weight of traditional armrests by 60 per cent, a crucial factor in the aerospace industry."
Andy Middleton, Stratasys General Manager EMEA, added: "The purchase of Spring's seventh FDM Production System demonstrates its belief in FDM and its growing viability for manufacturing. We expect to see more and more customers using our technology to enter the world of direct manufacturing as they create the factories of the future."