Custom manufacturing tools 3D printed in ASA, PC and new Nylon 6 thermoplastic.
As 3D printed ‘jigs and fixtures’ increasingly become one of the unsung heroes of the additive manufacturing industry, Stratasys has announced that it is introducing a new Manufacturing Aids Package for the Fortus 900mc Production 3D Printer, aimed at helping users get a head-start in creating custom tools on demand.
3D printed custom manufacturing tools are allowing manufacturers to augment conventional production environments and Stratasys’ Manufacturing Aids Package offers assistance to manufacturers seeking to create custom manufacturing tools. The materials-and-services package includes 40 hours of design work from Stratasys Professional Services to make producing a first tool easy.
The kit includes six canisters of thermoplastic build material and three canisters of support material. Build material includes Stratasys’ newest engineering-grade material, Nylon 6 along with PC and ASA plastic which is available in a choice of ten colours. The Manufacturing Aids Package includes Stratasys’ new SR-35 advanced soluble support material which offers faster dissolve time and extended bath life compared to the company’s previous SR-30 soluble support material. Extras include extrusion head tips, build sheets and the option for Fortus 900mc owners to extend their factory warranty by two years.
Stratasys Nylon 6 combines the strength of ULTEM 9085 resin with the toughness of Nylon 12. One of the most widely used thermoplastics applied in traditional manufacturing, Nylon 6 is specially formulated to control the right balance between mature Nylon 6 properties and controlled shrinkage effects during the FDM 3D printing process.
“3D printing jigs and fixtures enables manufacturers to improve these tools’ usability and ensure their availability,” Stratasys Sr. Director, Product Management and Marketing, Sanja Wallace, explained. “The ability to design a manufacturing aid specifically for a given task and produce it on demand is a huge benefit. And producing these tools from lightweight thermoplastics instead of metal makes them much easier to use and more cost-effective to produce.”
The Manufacturing Aids Package including the SR-35 support material, along with the Nylon 6, will be available for the Fortus 900mc Production 3D Printer for shipping mid November.
Stratasys will exhibit at TCT Show 2016 on 28-29th September at NEC, Birmingham. Register for FREE to attend.
