At this year’s TCT Show (September 25-27), Stratasys, will showcase the value of 3D printing carbon fibre parts, as well as highlighting its unique multi-material additive manufacturing capabilities. From advanced prototypes, to composite tooling and final part production, Stratasys (Hall 3, Stand H36) will highlight examples from a broad spectrum of industries demonstrating how the company’s proven FDM and PolyJet technologies are significantly reducing time and costs for leading designers and manufacturers worldwide.
3D Printing Carbon Fibre Parts
Making its European debut, the newly-launched Fortus 380CF Production 3D Printer will be live in action on the stand. Launched earlier this year, the Fortus 380CF features Stratasys’ high-performance Nylon 12 Carbon Fiber thermoplastic material. Containing 35% chopped carbon-fibre, Nylon 12CF is strong enough to replace metal, allowing designers to develop more practical and functional designs. Stratasys will demonstrate how the impressive mechanical properties of FDM Nylon 12CF enable engineers to explore the transition from traditional metal parts to 3D printed plastic composites.
Visitors will discover how customers such as Visual First, a Dutch Service Bureau, is using FDM Nylon 12CF to replace metal machine parts for its customers. This is significantly reducing machine downtime on the factory floor, ensuring production line continuity. In fact, for its customer, The Chocolate Factory, the replacement time of broken machine parts has been reduced from one month to just one week, while costs have reduced by 60% since using Stratasys additive manufacturing instead of traditional subtractive metal-based processes. Other customers harnessing the technology to produce 3D printed composite tools – such as McLaren Racing – will also be highlighted on stand, boasting dramatic cost and time savings of up to 90%.
End-to-end Prototyping Solutions
Stratasys will also demonstrate its diverse range of professional prototyping solutions, including the widely-acclaimed F123 Series of 3D Printers, which received over 1000 orders in its first 6 months. From concept verification to design validation and functional performance, the F123 has been extremely popular amongst designers and workgroups as an easy-to-use solution adept at every prototyping stage.
Also running live will be the world’s only full colour, multi-material 3D printer – the Stratasys J750. Featuring unique multi-material capabilities and vivid colors, the J750 eliminates several assembly and post-processing processes during the product design. This enables designers to make significant time-savings during prototyping and the luxury of near instantaneous decision-making to accelerate product development. This is exemplified by Audi, who today produces ultra-realistic rear brake light housings 50% faster with the J750 compared to its previous prototyping methods. The Audi 3D printed model will be on display on the Stratasys stand for visitors to find out more.
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