In news from Euromold, Stratasys has announced its latest material. After reporting a positive year at the press conference – including its successful merger, 20% growth over the year, the installation of two Objet 1000’s in Europe with two also heading to the US, and commercial availability of the machine in 2014 – the industry leader unveiled Nylon 12 for its high end FDM machines.
Designed for Fortus 3D Printers, FDM Nylon 12 is meant to be a more durable, yet more flexible nylon than used by other 3D printers. According to the company, the new material “offers up to five times greater resistance to breaking and better impact strength compared to even the strongest FDM materials” and its “elongation-at-break specification surpasses that of other 3D printed nylon 12 material by up to 100 percent based on published specifications.” The increased strength of Nylon 12 makes it an option for end-use components, such as hearing aids, parts for manufacturing equipment, interior panels and covers, vibration resistant parts, and environmental control vents.
Material product director, Fred Fischer, who presented the material at Euromold, explained:
Nylon is one of the most widely used materials in today’s plastic products, and among FDM users it has been one of the top requested materials. It is also the first semi-crystalline material and the toughest material Stratasys has ever offered. We expect it to be used for applications requiring repetitive snap fits, high fatigue endurance, strong chemical resistance, high impact strength or press-fit inserts. This material offers users a clean, simple way to produce nylon parts with an additive process.
The material is currently available in black with accompanying water-soluble material for support structures, SR110, for Fortus 360, 400 and 900 machines. The company also announced the release of its larger Xtend 184 canisters, which can hold twice the amount of three popular Fortus materials: ABS-M30, Polycarbonate, and UltemTM 9085. This allows for extended printing of up to 100 hours of unattended 3D printing. For more information on Nylon 12, click here.
Source: Stratasys
