Stratasys is getting bigger! Not just in terms of actual business growth, but the company just announced two new developments to expand the size of its 3D printing capabilities. Davide just reported the release of the Xtend 500 filament solution, for expanding the amount of continuous material fed to Stratasys Fortus FDM systems. The company also announced an upgrade to its already large Objet1000 3D printer.
The new Objet1000 Plus 3D Production System was unveiled today, at the Hannover Messe industrial tech show in Germany, as a faster and larger alternative to the Objet1000. Meant to offer fine precision, the Objet1000 Plus measures 1000 x 800 x 500 mm (or 39 x 31 x 19 inches) and, due to improved print block movements, can fabricate objects 40% faster than the previous version. Using Objet PolyJet technology, the Objet1000 Plus is capable of printing with Stratasys’ over 100 different materials, including their new Endur Digital Materials that blend two types of resins into a single material to produce a variety of polypropylene-type materials.
Stratasys Product Marketing Director, Ron Ellenbogen, says of the new machine and the PolyJet material portfolio, “The range of materials is quite extensive. From rubber-like materials to Digital ABS to various Shore A levels, up to 14 material properties are possible on a single part. And many parts can be produced with varying properties in a single run.” He continues, “Today’s designers and engineers at manufacturing companies and service bureaus need an additive manufacturing system that can take on all challenges – large and small. We believe that’s the big advantage of the Objet1000 Plus Production System. It is the first of its kind to combine large print sizes, multiple materials, accelerated print speeds, super fine resolution and a simplified workflow. If you need to create industrial 1:1 scale prototypes, large ergonomic production tools or low volumes of small parts – all with the superior surface finish and fine details engineers expect from Stratasys 3D printing – the Objet1000 Plus is the best choice.”
Both the new Objet machine and the Xtend 500 Fortus Plus suggest the company’s continued efforts to bring 3D printing up to the capabilities of industrial manufacturing. Increased size and continuous work flow definitely fill niches in the manufacturing of larger batches of custom parts at once.
