The Definitive Guide to 3D Printing: New technologies, new opportunities

Laser Lines is the UK’s leading end-to-end 3D printing partner, managing the supply, installation and support of additive manufacturing technology while providing certified training for system users. Laser Lines carries products from the world’s leading 3D printing manufacturers, including market leader Stratasys, Makerbot and Xact Metal. 

To an existing FDM 3D printer line-up that includes the established F900, F450 and F123 series, Stratasys has added the F770. The F770 provides consistent, accurate and reliable printing of large parts with a fully heated and thermostatically controlled build envelope of 1,000 x 610 x 610mm. 

Ready for the 4.0 manufacturing floor with all the attributes you would expect – such as MTConnect – the F770 offers lower-cost large parts with professional functionality and connectivity. Utilising GrabCAD Print software, the F770 enables you to control the density of your printed part, fully dense for maximum strength or sparse fill to save print time and material costs – key considerations in this demanding time for cost-effective productivity.

Complete portfolio

In addition, Laser Lines offers the complete portfolio of Stratasys Polyjet 3D printers, which includes the full-colour Pantone® validated J850 Prime together with the new J55 Prime and desktop J35 Pro. The Stratasys J55 Prime is a full-colour 3D printer that’s firmly aimed at office users, with the ultra-quiet unit operating under 53 decibels. The J55 is a total ground-up re-evaluation of existing Polyjet technology, enabling designers to use Pantone Machine System (PMS) colours, thereby reducing the time spent on colour matching. The J55 Prime has a print platform of 1,174cm² and sets a new benchmark in affordable, high-fidelity part production. The powerful 3D printer gives designers the capability to do more than just prototyping, enabling them to create in-house concepts through realistic final prototypes. It is proving a popular addition to the product line.

Stratasys 3D printing is moving deeper into the manufacturing space with the introduction of three new technologies including Selective Absorption Fusion™ (SAF), Stereolithography (SLA) and P3 polymerisation, available on the H350, NEO range and Origin One respectively. The industry is used to seeing rapid leaps and, with Stratasys leading the way with its expanding portfolio of technologies, it should translate into a greater choice for Laser Lines’ UK and Eire customers.  

During the last year the domestic market has seen a welcome growth in activity across many industry verticals and we are now seeing engineering and product design driving innovation on a daily basis.

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Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.