Stratasys Shows Off Next Generation of Fortus 900mc 3D Printer, Announces Partnership with SAP at Formnext

As formnext moved ahead full-steam in Frankfurt last week, as to be expected, we were seeing one magnificent unveiling after another. Stratasys is of course on top of their game there too as a leader in the 3D printing industry, introducing the next generation of the impressive Fortus 900mc 3D printer.

The robust Fortus 900mc is meant for:

• Functional prototyping
• Manufacturing aids
• Tooling
• Short run digital manufacturing

3D printing with engineering-grade thermoplastics, including the newly released FDM Nylon 6, this new machine is meant to allow for greater efficiency, offering better workflow as well as monitoring. Both an internal camera and GrabCAD print software are featured, along with the included standard certifications.

The addition of GrabCAD was also just announced at formnext for a five-month beta trial period—just the beginning as they work to forge further ahead with both 3D printing software and hardware. GrabCAD prints, available in nine languages, handles monitoring, scheduling, reporting, and more, along with uploading CAD files directly to the 3D printer.

The Fortus 900mc, with a build envelope of 914.4 x 609.6 x 914.4 mm (36 x 24 x 36 in.), allows users to create stronger tools and prototypes than ever before due to the use of tough materials like FDM Nylon 6 (Polyamide 6 / PA6).

“Stratasys FDM Nylon 6 offers the best combination of strength and toughness among current Stratasys FDM materials,” states Stratasys in their latest press release. “It enables creation of functional prototypes, manufacturing tools and production parts with high impact strength.”

The Stratasys Fortus 900mc also 3D prints with the following materials: ABS-M30, ABS-M30i, ABS-ESD7, ASA, FDM Nylon 12, PC, PC-ABS, PC-ISO, ST130, PPSF, ULTEM 9085 and ULTEM 1010. It is also compatible with SR30, the new SR35, SR100 and SR110 support materials.

This new machine is also compatible with Stratasys Xtend 500 extended-length material boxes, allowing for maximum efficiency without interruption. The Acceleration Kit allows for greater speed in production as materials extrude more expediently.

The following professionals should find the Fortus 900mc appealing for a variety of work:

• Product engineers performing fast prototyping
• Manufacturing engineers optimizing ‘manufacturing throughput’ while still creating affordable solutions
• Service bureaus in need of a strong yet flexible 3D printer for making durable, large parts

Along with this news from Stratasys, SAP also announced they are creating numerous 3D printing co-innovation labs meant to help customers understand the process further, and in relation to the manufacturing production line. This program is being released in partnership with Stratasys, with sites announced for the following cities:

• Paris, France
• Johannesburg, South Africa
• Walldorf, Germany
• Newtown Square, Pennsylvania
• Palo Alto, California

“SAP and Stratasys share a common vision of the tremendous value distributed manufacturing brings to customers’ supply chains,” said Pat Carey, senior vice president, Sales, North America, Stratasys. “Harnessing this potential fully requires that 3D printing be seamlessly integrated with enterprise workflows for certification, planning, procurement and production. By participating in this initiative, it’s now possible to combine SAP’s leadership in these areas with our premier 3D printing solutions and services ecosystem. We look forward to further driving 3D printing adoption with these co-innovation customers.”

As the two companies work together, those benefiting from the facilities will find themselves in what SAP describes as an interactive learning and design thinking environment, all geared toward allowing for greater potential in manufacturing and product development.

“Manufacturers and their suppliers and production partners increasingly recognize the potential of 3D printing in smart digital supply chain strategies that are optimized with unprecedented speed and efficiency,” said Hans Thalbauer, senior vice president, Extended Supply Chain and IoT, SAP. “SAP is fast building a co-innovation network with leaders like Stratasys that share our vision for making connected, real-time distributed manufacturing a reality for our customers.”

All of these hardware and material solutions were highlighted at formnext, along with an innovative 3D printing demonstration and experience meant to celebrate this European premiere of the Stratasys Infinite-Build and Robotic Composite 3D Demonstrators.

“In cooperation with the involvement of Boeing, Ford and Siemens, the 3D Demonstrators are designed to break barriers in part performance and production efficiency; the Virtual Reality Experience enables visitors to explore these technologies in a unique interactive environment and examine real parts produced by both systems at the Innovation Corner in the Stratasys booth,” said Stratasys.

Note the following from Stratasys: “There is no upgrade path from the original Stratasys Fortus 900mc to the next generation Stratasys Fortus 900mc. Stratasys FDM Nylon 6 will run on both the next generation and the original Fortus 900mc. Upgrading an original Stratasys Fortus 900mc Production 3D Printer to run Stratasys Nylon 6 requires only a software license and does not require a service visit.”

Discuss in the Fortus 900 forum at 3DPB.com.

[Source: Stratasys / All images provided to 3DPrint.com by Stratasys]