What happens when a materials company wants to jailbreak an entire industry? Triton3D sought to find out when it became a manufacturer of 3^rd party Stratasys compatible filaments. Triton3D has engineered an entire portfolio of materials to run on the Stratasys’s fused deposition modeling (FDM) machines, freeing Stratasys customers to break out of the high-priced filaments offered by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and start printing at a serious discount.

Triton3D was started in 2016 as an offshoot of well-known materials supplier 3DXTECH.  Both companies were acquired by private equity firm CORE Industrial Partners in 2021 and have benefited greatly from the resources of the much larger parent company. To learn more about this journey and how Triton3D threw a wrench into the world of FDM, we spoke to their Sales Manager, Brandon Funke.

Low-cost Filament Refills

“We used Stratasys machines in our print services business and knew the machines ran well, but their operational costs were through-the-roof due to their material being so expensive,” Funke explained. “We were a part of 3DXTECH at the time and knew how much it should cost for 3D filament and thought, “’Why are we (or anyone else for that matter) paying so much for this material?’”

Leveraging more than 30 years of polymers experience, Triton3D set out to manufacture its own line of filaments that could run on Stratasys equipment. This development included running a litany of tests on Stratasys materials, including what settings they were printed with, and ultimately formulating in-house filaments that could print just as well as those offered by Stratasys. Additionally, the company invested capital into its own EEPROM chip solution to allow their material to run on the locked-down Stratasys machines.

“Essentially, the canister refill process is very similar to buying a lower-cost ink refill for a traditional HP, Brother, or Lexmark printer.” Funke said.  “Our reels of filament fit into an existing Stratasys canister and we supply a new EEPROM that the printer recognizes and allows our customers to print right out of the box.  And just like that, they are printing and saving hundreds of dollars per reel of material.  Funke continues, “To put it into perspective, Stratasys currently charges a eye-popping $4.56 per cubic inch for ABS and Triton3D offers a 100% compatible ABS refill for only $2.45 per cubic inch.  The savings are significant, especially for any organization running multiple Fortus™ printers.”

Broader Material Portfolio

“The two main complaints we hear from Stratasys customers are 1) their materials are excessively expensive, and 2) there are very few material options for them to choose from.” Funke said.  “Stratasys FDM machines lack variety in an industry awash with variety.  We wanted to offer their bread and butter base grades such as ABS, PC, and Ultem, but also create specialty grades that could run on their printer’s pre-sets.  This led us to create grades such as Carbon Fiber ABS that prints excellently on their pre-set ABS settings as well as others like ESD-PC or even ESD-Ultem. In this regard, Triton3D not only offers price as an advantage, but also offers a broader portfolio of materials to choose from.”

Our customers also drove us to create other printer consumables including build tips and foundation sheets.  Funke continued “Our build tips were engineered in-house and are made in the USA to assure security of supply and high-quality.  Our model and support tips were engineered to last longer than standard Stratasys tips and they are 40% lower cost!   We are the largest 3^rd party supplier of Stratasys-compatible filaments because we know materials and take the time to create solutions that help our customers save money.”

Check out Triton3D’s website HERE and find out what options you may have for your Fortus™ and Dimension™ 3D printers.