Stratasys Introduces Range of Advanced Materials for Production 3D Printing Uses

The materials introduced today include Antero™ 840CN03 for the Stratasys Fortus® F900™ 3D printer and Diran™ 410MF07 and ABS-ESD7™ for the Stratasys F370™ 3D printer. These thermoplastics are well-suited to meet the requirements of manufacturing applications in industries such as automotive and aerospace for designing 3D printed jigs and fixtures, tooling, prototypes, and advanced production parts. Antero 840CN03, developed for the F900 3D printer, is the second PEKK-based polymer now offered by Stratasys in its Antero™ proprietary high-performance polymer portfolio, leveraging Kepstan® PEKK technology from Arkema, Stratasys’ strategic supplier. The new Antero material has been formulated to create highly customized tools and parts with consistent electrostatic discharge (ESD) performance and is ideal for printing high-temperature and chemical-resistant parts with ultra-low outgassing and exceptional wear properties. Suitable for aerospace and industrial applications, the new Antero ESD material can create strong yet lightweight parts used in frames, panels, and components. Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, the company’s contract manufacturing division, will also incorporate the material as part of its broad material offering. “Spacecraft manufacturing poses intense material challenges in developing parts with the right attributes,” said Brian Kaplun, senior director of advanced manufacturing at Lockheed Martin Space. “One of those challenges is achieving the right ESD, or electrostatic dissipative, properties, among other physical and mechanical characteristics. Stratasys Antero ESD meets our needs for outgassing and electrostatic dissipative properties in a strong yet lightweight additive manufacturing material.” Diran, created for high-durability tooling applications, is a nylon-based material formulated by Stratasys and offered for the Stratasys F370 printer. The new FDM thermoplastic provides manufacturers with extreme toughness and low friction, combined with resistance to hydrocarbon-based chemicals and a smooth surface for low slip resistance. Diran’s toughness can withstand the rough tooling typically found in a manufacturing environment. ABS-ESD7 thermoplastic, previously only available on Stratasys Fortus printers, is designed for static-sensitive applications to prevent discharge or attraction to other materials such as dust, dirt, and fine particles. By bringing materials from the production floor to the Stratasys F370 3D printer, users can capitalize on production and prototyping requirements for low-cost, highly customizable parts. By offering an affordable, ESD-safe material on a platform dedicated to ease of use, repeatability, and part accuracy, ABS-ESD7 is ideal for manufacturing tooling applications. “We’re seeing 3D printing increasingly adopted in production environments; however, engineers and designers are faced with thermoplastics that cannot meet the extreme requirements of manufacturing-based applications,” explains Adam Pawloski, vice president of manufacturing solutions at Stratasys. “Our thermoplastics can overcome these barriers to accelerate the adoption of 3D printing in manufacturing environments, enabling users to design and create faster while reducing the costs associated with traditional approaches.” To learn more about the power of Stratasys materials in high-performance and manufacturing environments, visit our Antero, Diran, and ABS-ESD7 materials pages.