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Mike Likes:
Stratasys rolls out 'office-friendly' F123 line of FDM 3D printers

Soon you may be trading the latest sports scores, celebrity gossip, or work updates around the 'ole office 3D printer instead of the water cooler if Stratasys has its way. The company's newest release of 3D printers for plastics gets the technology one step closer to ubiquity in creative design spaces.

The Stratasys F123 Series of three 3D printers is aimed at professional rapid prototyping, from initial concept verification to design validation to functional performance testing. Sweetspots include easy office usability, precision, repeatability, and affordability. And did we mention they look great -- like something maybe BMW designed? Well, that's because they did. The exterior design was created together with leading industrial design firm Designworks, a BMW Group Company.

The super-quiet Stratasys F123 Series accepts up to four material types in 10 colors to support a wide range of prototyping and tooling applications. For example, the F123's new Fast Draft Mode leverages PLA material to quickly produce conceptual prototypes at a low cost per part. Production-grade ASA and ABS are ideal for producing strong, stable, repeatable parts. For even stronger, impact-resistant parts, there is engineering-grade PC-ABS.

Enhanced user experience is a hallmark of the Stratasys F123 Series design, with no special 3D-printing expertise required to achieve professional results. Fueled by Stratasys Insight software, almost any CAD file can be used, while Stratasys' GrabCAD Print eliminates time wasted on file conversion and STL preparation.

Parts are produced within an accuracy of +/- .200 mm (.008 in), or +/- .002 mm/mm (.002 in/in), whichever is greater, so these machines offer top-of-the-line professional results. All in all, the Stratasys F123 Series employs 15 new Stratasys patents in its design.

The three machines are primarily differentiated by build size, number of material choices, and price. Build size (XYZ) and material capabilities work out like this:

F170:

• Build size: 254 x 254 x 254 mm (10 x 10 x 10 in.);
• Material loading options: 2 material spool bays, 1 for model, 1 for support located in a drawer on the front of the unit;
• Material types: PL, ABS-M30, ASA, QSR support material.

F270:

• Build size: 305 x 254 x 305 mm (12 x 10 x 12 in.),
• Material loading options: 4 material spool bays, 2 for model, 2 for support located in a drawer on the front of the unit;
• Material types: PL, ABS-M30, ASA, QSR support material.

F370:

• Build size: 355 x 254 x 355 mm (14 x 10 x 14 in.);
• Material loading options: 4 material spool bays, 2 for model, 2 for support located in a drawer on the front of the unit;
• Material types: PL, ABS-M30, ASA, PC-ABS, QSR support material.

Most operations are easily performed using a touchscreen user interface. Stratasys F123 Series can be operated remotely from any networked computer in a shared workgroup setting, and build progress can be monitored from portable devices. Installing and replacing material is equally fast and easy.

"It's pretty powerful having this much capability in a single system that sits right in our work space. We've tried lower end 3D printers in the past, and to be honest, they're dimensionally inaccurate. The Stratasys F370 matches the CAD input every time with accurate, high-quality prototypes," says Jesse Hahne, partner, Center for Advanced Design. "The key for us to fast-track product development is getting physical samples in front of our customers as soon as possible. With our new Stratasys F370, we're able to get brand new iterations in a matter of hours. This rapid prototyping solution has truly become a member of our team."

Everyone also always wants to know about pricing, and we'll tell you right up front that Stratasys did not release details when they unveiled the new 3D-printer line at SOLIDWORKS World 2017, but the F170 unit is rumored to start at just below $20,000 (base machine only).

Learn more at stratasys.com. Get even more specs at stratasys.com/en/F123/3D-Printers.

Source: Stratasys

Published February 2017

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