Stratasys J750
Stratasys has today launched its most advanced 3D printer, the J750, a multi-material, multi-colour 3D printer, designed to transform the product development cycle.
For the additive manufacturing stalwart, the J750 has been their opportunity to reinvent what 3D printing is, or rather fulfil what people already think it is and the company claim this machine is the closest example to what the 10-year old child thinks 3D printing is – a simple piece of tech, where you press a button and a full colour, tangible object comes out.
To launch the machine, Stratasys invited us to the headquarters of Otterbox, a long-time Stratasys customer, in Fort Collins, Colorado. The company’s founder and CEO, Curt Richardson, spoke of how the consumer electronics accessory leader has been using 3D printing since 2005 and it has completely changed their product development cycle. Now as one of the first companies to install Stratasys’ latest machine as part of a six month beta program, that process is being transformed all over again and Otterbox is now making advanced prototypes that look exactly like their finished retail-standard products.
Whilst the rest of the industry seems focused on speed, Stratasys are quite clear that they’re not out to join that race with the J750. This machine, the most advanced in the company’s arsenal and partnered with new PolyJet Studio software, sits somewhere in between prototyping and final part production working with a palette of six materials and offering a staggering 360,000 colours. Whilst these parts are not intended for end-use cases, having seen them first hand, they are the most accurate prototypes we’ve seen on the market so far. With enhanced colours and textures, they look and feel like they would on a final part which speeds up the iteration process and gets the most realistic parts in the hands of designers, engineers and marketers much faster.
Customers can order the Stratasys J750 immediately. The machine is being showcased at AMUG 2016 in the Demo Suite. This story will be updated and you can read more about the launch in the next issue of TCT Magazine.
Read the full press release below.
STRATASYS INVENTS 3D PRINTING AGAIN WITH TRANSFORMATIONAL, MARKET DISRUPTIVE J750 3D PRINTER
Stratasys, the 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions company, today introduced another industry first with its market-disruptive 3D printer, the J750. The new solution breaks restrictive technology barriers, enabling customers for the first time to mix-and-match full colour gradients alongside an unprecedented range of materials to achieve one-stop realism without post-processing. This, together with the system’s superior versatility, makes the J750 the ultimate 3D printing solution for product designers, engineers and manufacturers, as well as service bureaus.
"We’ve used 3D printers for years but nothing has come close to revolutionizing our design and ideation process the way the Stratasys J750 has,” said Brycen Smith, engineering technician supervisor for OtterBox. “Stratasys allows us to innovate in ways we never thought possible and gives us the ability to create true product-matching prototypes and to cut down the time necessary to bring products to market. The Stratasys J750 is a game-changer for both OtterBox and the 3D printing industry.”
One-Stop 3D Printed Realism Delivers True Product-matching Prototypes and Unprecedented Cost/Resource Efficiencies
The Stratasys J750, the premier addition to the Objet Connex multi-color, multi-material series of 3D Printers, allows customers to choose from more than 360,000 different color shades plus multiple material properties - ranging from rigid to flexible and opaque to transparent. Prototypes can include a vast array of colors, materials and material properties in the same part, speeding production of realistic models, prototypes and parts for virtually any application need - as well as delivering incomparable 3D printing versatility to produce tooling, molds, jigs and fixtures and more.
The J750 enables near instantaneous decision-making by streamlining the way products are designed, evaluated and brought to market. A true industry milestone, the productivity-boosting J750 is expected to improve TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) by eliminating many of the traditional complex processes, time and resources required to create product-matching prototypes. Designers and engineers can physically experience true product prototypes within hours of developing an initial concept for immediate design and function validation with internal stakeholders and end users. Design decisions can be made instantaneously and with full confidence to help accelerate product delivery.
“Today’s supply chain is considering transformational opportunities that can be realized through 3D printing capabilities. It is enabling new business opportunities to more quickly design and test products that are under development, as well as to actually manufacture commercial and industrial goods. (3D printing technologies) are also enabling the ‘new possible’ by producing new designs that could not be made with traditional manufacturing technologies, while negating assembly, improving performance and elevating part quality,” according to Michael Shanler, Research Director and Pete Basiliere, Research VP for Imaging and Print Services, Gartner.*
Increased Productivity and Throughput with New PolyJet Studio and Six Material Capacity
The J750’s one-stop realism is supported with a streamlined workflow beginning with the all new PolyJet Studio™. The software’s new intuitive user interface allows users to simply choose materials, optimize the build and manage print queues. Assignment of colors, transparencies and rigidity is eased via familiar design controls. Color textures can be loaded fully intact via VRML files imported from CAD tools.
The Stratasys J750 also minimizes downtime associated with material changeovers. Featuring a large, six-material capacity, it keeps the most used resins loaded and ready for printing. Newly designed, state-of-the-art print heads means simulated production plastics, like Digital ABS™, can be 3D printed in half the time of other Stratasys PolyJet systems. As 3D printed models are delivered complete with full colors, color textures and multiple materials, no time is wasted on painting and assembly.
“With the introduction of the J750, we are harnessing more than 25 years of experience to set a new historical milestone in 3D printing – reaffirming our commitment to keeping customers always on the cutting edge of innovation,” said Josh Claman, Chief Business Officer, Stratasys. “With its one-stop realism, the J750 is quite simply a game changer. By combining full color with multiple materials and a streamlined workflow, it recalibrates the impact of 3D printing in the product development cycle. Informed design decisions can be made immediately after the concepting stage. The time saved by eliminating the painting and assembly process can lead to faster product delivery times. The J750 is a multi-purpose system that can also produce production tools, manufacturing moulds, teaching aids, and other models – truly raising the bar in 3D printing versatility.”
All-in-one Multi-purpose Versatility Covers All Applications
Among the many organizations and businesses that can benefit from the J750 are consumer product companies, service bureaus, design firms, education, universities and research institutions, medical device companies, hospitals, medical schools, and special effects and animation companies.
