Take a moment to consider the results you get with your current additive manufacturing capabilities – things like average time-to-print, production volume per shift, and typical print backlog. Now ponder this: what if you could print twice as fast, double your throughput, and put a serious dent in your day-to-day backlog? How do you make that happen? Meet F3300, the newest member of your FDM additive staff.
Any intimation of F3300 being an actual human aside, this new FDM platform represents the culmination of years of development, experience, and listening to our customers. In fact, it comes as close as you can get to the reinvention of FDM technology. And we at Stratasys like to think we know a thing or two about the topic, having invented FDM over thirty years ago. The truth is the F3300 represents a step change from the current state of extrusion 3D printing, and it’s the result of what users and customers have told us they need.
Let’s take a closer look at what makes the F3300 different.
Evolving extrusion-based additive technology to meet the growing demands of manufacturing means print speeds must increase. And if parts are printed faster, the production rate also increases. That was a driving factor behind the development of the F3300, and we’re happy to say that compared to legacy extrusion systems, the F3300 provides up to a 2X increase in print speed. The corresponding result is double the throughput.
Stratasys FDM systems have a reputation for reliability and repeatable results. The F3300 builds on that reputation with technology designed to further improve print quality and machine reliability. On the part quality side, integral material dryers keep thermoplastics at a prescribed dryness level, which optimizes the properties of your printed part. Additional design features such as linear motors, improved extrusion and advanced system monitoring provide tighter control of the extrusion process, upping print accuracy.
Reliability increases are enabled, among other improvements, by redundant extruders. This means there’s a backup extruder ready to take over should a problem occur with the one currently printing. In other words, you get a completed print job instead of a print failure, translating into higher production yields vs. legacy technology.
It’s no stretch to say that FDM systems are some of the easiest forms of additive technology to learn and operate. This heritage strongly influenced the F3300’s design, resulting in front-mounted, easily replaced extruders, easy-access material bays, and a simple user interface. From a labor perspective, a significant enhancement is automatic calibration after a material or extruder change. With legacy machines, the operator needs to go through a lengthy calibration process. In contrast, the F3300 does it automatically in minutes, eliminating any need for operator input.
The culmination of these benefits – more throughput, higher part yield, and reduced labor – results in a lower cost per printed part and ultimately, a better business case. That should come as good news for manufacturers since the cost of 3D printing has arguably hampered broader adoption and application within manufacturing.
The F3300’s design is the result of customer feedback on manufacturing’s pain points, which highlighted the need for alternatives to slower, expensive traditional machining. And although FDM technology provided a better option for specific applications, greater improvements in reliability and production costs were necessary for 3D printing to reach the next level of manufacturing integration. The F3300, rich in technology advancements from software to hardware, embodies these enhancements and is well-positioned to become an essential part of your manufacturing team.
Take a closer look at what the F3300 has to offer. Visit the F3300 web page, where you can download the brochure and the product specification sheet.
