AEI

ASIA ELECTRONICS INDUSTRYYOUR WINDOW TO SMART MANUFACTURING

New PP Material to Lift Efficiency of 3D Printing

Stratasys Ltd. has announced the commercial availability of its groundbreaking new material, SAF™ Polypropylene (PP) for use on the Stratasys H350™ printer, set to launch in fourth quarter of 2024.

Mainly, Stratasys SAF™ PP, offered in partnership with BASF Forward AM, aims to provide greater cost efficiency and superior part quality in Powder Bed Fusion technologies. This innovative material offers a lower cost per part and exceptional surface aesthetics as compared to existing materials. Also, it is designed to meet the rigorous demands of high-volume production while maintaining exceptional overall quality.

Stratasys
Flexible automotive component produced with SAF™ PP on the Stratasys H350™, ideal for tight and chemical resistance applications. (Photo: Business Wire)

“With superior nesting ability and a total turnaround time of less than 36 hours, SAF PP allows customers to produce hundreds of parts in a single build,” said Neil Hopkinson, Vice President, Additive Manufacturing Technology, Stratasys.

“This boosts productivity and cost efficiency, delivering high-quality parts at a lower cost,” Hopkinson continued.

“We are pleased to collaborate with Stratasys on the development of this new polypropylene material, optimized for their SAF 3D printing technology,” added Martin Back, CEO, BASF Forward AM.

“This partnership underscores our commitment to providing robust AM solutions tailored to the needs of industrial manufacturers. Together, we aim to broaden the adoption of AM technologies to make our customers more successful,” he said.

SAF™ PP Suits Various Applications

Mainly, SAF PP is engineered for a wide range of applications. It cateres to diverse industries, such as automotive, medical, consumer sports, and industrial sectors.

Additionally, it provides durability, chemical resistance, and flexibility for automotive components like housings and ducting, as well as orthotic devices and consumer sports gear like shin guards. It has a lightweight nature, and water and air tightness features. These make it an ideal choice for producing intricate, high-quality parts across various applications.

Also, the new material has demonstrated the capability to produce robust, defect-free parts with complex geometries. Among these parts are flexible tight pipes and intricate sensor mounts.

Customer Testimonials

“The surface finish of SAF™ PP parts is unparalleled,” said Philipp Götz, CEO, Götz Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG, a beta customer of this material. “The fine detail resolution and uniform appearance are far superior to any other PBF printed PP we have seen, significantly enhancing the visual appeal of our final products.”

“The consistent quality of SAF™ PP is exceptional,” said Jennifer Govea, Application Engineer, Sun Digital. “Its airtight and watertight properties ensure reliable performance across various applications. With SAF PP, we can now bring a wide array of additive manufacturing benefits to unlimited applications that use PP today in traditional manufacturing.”

-04 July 2024-