Stratasys launched the FDM Nylon 12CF — a carbon fiber-filled nylon printing material which can create end-use parts and speed up production.

If you’ve been looking for a new composite material for rapid prototyping and end-use parts, Stratasys just launched its FDM Nylon 12CF.

This release is a carbon fiber-filled thermoplastic. It’s the first reinforced FDM composite from the company. The main benefits include a high stiffness to weight ratio and a mechanical strength. Stratasys are calling it the “new era of 3D printed composite materials.”

The material is suited for use with industrial-grade Stratasys Fortus 3D 450 mc printers only.

“The material is so stiff that it feels like you’re trying to bend steel,” they claim in the video below. “And yet, it’s light and stiff enough to make it efficient for a wide range of manufacturing and tooling applications where the stiffness of the tool is critical to its function.”

The promise is that this material cuts out the process of shaping the metal or developing a mold. Instead, it’s possible to skip straight to printing functional parts or rapid tooling.

This certainly adds new opportunities to the creative process. As well as this, Stratasys claims this material is more efficient than previous offerings. For example, the time it takes for users to design, print and test a product can be reduced. The benefits of this, of course, are lower development costs and shorter lead times.

3D Printing with the FDM Nylon 12CF

Just a few of the uses that Stratasys suggest include drill guides, end of arm tools, brackets fixtures, or jigs. It can also print parts with a layer thickness of  0.010 in (0.254 mm).

Keep in mind that you’ll need to update your Insight software and the material also requires a hardware upgrade. The FDM Nylon 12CF is the first high-performance composite material to replace a range of metal applications available for Stratasys FDM technology. 

As well as this, it contains 35% chopped carbon fiber by weight. Supposedly, it offers the best stiffness-to-weight ratio among Stratasys FDM thermoplastics.

Interestingly enough, the FDM Nylon 12CF meets the functional performance testing demands for many sectors. Zehavit Reisin, vice president, head of rapid prototyping for Stratasys, explains:

“We believe that the impressive strength-to-weight ratio of the FDM Nylon 12CF is transformative for many industries from consumer goods and recreational goods to automotive and aerospace… It enables designers to develop more practical and functional designs and get them to market faster, without worrying about how to prototype those parts using metal or molding.”

FDM Nylon 12CF will begin shipping this year. Find out more over at Stratasys.

Source: Composites World