Stratasys Fortus 380mc Carbon Fiber Dedicated to Filled Material

Stratasys has introduced the Fortus 380mc Carbon Fiber Edition (CFE), an industrial additive manufacturing system dedicated to carbon fiber-filled Nylon 12, a material that is 35 percent chopped carbon fiber by weight. The system is also compatible with ASA thermoplastic.

The Fortus 380 CFE 3D printer prints carbon fiber-filled parts with a 0.010" (0.254-mm) layer thickness within its 14" × 12" × 12" (355 × 305 × 305-mm) build chamber. The system offers water-soluble support material removal, eliminating the need to remove the supports manually. This in turn enables the creation of fine and intricate geometries not possible without the support material, because fine features could be destroyed during cleaning or intricate geometries might make support removal too laborious or impossible to remove, the company says.

Applications for carbon fiber-filled Nylon 12 may include functional prototyping of composite or metal parts; short production runs; lightweight assembly tools designed for better ergonomics and reduced worker fatigue; replacing metal parts with a high-strength, lightweight alterative. Stratasys expects that its Fortus 380 CFE 3D printer will be used by manufacturers producing tooling and fixtures in industries including automotive, recreational sporting equipment, marine, orthosis and prothesis, defense, aerospace, medical equipment, and oil and gas.