3D PRINTING
AFFORDABLE, FULL-
New Stratasys offering
operates using a fi rst-of-its-kind
rotational printing platform,
maximising print reliability
and offering greater output
from a small footprint.
The desire to take reliable,
full-colour 3D printing
from an expensive,
niche pursuit to a
commonplace of any
design offi ce has taken
another huge leap with the arrival
of Stratasys’ new J55 3D Printer.
At about a third the price of
enterprise-class PolyJet printers, the J55
combines realism and productivity,
including high-fi delity and fi ve
simultaneously-printed materials that
enable nearly 500,000 colours, Pantone
Validation, realistic textures and
transparency in one printed part. Set-up
is easy, and remote monitoring means
print jobs can be managed from home.
“There is no way to validate 2D designs
without a realistic 3D model, it’s simply
not possible,” says director of innovation
and industrial design Tony Guard at
Cincinnati-based Kinetic Vision. The
175-employee company develops products
for startups to Fortune 50 companies in
industries ranging from consumer
electronics and packaged goods to
aerospace and medical. Kinetic Vision has
been deemed an “essential business” and
has been open through the pandemic, but
with few people in the offi ce to get a new
technology up and running.
In fact, Guard got the J55 set up with a
single employee and only remote support
from Stratasys. “My jaw dropped when I
saw what the machine could do,” he said.
“We can validate products faster with form,
colour, fi nish, graphics, everything. We can
off er our clients tangible 3D-printed
models that represent a fi nal retail
product, faster than we ever could before.
I’d love the J55 to be our secret strategic
advantage, but I don’t think it will be a
secret for long.”
In operation, the Stratasys J55 is unique,
34 » JUNE 2020 » WWW.MADEIN.IE
featuring a patented rotating build platform
with a fi xed print head. This is designed to
maximize reliability and simplify
maintenance. The technology also means
greater output from a small footprint while
also eliminating most sound – it’s about as
quiet as a home refrigerator. Combined
with ProAero fi ltration technology for
odor-free operation, the J55 is perfect for
placing anywhere.
“We developed this innovative new 3D
printer to truly transform the product
development process for product designers
and engineers everywhere,” said Omer
Krieger, Executive Vice President of
Products at Stratasys. “Not only does the
J55 fi t the budget of virtually any product
design team, but the quality of the parts
you can 3D print are best in class. It’s so
simple that anyone can set it up and use it,
and it’s so quiet you’ll forget it’s running.”
Helping make the J55 easy for designers,
Stratasys is also prioritising simplifying
workfl ow. Fully supported by GrabCAD
Print™ software, the J55 enables a smooth
import of common CAD fi les (e.g.
Solidworks, CATIA, PTC Creo, Siemens
NX, Inventor) and the latest 3MF fi le
format, a signifi cant improvement over
traditional STL, OBJ, and VRML fi les. And
for the fi rst time, Stratasys is also adding
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