Stratasys Presents New 8-Axis FDM Production Machine

Together with Boeing, Ford and Siemens the 3D printing giant Stratasys developed a new 8-axis additive manufacturing production machine. 

With the new machine Stratsys lays the foundation for a new era of digital manufacturing. The name of this, maybe, game changing machine is “Stratasys Infinite-Build 3D Demonstrator“ (or “Stratasys Infinite-Build & Robotic Composite 3D Demonstrator”). The main feature ist the unlimited (infinite) build volume, a major plus for industries like aerospace and automotive.

Ilan Levin, CEO of Stratasys:

“Stratasys is building on our success in manufacturing with applications such as manufacturing aids, injection molds and composite tooling, and leveraging our relationships with innovative industry leaders to further extend the applicability of additive manufacturing in demanding production environments. We view the level of factory integration, automation, and performance monitoring potentially offered by these new demonstrators as catalysts for the transformation to Industry 4.0. Stratasys invites all visitors to IMTS to see these new technologies, as well as our field-proven industrial additive manufacturing solutions, in action.”

The FDM print head is placed on a robot arm which prints on a movable platform. The Demonstrator archives 8-axis movements and prints objects from inside out instead of bottom up. This robotic arm and the software comes from Siemens and Siemens PLM.

Darryl Davis, president at Boeing Phantom Works:

“Additive manufacturing represents a great opportunity for Boeing and our customers, so we made a strategic decision more than a decade ago to work closely with Stratasys on this technology. We are always looking for ways to reduce the cost and weight of aircraft structures, or reduce the time it takes to prototype and test new tools and products so we can provide them to customers in a more affordable and rapid manner. The Stratasys Infinite-Build 3D Demonstrator enables products to be made at a much larger and potentially unlimited length, offering us a breakthrough tool to add to our robust additive manufacturing processes.”

Mike Whitens, director, Vehicle Enterprise Sciences at Ford Research & Advanced Engineering:

“3D printing holds the promise of changing automotive design and manufacturing because it opens up new ways to innovate and create efficiencies in production. Our vision at Ford is to make high-speed, high-quality printing of automotive-grade parts a reality. We are excited about the future opportunities that the scalable and versatile Infinite-Build concept can unlock, and look forward to collaborating with Stratasys to help achieve our goals.”