New Stratasys Fortus 450mc Added to Our Tech Center!

It may not have been wrapped up in a pretty red bow, but the arrival of our new Fortus 450mc still made it feel like Christmas morning here at ATS!

At ATS, we’ve been selling the Fortus brand since it was first introduced over five years ago, so we were rather eager to get our expert hands on this new transformative Fortus 3D Production System. With only a few days of testing under our belt, we must say we’re quite impressed with the capabilities of this machine!

We believe the Fortus 450mc 3D Production System is the next step in rethinking manufacturing using 3D printing. When the 3D printing industry started exploding a few years ago, it was this first line of Fortus systems leading the way. The product line began transforming the manufacturing industry with direct digital manufacturing and precision rapid prototyping capabilities.

Today, the new Fortus 450mc boasts to be even easier, faster and more reliable than previous models, taking 3D printing and manufacturing to the next level. With a large build size of 16 x 14 x 16 in. and weighing in at 1,500 pounds, this machine is definitely built for repeatability and manufacturing environments.

The simpler site preparations made installation much quicker compared to our other Fortus models. For one, we didn’t need to hook it up to a transformer since it can run off of 208V 3-phase power, which is how our building (and likely many of yours) is wired. We also didn’t have to upgrade our compressor for greater capacity since the 450mc has its own built in air compressor.

So what put the Fortus systems front and center when 3D printing started revolutionizing the manufacturing industry?  The exceptional materials. This FDM Technology uses the same production-grade thermoplastics used in traditional manufacturing processes.  The Fortus 450mc lets you build with any of the nine currently available thermoplastics offered in Stratasys’ three new material bundles (Standard, Engineering, and High-Performance). If you’re looking for a material that demands high fatigue endurance, FDM Nylon 12 is available and is the toughest in the industry.  If you require a thermoplastic with specialized properties, ESD7 (for electrostatic dissipation of electronics or electrical assembly fixtures), biocompatible (PC-ISO), and VO flammable or FST rated ULTEM and PC are options. There is also the new ASA material which we are finding to be the best solution when building concept models.  It appears to model and look the sharpest, even over ABS-M30.

Coming soon to the Fortus 450mc is another high-temp material, ULTEM 1010. This thermoplastic is ideal for advanced tooling and prototyping applications in the automotive, aerospace, medical and food-production industries. In fact, this new Fortus is built for higher temp applications, as Stratasys is publishing the upper range temperature as 482° F – the highest temperatures of all Stratasys systems. We noticed the build chamber window consists of two dual-pane glass layers and has plenty of internal insulation, further indicating this printer will be able to accept a broad range of possible new thermoplastic materials.

Manufacturers across the board are going to benefit from the advanced features of the Fortus 450mc: medical device designers will be able to further accelerate their product development process with the enhanced speed; farm equipment manufacturers will be able to print the most reliable functional test models with the high-impact strength thermoplastics now available (and in the future) for the 450mc; companies with numerous printer users will be able to attain faster adoption rates with the all-new, straightforward touchscreen interface.  A shift in manufacturing is happening and we’re excited to be a part of it!

If you would like to check out our new Fortus 450mc in person, schedule a demo! Or if you’re interested in receiving a sample part in the new ASA or ULTEM 1010 contact us. Our Tech Center is also home to a Mojo, uPrint SE Plus, Objet500 Connex3, Fortus 250mc, Fortus 400mc, Fortus 900mc, and the latest desktop 3D printer – the Objet30 Prime.  Training and application development are also available.  We’d love to show you how a Stratasys 3D Printer can get you one step ahead of your competitors by expanding your manufacturing abilities and cut down on your production costs and design cycle.