Called FDM Nylon 12, the material is engineered specifically for the company’s Fortus line of printers. According to Stratasys, Nylon 12 will offer up to five times greater resistance to breaking and improved impact strength when compared to even the strongest FDM material. What’s more, Nylon 12’s elongation at break properties best other nylon-based materials by up to 100 percent. With these properties, Nylon 12 is ideally suited for the repetitive stresses associated with snap hooks and snap fits.
But beyond consumer snaps, Stratasys believes its new material can make a difference is a variety of industries. “Aerospace and automotive applications includ[ing] custom production tooling, jigs and fixtures, and prototypes for interior paneling, low-heat air-intake components and antenna covers” can all benefit from Nylon 12’s properties.
In addition to its new material, Stratasys has also debuted its Xtend 184 material magazines, which will carry twice the print stock of a typical canister. Carrying either ABS-M30, Polycarbonate, or Ultem 9085, an Xtend 184 will be capable of running for 100 hours without a magazine swap, making even long weekend builds a distinct reality.
Images and Video Courtesy of Stratasys