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The new Stratasys Continuous Build 3D Demonstrator has been shown in action for the first time, as Stratasys continues to innovate on an industrial scale to take 3D printing to mass manufacturing.
The platform is composed of a modular FDM unit with multiple 3D print cells working simultaneously and driven by a central, cloud-based architecture.
To increase manufacturing throughput, the demonstrator is designed to produce parts in a continuous stream with only minor human intervention, automatically ejecting completed parts and commencing new ones.
Each 3D print cell can produce a different job to help enable mass customisation projects, while additional cells can be added at any time to the scalable platform to increase production capacity as demand requires.
Automatic queue management, load balancing and architecture redundancy further lead to accelerated throughput as jobs are automatically routed to available print cells. If a single print cell fails, the job will be automatically rerouted to the next available cell.
The system forms a third in a line-up of conceptual demonstrators produced by Stratasys as it looks to target applications for the technology that can benefit from zero tooling production and from a zero inventory supply chain.
A variety of Stratasys customers, including designers and manufacturers, have begun using the Continuous Build 3D Demonstrator.
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), ensures all students have 24/7 access to state of the art 3D printing services. Installing a Stratasys Continuous Build 3D Demonstrator in the award-winning university’s Design Lab expands student learning opportunities in 3D printing, and the enhanced technological capacities benefit professors and students focused on advanced design projects and skills.
Fathom, an advanced manufacturer with an expertise in additive technologies, has a six-cell configuration in-house to ‘increase throughput significantly’ and enable a greater volume of FDM parts within a shorter lead-time.
“The Stratasys Continuous Build 3D Demonstrator is an important milestone in the company’s long term vision to make additive manufacturing a viable solution for volume production environments,” says Scott Crump, Stratasys co-founder and CIO.
“It combines our FDM print quality, GrabCAD control and monitoring, and a new multi-cell, scalable architecture to create a breakthrough manufacturing platform.”
