If you can think it, you can print it
Your imagination knows no boundaries. You want your design to reflect the form, functionality, color and exquisite detail you see with your mind’s eye. But, you don’t want the process to take forever, be outside your budget or sacrifice quality. Are you asking too much? Not at all.
PolyJet 3D printing offers product realism across a wide range of materials and colors. With over 1,200 color options available and a wide range of Digital Materials (two or three materials blended at the printhead), there are literally thousands of colors, in a range of hues, transparency, strength, rigidity and flexibility.
For example, flexible, rubber-like parts can be printed with Shore A hardness ratings of 27 to 95. Another factor that contributes to product realism is multi-material printing. Parts can have up to 82 distinct material properties, so applications like flexible over-molding of rigid structures can be reproduced in one print job.
PolyJet is a powerful 3D printing technology that produces smooth, accurate parts, prototypes and tooling. With microscopic layer resolution and accuracy down to 0.1 mm, it can produce thin walls and complex geometries.
During pre-processing, build preparation software automatically calculates the placement of photopolymers and support material from a 3D Computer-Aided Design (CAD) file. During production, a carriage with four or more print heads and ultraviolet (UV) lamps traverses the workspace, depositing tiny droplets of photopolymers, materials that solidify when exposed to UV light. Fine layers accumulate on the build tray to create one or several precise models or parts.
Where overhangs or complex shapes require support, the 3D printer jets a removable support material. After printing a thin layer of material, the process repeats until a complete 3D object is formed. Support material is easily removed by hand with water or in a solution bath. Models and parts are ready to handle and use right out of the 3D printer, with no post-curing needed.
PolyJet technology is all about exceptionally detailed, smooth and precise prototypes that convey final-product aesthetics. This allows for accurate molds, jigs, fixtures and other manufacturing tools. Also, complex shapes, intricate details and delicate features can be achieved. PolyJet incorporates the widest variety of colors and materials into a single model for unbeatable efficiency.
PolyJet Photopolymers
Digital Materials
Digital ABS
High Temperature
Transparent
Rigid Opaque
Simulated Polypropylene
Rubber-like
Bio-compatible
This valuable content was derived from Stratasys’ White Paper on FDM vs PolyJet 3D Printing. To further understand PolyJet technology and its benefits, download the White Paper.