Stratasys outlines new technology to power its powder-bed 3D printers
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Stratasys outlined new technology called Selective Absorption Fusion that will be used for its powder-bed 3D printers, which will be used to expand the company's additive manufacturing systems.
In short, Selective Absorption Fusion (SAF) gives Stratasys systems production-level throughput for parts with good consistency and reliability. The SAF technology uses a counter-rotating roller to coat powder layers onto a print bed and prints absorber fluid to image the part layers. The imaged layers are fused by passing an IR lamp over the entire span of the print bed. SAF technology executes these key process steps in the same direction across the print bed.
SAF will be used in Stratasys' H Series 3D printers, which will be generally available in the third quarter. Stratasys' SAF effort is part of a joint venture with Xaar. Stratasys' H series will be aimed at automotive, consumer and electronics and industrial equipment, but not overlap with the company's Origin unit.
Stratasys during its fourth quarter earnings conference call March 1 said it would invest heavily in expanding its additive manufacturing market share. Stratasys is competing with the likes of rival 3D Systems but also newer entrants such as Desktop Metal and Markedforge to name just a few.
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CEO Yoav Zeif outlined the importance of manufacturing on the company's earnings call:
The opportunity to increase the share of manufacturing within our overall revenue from the production of end-use part is significant. This is a multi trillion-dollar market, and we believe 3D printing penetration is in the low single-digit today. We are just getting started. Based on our estimate in 2020, we generated more than 25% of our revenue from manufacturing solutions. We believe that the share of our revenue for manufacturing will expand in the coming years as we begin offering our new manufacturing-focused products later this year that include photopolymerization and powder bed fusion. We also expect to add updated version of our high-end FDM system and health care and dental application solutions. We expect this to drive low double-digit growth in manufacturing revenue this year and over 20% annually in the medium to long term.
SAF's main promise is to deliver a uniform thermal experience to deliver part consistency. For Stratasys, SAF will enable it to expand into new markets and industries and process a variety of materials.
Here's a look at SAF being configured and a part produced with the technology.
Via its Xaar joint venture, Stratasys is planning to expand its reach into commercial and consumer goods, auto and service bureaus. Here's look at Stratasys' expansion plans.