Stratasys Ltd (Nasdaq: SSYS) has announced the commercial availability of its new SAF Polypropylene (PP) material, developed for the Stratasys H350 printer, launching in the fourth quarter of 2024. The material will be showcased at the RAPID + TCT Expo in Los Angeles, California, June 25-27.
SAF Polypropylene was developed in collaboration with BASF Forward AM and aims to improve cost efficiency and part quality in Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) technology. Compared to existing materials, SAF PP offers lower cost per part and exceptional surface aesthetics. It is designed to meet the demands of mass production while ensuring high overall quality.
“With superior nesting ability and a total turnaround time of less than 36 hours, SAF PP allows customers to produce hundreds of parts in a single build,” said Neil Hopkinson, Vice President, Additive Manufacturing Technology, Stratasys. “This boosts productivity and cost efficiency, delivering high-quality parts at a lower cost.”
The new material is suitable for a wide range of applications and is aimed at sectors such as automotive, medical, consumer goods and industry. SAF PP offers durability, chemical resistance and flexibility for automotive components such as housings and wiring, as well as orthopaedic devices and sports equipment such as shin guards. Its lightweight nature and air and water tightness make it the ideal choice for the manufacture of complex, high quality parts in a variety of applications.
SAF PP has also shown that it can produce robust, defect-free parts with complex geometries such as flexible narrow tubes and intricate sensor mounts. “The surface finish of SAF PP parts is unparalleled,” said Philipp Götz, CEO, Götz Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG, a beta customer of this material. “The fine detail resolution and uniform appearance are far superior to any other PBF printed PP we have seen, significantly enhancing the visual appeal of our final products.”
“The consistent quality of SAF PP is exceptional,” said Jennifer Govea, Application Engineer, Sun Digital. “It’s airtight and watertight properties ensure reliable performance across various applications. With SAF PP, we can now bring a wide array of additive manufacturing benefits to unlimited applications that use PP today in traditional manufacturing.”
“We are pleased to collaborate with Stratasys on the development of this new polypropylene material, optimized for their SAF 3D printing technology,” added Martin Back, CEO, BASF Forward AM. “This partnership underscores our commitment to providing robust AM solutions tailored to the needs of industrial manufacturers. Together, we aim to broaden the adoption of AM technologies to make our customers more successful.”
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