Material from Stratasys can be used to fabricate assembly aids for electronic products

MINNEAPOLIS — (BUSINESS WIRE) — July 15, 2011 — (NASDAQ: SYSS) Stratasys Inc., maker of 3D printers for prototyping and producing plastic parts, introduced a static dissipative ABS material for items sensitive to electrostatic charge.

ABS-ESD7 is a new material for use by Fortus additive manufacturing systems. The material has static dissipative properties for applications where a static charge can damage products, impair performance or cause an explosion.

Unlike most thermoplastics, ABS-ESD7 prevents a buildup of static electricity, so it can’t produce a static shock.

Besides eliminating static shock, the ESD material eliminates another common static electricity problem: the attraction and buildup of particulate, such as dust or powders, which can degrade product performance.

ABS-ESD7 is also beneficial when designing products that avoid attracting atomized liquid, such as medicine inhalers, which must deliver the entire drug dose to the patient and not leave mist clinging to inhaler’s internal surfaces.

The material will be most useful for manufacturers that wish to create assembly aids that hold, handle, or carry their electronics safely.

Primary applications include:

• Carriers and organizers for electrical components
• Fixtures for electronic component assembly
• Production line and conveyor parts

Other applications include:

• Product design and validation for:
  • Electronic product enclosures
  • Electronics packaging material
  • Powder or mist conveying or dispensing

“ABS-ESD7 was engineered in response to a strong demand from our additive manufacturing system owners,” says Stratasys Business Development Director Fred Fischer. “In a survey, over 50 percent of owners expressed a need for ESD materials for creating assembly aids, prototypes, or production parts.”

ABS-ESD7 will run on Fortus 400mc and Fortus 900mc FDM systems. It is comparable in operation to its non-ESD counterpart, ABS-M30, from Stratasys. All mechanical properties of ABS-ESD7 are within five percent of the ratings for ABS-M30. Orders are being taken now for ABS-ESD7, and material canisters will begin shipping in September.

ABS-ESD7 is available immediately for contract manufacturing jobs through Stratasys’ RedEye On Demand digital manufacturing service. The service can offer either a single prototype or production runs of up to 1000 parts or more. Small jobs can be shipped in 1 to 5 days.

For more details on ABS-ESD7, or to place an order for material, call 888-480-3548 or email Email Contact. For a contract job, get quote here, or go to RedEyeOnDemand.com and select “Get Quote.”

Stratasys, Inc., Minneapolis, is a maker of additive manufacturing machines for prototyping and producing plastic parts. The company markets under the brands Dimension 3D Printers and Fortus Production 3D Printers. The company also operates RedEye On Demand, a digital manufacturing service for prototypes and production parts. Stratasys manufactures 3D printers for Hewlett Packard, which it sells under the brand Designjet3D. In 2011 Stratasys acquired 3D printer maker, Solidscape, Inc. According to Wohlers Report 2011, Stratasys had a 41 percent market share in 2010, and has been the unit market leader for the ninth consecutive year. Stratasys patented and owns the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM^®) process. The process creates functional prototypes and manufactured goods directly from any 3D CAD program, using high-performance industrial thermoplastics. The company holds more than 285 granted or pending additive manufacturing patents globally. Stratasys products are used in the aerospace, defense, automotive, medical, business & industrial equipment, education, architecture, and consumer-product industries. Online at: www.stratasys.com

Stratasys, Dimension, Fortus, RedEye, FDM, and Solidscape, are registered trademarks, and RedEye On Demand is a trademark, of Stratasys, Inc. Designjet is a registered trademark of Hewlett Packard.

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