MTC invests in Stratasys FDM additive manufacturing to boost production capacity

The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) has expanded its advanced additive manufacturing portfolio by investing in an FDM-based Fortus 450mc 3D printer.

According to the MTC, the new addition strengthens its capability to meet more demanding production applications for UK manufacturers and develop new and innovative solutions geared towards driving increased productivity and profitability across their businesses.

Since announcing an official partnership with Stratasys in 2017, the MTC has been utilising state-of-the-art 3D printing technology to support customer’s manufacturing needs and objectives, which include engineering tooling and complex end-use parts.

The Fortus 450mc installation complements the MTC’s existing stable of Stratasys PolyJet solutions, which comprises full-colour, multi-material J-Series 3D printing technology, as well as the large-scale Objet1000.

Hoda Amel, MTC Senior Research Engineer, said: “We have been very impressed with our PolyJet 3D printers, and adding an FDM-based solution to the line-up is a natural evolution as we look to expand our production-grade additive manufacturing capability to develop early stage new solutions for UK manufacturers that can then be passed up the supply chain.”

“Most notably, we now have access to a wide range of high-performance thermoplastic materials that enable us to explore multi-composite parts and complex tooling for engineering applications that continue to be sought by customers.”

Yann Rageul, Strategic Accounts Director at Stratasys, said: “The MTC’s latest investment expands their ability to deliver more value when addressing specific demands across more and more traditional production applications on behalf of those operating at the coal-face of UK manufacturing.”