Rutland Plastics upgrades to carbon fibre 3D printing

Rutland Plastics has sourced a Stratasys Fortus 380mc Carbon Fibre edition from SYS Systems, a UK platinum partner for Stratasys.

The East-Midlands-based business believes its latest upgrade allows the company to break new ground in collaborative robotics.

Carbon fibre is a light but tough engineering-grade thermoplastic, giving unparalleled strength for dependable functional prototyping, end-use parts and rugged tooling, often replacing low-volume metal parts.

Using ASA and FDM Nylon 12 Carbon Fibre, a material boasting the highest stiffness-to-weight ratio of any FDM option, the printer guarantees accurate, reliable, optimum-strength parts.  

Stratasys carbon fibre material contains 35 per cent chopped carbon fibres and achieves 30 to 50 per cent higher density on finished parts.

An easily soluble support system allows users to create more complex geometries, with the support material adhering to the build tray.

“The Fortus 380CF is ideal as it can print 30 per cent carbon filled nylon, which is excellent for producing end-of-arm tooling because it’s strong and durable but also lightweight, meaning our robots can run faster and we can maximise payload,” said Simon Grainger, Design and Project Engineering Manager at Rutland Plastics.

“3D printing gives us greater design flexibility. It allows us to design end-of-arm tooling and jigs and fixtures for their specific purpose, and complexity doesn’t increase cost.”