For large-scale jobs in a production environment, the F770 is the best FDM solution for low cost of operation. It bears the longest fully heated build chamber on the market, able to print parts up to a metre long.
The Stratasys F770 3D printer deals with two high-grade thermoplastics – ABS-M30 and ASA. With the great tensile strength and stability afforded by FDM printing, these materials can quickly make themselves welcome for many manufacturing and engineering businesses.
ABS-M30
A general use 3D printing material that is strong, lightweight, and versatile. The F770 prints using only black ABS, keeping material costs low and economic. Thanks to the printer’s 13 cubic-foot (372 litre) build volume, large single pieces can be made without the need for bonding parts together.
Well suited for prototyping, ABS-M30 is also perfect for creating jigs and fixtures, softjaws, manufacturing tools, and production parts. Tight thermal management ensures uniformity across these parts, whether they’re large singular pieces or multiples made in one build tray.
ASA
Similar to ABS-M30, ASA bears slight improvements in terms of its strength whilst also possessing UV resistance. Its finish grants it superior aesthetic qualities, and it is printable in ivory colour with the F770.
ASA is also applicable for the same ends as ABS-M30. An added benefit to this thermoplastic is that it fares better in outdoor uses, thanks to its UV resistance. Most plastics will suffer colour change and a loss of elongation when exposed to prolonged UV – such as when left out in the sun for long periods of time. Not so with ASA.
Industrial Scale
The Stratasys F770 is an affordable and simplified answer to the demand for scaled-up 3D printing. Large parts can be made with uniform stability and strength, aided by print-and-forget dependability.
Printing these large parts on smaller machines would require designing them with jigsaw-like features. These pieces would then need to be securely bonded to create the larger part. Whether done with chemicals or mechanical parts like screws and bolts, the joint will necessarily represent a potential weakness in the part.
For high-impact parts, this can be too great a risk. The F770 employs tested oven technology that ensures tight thermal management over every inch of the part. For smaller parts, take advantage of the machine’s large build platen to create multiple pieces with consistent, repeatable quality. Create design variations of a prototype in a single build job. Make a set of tools enough to provide for months, all within an afternoon.
Smarter Production
Like many of its siblings, the Stratasys F770 is supported by GrabCAD Print. Job scheduling and automatic file repair is made easy for minimal disruption to factory workflow. The software also places intelligence and analysis at a business’s fingertips. Understand material usage, job history, print times and errors, and more.
The Stratasys F770 is also supported by Insight software. Insight grants even greater control of your printing processes, allowing you to manually edit parameters that affect the strength and material economy of parts, as well as optimising build orientation, customising support structures, and programmable build pauses.
All F770s additionally come with MTConnect, a manufacturing communications protocol for factory floor connectivity. MTConnect standardises data to facilitate communication between machines, software, and other applications. This helps manufacturers looking to integrate an F770 into their Industry 4.0 shop floor.
