How to Modernize your Industrial Design with a Stratasys J55 3D Printer

Product and Industrial design has been modernized in the last few years with the introduction of professional 3D printers that are designed specifically for designers to quickly and easily produce concept models for fit, form, function, and aesthetics testing of their industrial design.

The Stratasys J55 takes the modern design approach to another level by providing designers with PANTONE™ colour matching, multiple material builds, and a lower price point than other machines on the market. In this article I will outline the advantages of using a Stratasys J55 for industrial design along with applications and examples.

Current Challenges for Industrial Designers

Designers have common challenges with industrial design and using other 3D printers in the market space, these typically include:

• Communication breakdown or failures often impact both the design and product quality, as well as a products time to market. Using a 2D rendering on paper or a screenshot to convey an idea doesn’t communicate the full scope of design intent and requires an unrealistic imaginative leap. This makes it difficult for a client or stakeholder to buy in to your project.
• The design cycle is inefficient and costs time and money, being late to market costs $X every day. High fidelity modeling methods are costly.
• Professional 3D printers are bulky, unaffordable, and require experienced operators. Space in a small office is at a premium and you can’t afford to designate an exclusive room or space to the printer.  Also, it can’t be in the office because it is noisy, produces toxic fumes and foul odors, it takes up too much space, etc.
• Outsourcing to an external 3D printing service bureau is not only expensive, but it risks confidentiality and intellectual property. Potentially, an outside company can steal an IP and get to market faster, grabbing a majority of the market share or ultimately lowering your products value.

Traditional model making with clay, wood, or foam

What if you could..

• Create a better finished product that is tangible — a prototype that can be seen/felt/held.  Increase the amount of design iterations and improve design quality. Realistic models are easier to promote and more likely to elicit an emotional attachment from a client.
• Cut modeling time. Explore colours and textures earlier, integrating form and function, ultimately saving on modeling costs.
• Utilize a 3D printer that has a small footprint, is quiet and non-toxic.  Doesn’t need its own designated shop/room/area.  Could be in the same location as your office paper printer.
• Keep production internal so design ideas and prototypes stay protected in house.  The consequence of losing exclusivity to groundbreaking intellectual property is priceless.

Modern 3D printed concept model

Introducing the Stratasys J55

Javelin has a solution to your industrial product design process challenges with the new Stratasys J55 3D printer. The J55 offers unparalleled part realism, in an office or studio environment, at an affordable price.

It is a huge leap forward for accessible, full colour 3D printing and allows designers to have multiple iterations of a prototype ready and available in a matter of hours, without the need for a shop operator or an external service bureau.

With the J55 you can now go from render to reality faster with a simple industrial design-to-print workflow that lets you import CAD models directly into GrabCAD Print™. The user-friendly design incorporates a touchscreen interface and makes it easier than ever to get printed parts in your hand.

The J55 is affordable enough for you to start saving on costs right away – take advantage of 80% less cost per part and the ability to create high-quality models in just one day. Here are other benefits of the machine:

• The first 3D printer with a rotational printing sequence
  • Unique and cutting edge rotational technology on the J55 provides a full design solution, end-to-end.
  • Very limited head movement and constant speed while printing promotes exceptional quality and realism.
• Print Quality
  • Physical prototypes accurately portray the look and feel of a design.
  • Great resolution and outstanding surface finish.
  • Endless combinations of colour (Pantone® verified), glass-like transparency and mimic textures such as leather, wood, etc.
• Office friendly
  • Nontoxic and a truly low noise level (less than 53dB), mean the J55 can exist unobtrusively at a designer’s elbow.
  • Save space in the office with a compact system that has a small footprint.
• Reduced time to market
  • Create precise models and complete assemblies swiftly in order to meet tight deadlines.
  • Innovate faster with a streamlined workflow in GrabCAD Print™ with 3MF file format compatibility to make your work in software like SOLIDWORKS® or KeyShot® as simple as “point and click.”
  • Calibration is fully automatic and the entire maintenance process is is as simple as pushing a button.

Industrial Design & Engineering Applications

The full colour and clear material configuration provides solutions for a wide variety of product design modeling challenges – all the way from matte and glossy surfaces, 3D graphic design, and material like leather, wood, stone, PC simulation and more. Typical design applications include:

Stratasys J55 Specifications

Providing the best-in-class footprint-to-printing size ratio on the market:

• J55 Printer size & weight:
  • Width: 651 mm
  • Depth: 661 mm
  • Height: 774 mm
  • Weight: 90 Kg
• J55 Material cabinet:
  • Width: 651 mm
  • Depth:   629 mm
  • Height: 750 mm
  • Weight: 138 Kg
• J55 Printer on material cabinet:
  • Total Height: 1,511 mm
  • Total Weight: 228 Kg
• Materials
  • Vero™ family of opaque materials
    • VeroCyanV™
    • VeroMagentaV™
    • VeroYellowV™
    • VeroPureWhite™
    • VeroBlackPlus™
  • VeroClear™ for transparent applications
  • DraftGrey™ for modeling concepts
• Printing mode
  • High Quality (HQS) – 18.75µm
• Build tray​
  • Typical printing area up to 1,174cm2
• Accuracy
  • Deviation from STL dimensions, for 1 Sigma (67%) of models printed with rigid materials, based on size: under 100 mm – ±150μ; above 100 mm – ±0.15% of part length.
  • Deviation from STL dimensions, for 2 Sigma (95%) of models printed with rigid materials, based on size: under 100 mm – ±180μ; above 100 mm – ±0.2% of part length

Interested in a Stratasys J55 3D Printer?

Contact us to learn more and request a sample part from us.