Design to manufacture is a series of projects where our SOLIDWORKS and Hardware experts teamed up to execute part design and production. First, the part geometry is brainstormed, then 3D modeled in SOLIDWORKS, and finally the creation of a 3D printed part on our in-house Stratasys machines. 

In this article we’ll be highlighting the Stratasys J55. Paired up as teammates, Bill Resch and Brandon Abercrombie chose to create a door stop. They wanted to create an item that would be fun for our office and showoff the printers full color and clear prototyping capabilities. 

PolyJet Part Design

This prototype features a simulated rubber-like shore 85 durometer over-molded external surface for skid resistance with an ultra-clear body. We’ve added our logo in the center in white to show off how crisply this machine handles fine detail. 

Printed Prototype in Action

The Stratasys J55

Our office friendly J55 PolyJet 3D printer can utilize five materials at once, our typical configuration is White, Cyan, Yellow, Magenta and Clear. This puts this machine very close to the capabilities of what its big brother, the J850 can do.

What really makes the J55 stand out though, is that it implements a build tray that looks like a record player’s turntable, as opposed to the traditional fixed tray with a head that moves on an x/y axis, accomplishing several things:

• Speed: The rotating print platform in the J55 removes the need for the head to start and stop constantly, contrary to all previous variations of the PolyJet technology.
• Reduced Noise: Because you remove the constant back and forth of the X-axis from the machine and replace it with a continuously running motor, the overall noise levels are under 53 decibels, making it truly office friendly.
• Accuracy: The J55 has one print mode, High Quality Speed, which is 18-micron layer height and boasts part accuracy of ± 150 microns. In execution, this machine has some of the crispest sharp edges that I’ve ever run into in any 3D printing technology.
• Large Build Tray: While the maximum model size that you can print tops out at 140 x 200 x 190 mm’s, the total build area of the tray is a whopping 1,174 cm²! Comparing this to other PolyJet machines, it beats both its little brother, the Objet30 Prime (565 cm²), and its big brother, the J826 (643 cm²). It also comes VERY close to matching the build capacity of the even higher end J835 (1,225 cm²).

Armed with a J-Series 3D printer from Stratasys bring Low volume mold tools in Digital ABS to your shop or office. 

If you want to do testing but are not ready to pull the trigger on purchasing a machine yet, TriMech offers 3D printing as a service. This can allow you to quickly assess the printed mold properties before investing in a Stratasys 3D printer. If you already have a Stratasys machine and are looking for advice our team of Application Engineers can help you find the best solution.

Start printing the future, contact TriMech today for more information.