Stratasys announces ALM as first supplier of PA12 powder for H350 production 3D printer

Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ: SSYS), a leader in polymer 3D printing solutions, today announced availability of 13 new Validated materials for the Fortus^® 450mc 3D printer, as well as SAF™ PA12 powder from new materials partner ALM for the H350^® 3D printer powered by SAF technology. The OpenAM™ software, including an open material license, is also now available for the Fortus 450mc printer, enabling printing with exploratory open materials.

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Flame-retardant, high-performance ULTEM™ 9085 thermoplastic material now comes in several colors, opening up more end-use parts applications in which aesthetics are important, such as in aircraft interiors. (Photo: Business Wire)

“There should be no limits on what’s possible with 3D printing,” said Stratasys CEO Dr. Yoav Zeif. “The polymer materials industry is investing in additive manufacturing like they never have before, and we want our world-class customers to be able to take full advantage of those innovations in chemistry as quickly as possible. Our hybrid materials strategy does just that, because the world urgently needs to make this shift to additive manufacturing at scale.”

DI Labs is a fast-growing additive manufacturing service bureau built by product development engineers with deep technical knowledge, making it an ideal global launch partner and the first beta site for the OpenAM solution. “Our Fortus 450mc printer offers us consistent and reliable printing outcomes but until now, we’ve been limited by materials,” said DI Labs CEO Carl Douglass. “We’re proud to have engineers working directly with the Stratasys development team to fine-tune this new software platform and help optimize the process of printing with materials like PEKK, PEEK and others. The OpenAM software will allow us to unlock endless opportunities using additive for complex aerospace, medical device, heavy industrial, and automotive applications.”

13 New Validated FDM Materials

Stratasys is partnering with materials providers Covestro, Kimya, and Victrex plc to make Stratasys Validated materials available for Stratasys FDM^® printers, starting with the Fortus 450mc. These materials have been validated by Stratasys with basic reliability testing to accelerate the expansion of material options available in the marketplace. The following FDM materials are now available for order, and are expected to ship by early 2023:

• VICTREX AM™ 200: Strong, semi-crystalline PAEK filament specifically formulated for end-use parts production in high-requirement industries such as oil and gas and aerospace.
• Covestro Addigy^® PA6/66-GF20 FR LS: Flame-resistant, glass fiber composite material that meets EN45545 requirements for rail applications. The materials strength and stiffness is similar to Nylon 12CF.
• Kimya PC-FR: Flame-resistant polycarbonate material that meets EN45545 requirements for rail applications and is specifically designed for end use parts, including low-volume production and replacement parts.
• FDM HIPS: An affordable high impact polystyrene-based material for low requirements applications

In addition, several existing materials are now available in colors as Validated materials:

• ULTEM™ 9085 Red, Dream Gray, White, Jana White, Gunship Gray, Aircraft Gray: Providing this flame-retardant, high-performance thermoplastic in several colors opens up more end-use parts applications in which aesthetics are important, such as in aircraft or train car interiors.
• PC Red, Black: Polycarbonate filament with heat resistance and high durability for functional prototypes and tooling applications.
• PCS-ABS Red: Blend of polycarbonate and ABS polymers provides both heat resistance and flexural strength for a variety of prototyping and end-use parts applications.

Access to Third Party Open Materials for Fortus 450mc

Stratasys also continues to expand the use cases served by the Fortus 450mc 3D printer by giving customers access to third party open materials through an annual OpenAM materials license, which Stratasys provided to Origin^® One customers earlier this year. The software, used in conjunction with GrabCAD Print or Insight, provides parameter controls and printer tuning capabilities for customers who wish to use open market filaments or newly developed proprietary formulas. The software can also be used to adjust parameters to meet unique customer requirements for Stratasys Preferred and Validated materials as well.

Stratasys Selects ALM to Provide PA12 Powder

Stratasys also announced that it has selected Advanced Laser Materials (ALM) as the first provider of SAF PA12 material, for the H350 3D printer. PA12, also known as nylon 12, is the single most popular material in industrial 3D printing todayⁱ, providing geometric accuracy, chemical resistance, and stiffness for machine components, communications industry applications, and prototyping.

Powder bed additive manufacturing systems bring special requirements for materials to address production applications, and ALM specializes in the engineering, testing, and manufacturing of high-quality polymer materials. “Stratasys’ focus on production, material quality, and process repeatability are key value drivers of the H350 printer,” said Donnie Vanelli, President, ALM. “ALM shines by tailoring powders for specific applications and processes, and our collaboration with Stratasys is important to those customers scaling their AM production and who will see a compelling value in the combination of ALM PA12 and SAF technology – exceeding their quality expectations.“

Stratasys currently expects to be able to take orders for SAF PA12 before the end of the year.

All Stratasys Preferred materials and Validated materials for Stratasys systems are available for purchase through Stratasys and reseller partner channels.

Stratasys is leading the global shift to additive manufacturing with innovative 3D printing solutions for industries such as aerospace, automotive, consumer products and healthcare. Through smart and connected 3D printers, polymer materials, a software ecosystem, and parts on demand, Stratasys solutions deliver competitive advantages at every stage in the product value chain. The world’s leading organizations turn to Stratasys to transform product design, bring agility to manufacturing and supply chains, and improve patient care.

To learn more about Stratasys visit www.stratasys.com, the Stratasys blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook. Stratasys reserves the right to utilize any of the foregoing social media platforms, including the company’s websites, to share material, non-public information pursuant to the SEC’s Regulation FD. To the extent necessary and mandated by applicable law, Stratasys will also include such information in its public disclosure filings.

Stratasys, FDM, SAF, H350, Fortus, Fortus 450mc, OpenAM, GrabCAD Print, Insight, Origin, Origin One and P3 are trademarks or registered trademarks of Stratasys Ltd. and/or its affiliates. 9085 and ULTEM trademarks are used under license from SABIC, its affiliate or subsidiary. Addigy is a registered trademark of Covestro. VICTREX AM is a trademark of Victrex Manufacturing Limited or one of its group entities. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners, and Stratasys assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance, or use of these non-Stratasys products.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

The statements in this press release, including those related to Stratasys’ beliefs regarding the benefits consumers will experience from using OpenAM software, SAF PA12, and Validated FDM materials and the expected shipping dates for such offerings are forward-looking statements reflecting management's current expectations and beliefs. These forward-looking statements are based on current information that is, by its nature, subject to rapid and even abrupt change. Due to risks and uncertainties associated with Stratasys' business, actual results could differ materially from those projected or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the degree of our success at introducing new or improved products and solutions that gain market share; the degree of growth of the 3D printing market generally; the strength and duration of, and degree of recovery from and resilience to, the COVID-19 pandemic and/or adverse macro-economic trends that are, in part, by-products of that pandemic, such as inflation; the impact of potential shifts in the prices or margins of the products that we sell or services that we provide, including due to a shift towards lower-margin products or services; the impact of competition and new technologies; potential further charges against earnings that we could be required to take due to impairment of additional goodwill or other intangible assets; to the extent of our success at successfully consummating acquisitions or investments in new businesses, technologies, products or services; potential changes in our management and board of directors; global market, political and economic conditions, and in the countries in which we operate in particular (including risks related to the impact of coronavirus on our operations, supply chain, liquidity, cash flow and customer orders; costs and potential liability relating to litigation and regulatory proceedings; risks related to infringement of our intellectual property rights by others or infringement of others' intellectual property rights by us; the extent of our success at maintaining our liquidity and financing our operations and capital needs; the impact of tax regulations on our results of operations and financial condition; and other risk factors set forth under the caption “Risk Factors” in Stratasys’ most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 24, 2022. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made throughout our 2021 Annual Report and our other reports filed with or furnished to the SEC, which are designed to advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Any guidance provided, and other forward-looking statements made, in this press release are made as of the date hereof, and Stratasys undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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ⁱ “Additive Manufacturing Market Report,” AMPOWER, March 2022

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