3D Printing Helps German Manufacturer Seuffer Cut Tooling Costs for Prototype Parts by 97%, Lead Time By 98%

MINNEAPOLIS and REHOVOT, Israel, October 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Seuffer uses Stratasys 3D printed injection molds to produce parts for functional testing in their final material

Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ: SSYS), a manufacturer of 3D printers and materials for personal use, prototyping and production, today announced that Robert Seuffer, GmbH & Co. KG (Seuffer), a German supplier of parts for household appliances  and commercial vehicles, has incorporated Stratasys 3D printing in its manufacturing process to significantly reduce the time and cost of producing injection molded sample parts.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131017/647551 )

The injection molding process is used by manufacturers all over the world to produce parts in a variety of materials, most commonly thermoplastics. Prototype parts are required to evaluate the part design for performance and fit before mass production. The ability to dramatically streamline the tool creation process for producing these prototype parts is another concrete example of how Stratasys 3D printing is revolutionizing manufacturing.

"Working with the automotive industry, sample parts need to be tested in the environment of moving mechanical parts as well as in high temperature environments," explained Andreas Buchholz, Head of Research and Development at Seuffer. "With Stratasys 3D printing, we can design first drafts of the injection mold within a few days and 3D print them in less than 24 hours for part evaluation. Traditionally, it would take eight weeks to manufacture the tool in metal using the conventional CNC process.  And while the conventional tool costs us about 40,000 euros, the 3D printed tool is less than 1000 euros, a saving of 97%."

Using Stratasys 3D printing technology, Seuffer also produces 3D printed molds for its hot melt process. These molds, which are used to overmold low melting point polyamide over electronic circuit boards, are created with Stratasys' rigid, opaque Vero materials.

"Companies worldwide are looking to introduce significant efficiencies to their manufacturing processes when introducing new products, and are discovering the many benefits of additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing,"  said  Andy Middleton, General Manager, Stratasys EMEA at Stratasys. "More and more manufacturers are adopting 3D printed tools as a complimentary injection molding solution - not only to cost-effectively test products before mass production, but also to produce customized parts."  

Watch this video to learn how Seuffer's move to 3D printing is revolutionizing their injection molding process:

Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ: SSYS), headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn. and Rehovot, Israel, manufactures 3D printers and materials for prototyping and production. The company's patented FDM^® and PolyJet^® processes produce prototypes and manufactured goods directly from 3D CAD files or other 3D content. Systems include 3D printers for idea development, prototyping and direct digital manufacturing. Stratasys subsidiaries include MakerBot and Solidscape and the company operates the RedEye On Demand digital-manufacturing service. Stratasys has more than 1500 employees, holds over 500 granted or pending additive manufacturing patents globally, and has received more than 20 awards for its technology and leadership. Online at: http://www.stratasys.com or http://blog.stratasys.com

Stratasys, Objet, PolyJet and FDM, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Stratasys Ltd. or its affiliates or subsidiaries. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Statements regarding Stratasys' beliefs, intentions and expectations, including without limitation statements regarding the development and performance of our products, are forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the United States federal securities laws). The statements involve risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected.  Actual results may differ materially due to a number of factors, including the risk and uncertainty that the businesses of the two companies may not be integrated successfully; the risk that the merger may involve unexpected costs or unexpected liabilities; the risk that synergies from the merger may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; the risk that management's focus on and disruptions arising from the merger make it more difficult to maintain relationships with customers, employees, or suppliers.  Stratasys' ability to achieve the results presented in any forward-looking statement will depend on numerous factors, including its ability to penetrate the 3D printing market; its ability to achieve the growth rates experienced in preceding quarters; its ability to introduce, produce and market both existing and new consumable materials, and the market acceptance of these materials; the impact of competitive products and pricing; its timely development of new products and materials and market acceptance of those products and materials; the success of Stratasys' recent R&D initiative to expand the DDM capabilities of its core FDM technology; and the success of Stratasys' RedEye On DemandTM and other paid parts services. This list is intended to identify only certain of the principal factors that could cause actual results to differ.  These and other applicable factors are discussed in this presentation and in Stratasys' Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2012, as well as other filings that Stratasys, Inc. has made with the SEC and that Stratasys Ltd. has made and will make with the SEC in the future.  Any forward-looking statements included in this presentation are as of the date they are given, and Stratasys is not obligated to update them if its views later change, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required by law.  These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Stratasys' views as of any date subsequent to the date they are given.

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SOURCE Stratasys