Reprinted from the Stratsys Blog:

Tough and flexible bender bar created with FDM Nylon 12 material on the Fortus 3D Production System

fdm nylon 12

A new nylon material with the specs to be the toughest in additive manufacturing is a strong reason to take notice.

Stratasys chose EuroMold 2013 to launch FDM Nylon 12 for Fortus 3D Production Systems.

Designed to optimize strength and toughness while reducing the residual stresses and warp that have prevented semi-crystalline material use in the past, FDM Nylon 12 offers several key improvements over any other 3D-printed nylon.  It out-performs on toughness and mechanical properties, exhibiting 100% improvement in elongation at break and also offers superior fatigue and chemical resistance. FDM Nylon 12 is also the first FDM material that can be annealed, improving the temperature and mechanical properties of 3D printed parts.

All this presents compelling opportunities for jigs, fixtures and tooling with enhanced durability, dimensional stability and impact strength.

stratasys fortus, nylon 12, fdm

Black rotary cap cover created in FDM Nylon 12 material on the Fortus 3D Production System

It also opens up new possibilities for geometries and applications that can easily withstand repetitive stress, flex and vibrations such as snap fits and press fit inserts

FDM Nylon 12 is available for use on Fortus 900mc, Fortus 400mc & Fortus 360mc 3D Production Systems.

With the added advantages of Stratasys FDM Nylon 12 and with nylon being the third most common engineering thermoplastic for traditional manufacturing, it’s clear that the potential for this material is outstanding in a wide variety of industries –  from automotive to aerospace to home appliances.