Stratasys Enters the Powder Bed Fusion Market with its SAF Process

Stratasys, a historical player in additive manufacturing, has announced that it is officially entering the powder bed fusion market with a new patented process called Selective Absorption Fusion (SAF). This is a first for the Israeli-American giant, which until now has been accustomed to FDM and PolyJet solutions, and more recently stereolithography with its V650 Flex machine and the acquisition of Origin. Available for sale starting in Q3 of this year, Stratasys’ new SAF 3D printer, the H Series™, is expected to enable the design of high-volume manufacturing with applications in industries like consumer goods, automotive, electronics or industrial equipment sectors. The new process is said to use fluids capable of absorbing infrared energy to fuse powder particles together.

If you know anything about the additive manufacturing market, you’ve heard of Stratasys and the patent it filed in the 1980s: the manufacturer is the originator of fused deposition technology (FDM) which extrudes a plastic filament to make a final part layer by layer. Since then, Stratasys has become known for its PolyJet process, which offers the ability to create multi-material objects with multiple colors. More recently, it decided to attack the stereolithography market. The manufacturer completes its range of technologies by officially presenting the SAF process, the culmination of 10 years of research and development. Unlike the SLS machines we know, which use a laser to fuse polymer powder point by point, this one relies on the projection of energy absorbing liquids.

Part 3D printed using PA 11 on the new H Series System (photo credits: Stratasys)

How does the Selective Absorption Fusion process work?

Stratasys relies on its know-how in terms of material jetting by proposing an innovative process: the H Series platform will be equipped with several piezoelectric print heads capable of projecting one or more drops of fluid with high energy absorption. In concrete terms, a roller disperses plastic powder on the printing plate; the heads then deposit this high-specialty, functional fluid to the areas that will be fused; an infrared lamp will then pass over the plate, all in one go. The deposited fluid absorbs the energy, fusing the polymer powder into the desired 3D model. Stratasys specifies that the machine has tight thermal control, thus avoiding defects like warping and a reduction in final quality.