Hexagon, Stratasys Collaborate on Validation Tool for 3D Printed Plastic Components

Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division is collaborating with Stratasys on a software solution to help aerospace manufacturers boost confidence in the performance and safety of 3D printed plastic components, and compress time to market. Through the virtual engineering and manufacturing support provided by the partnership, customers will be able to reduce a two-to-three-year time scale of designing and testing a part to six to nine months.

Through the partnership, users of Stratasys’ Ultem 9085 filament can use Hexagon’s Digimat material modeling software to predict how printed parts will perform. The Ultem 9085 filament is used to produce parts for aircraft cabin interiors (such as bracketry, pieces for cable routing, covers and duct components), all of which are required to meet stringent certification for aspects such as flammability and toxicity.

Ultem 9085 resin is a flame-retardant, high-performance thermoplastic with a high strength-to-weight ratio, excellent heat resistance and high impact strength, and possesses favorable flame, smoke and toxicity (FST) characteristics, the company says. The material modeling software provides engineers with a validated tool for analyzing how this material will perform mechanically in a product design when printed with two compatible printers.

Using Digimat, engineers will be able to predict how parts made from Ultem 9085 filament may behave when made using approved Stratasys printers. The company says this is made possible through a highly accurate virtual material model (jointly developed by the two companies through physical testing) that includes detailed information about the material’s internal microstructure. The software’s process simulation capabilities help manufacturers avoid defects such as the delineation of warpage of a part, and analyze the print time and material cost for the proprietary printer tool paths of these machines to achieve an optimal result.

The virtual engineering solution can be accessed by customers of the Digimat material modeling software. Stratasys customers can request access to detailed proprietary material cards through its Materials Exchange capabilities and import tool paths directly from their Stratasys Insight software.