Experimental Investigation of Stratasys J750 PolyJet Printer: Effects of Orientation and Layer Thickness on Mechanical Properties

Abstract

The J750 PolyJet printer is the newest model of full-color, multi-material 3D printer from Stratasys. Currently, limited information is available about the effects of control factors on mechanical properties such as elastic modulus, ultimate tensile strength, and elongation. In this study, the effects of two control factors, orientation and layer thickness, on mechanical properties of samples printed by the Stratasys J750 printer are investigated. The results show that orientation significantly affects mechanical properties. Specifically, samples printed with its axial direction parallel to the direction of printing have the highest elastic modulus, and elongation, whereas samples printed with its axial direction perpendicular to the direction of printing have the highest ultimate tensile strength. Also, layer thickness makes a significant difference for mechanical properties, and larger layer thickness leads to higher ultimate tensile strength and elongation. These results would be valuable to researchers and practitioners who use J750.

A Robust Optimised Multi-Material 3d Inkjet Printed Elastic Metamaterial

“…Geometric tolerances of AM methods for polymers can vary [36,37], and although the geometric uncertainty of 3D inkjet printing has not been investigated in the literature, Stratasys specify a highest tolerance of around ±0.06% of the dimensions of the object, down to a minimum of ±100 μm for objects less than 100 mm in length [38]. The material properties of 3D inkjet printed parts are also dependent on layer thickness and orientation [39], and on scale [40]. Uncertainties in the geometry and material properties have the potential to cause disorder in the metamaterial, which as already discussed, could impact the performance.…”

Design and Mechanical Characterization Using Digital Image Correlation of Soft Tissue-Mimicking Polymers

“…This type of technology shows several advantages in anatomical modeling such as (1) the capability to manufacture a single model in multiple materials, colors, textures, blended transitions, and transparencies (e.g., a knee joint including bone, vessels, ligaments); (2) it enables obtaining high-performance composite materials, combining hard and soft photopolymers in a single process. (e.g., a bone printed from rigid and elastic materials that mimic compact-spongy tissues and the transition between both); and (3) the calibration of the printing materials enabling variations of mechanical properties (e.g., healthy and pathological heart tissue printed with the same material but with different levels of stiffness and textures) [12,[31][32][33][34][35][36][37]. In this context, the Stratasys J750™ digital anatomy 3D printer (DAP) (Stratasys, Eden Prairie, MN, USA) includes in addition to the PolyJet™ materials (flexible, stiff, soft, and hard materials) a suite of preset digital anatomy materials, designed to mimic the human anatomy.…”

“…This allows as well for the precise definition of complex bio-inspired shapes [38]. The entire 3D printing settings can be controlled by GrabCAD print™ software voxel-based system, which enables modifying physiological characteristics of preset materials [31,[39][40][41]. The GelMatrix™, TissueMatrix™, and BoneMatrix™ are the trade names of the three anatomical digital materials available in the printer, which are used to suit the requirements and specifications of anatomical applications.…”

Basic Research for Additive Manufacturing of Rubber

“…Liquid acrylic polymers are applied drop-by-drop onto a building platform via a print head with one or more nozzles. The material is then cured layer-by-layer by irradiation with UV light [8]. Furthermore, there are less common additive processes such as binding jetting [2], and layer laminated manufacturing [9], which also cover the material classes of polymers, metals and ceramics.…”