Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) supported by Innovate UK – the government agency tasked with identifying and driving technology innovations that will grow the national economy

Additive Manufacturing an enabler for ‘design for performance’ and ‘mass customization’ – MTC

Minneapolis & Rehovot, Israel, 27 March 2017 — Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq:SSYS), the 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions company, has announced that it has partnered with the UK’s Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), to spearhead the organization’s objective to demonstrate new processes and technologies that overcome barriers and push the boundaries of traditional manufacturing on an industrial scale.

Working closely with its member ‘customers’, global manufacturing companies from multiple sectors, which include the likes of Airbus, BAE Systems, Rolls Royce and Siemens, the MTC focuses on delivering bespoke manufacturing system solutions.

The collaboration will see Stratasys work closely with the MTC to make additive manufacturing central to the projects undertaken in conjunction with its members, supporting the organization’s role to research and advise industry on the technology’s capabilities across multiple platforms.

Operating from its state-of-the-art facility in Coventry, the MTC is part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, which is supported by Innovate UK – the government agency tasked with identifying and driving science and technology innovations that will grow the UK economy.

“We aim to inspire great British manufacturing on the global stage and central to achieving this are our partnerships with leading technology providers like Stratasys, through whom we are deploying some of the world’s most advanced, market-disruptive 3D printing based technology solutions,” says Ross Trepleton, Group Technology Manager: component technology, MTC.

“Working with Stratasys, we have a clear objective to demonstrate additive manufacturing technology’s existing capabilities to our members and explore the opportunity to push the envelope in other areas,” he adds. “This includes the ability to produce end-use engineering components, as well as the capability to build complex parts with multiple materials and give multi-functionality to a single component, using 3D printing. We’re also looking at the potential to functionally grade parts by material composition.”

Stratasys’ collaboration with the MTC will see the organization deploy some of the most market-leading additive manufacturing technology available. This includes the Stratasys J750 full color, multi-material 3D Printer which breaks restrictive technology barriers by allowing customers for the first time to mix-and-match full color alongside an unprecedented range of materials. This enables the production of supremely realistic parts, in one print process, without the need for lengthy post-processing, assembly or painting.

“Additive manufacturing has been recognized as a key disruptive technology, and it continues to play an increasing role in realizing digital manufacturing and Industry 4.0,” continues Trepleton. “Right now, the MTC is developing the means to ensure that additive manufacturing is suitable for the end user, de-risking the technology for UK industry.”

“The MTC is the UK’s renowned epicenter for developing and proving innovative manufacturing processes and technologies that equip companies with the know-how to compete on the global stage,” says Andy Middleton, President, Stratasys, EMEA. “This partnership and the integration of our technology solutions at the MTC underscores the fact that, more than ever, the UK is committed to exploring ways to bring growth to the UK economy and promote the real business benefits achievable from transformational technologies like additive manufacturing.”