Currently, about 75% of all new 3D printers sold are FDM printers, and quite a few of them are used in business environments. The Stratasys Fortus family of commercial FDM 3D printers are used in high-production facilities through industries as diverse as consumer products, automotive, aerospace and even medical applications. Stratasys also offers some of the more advanced FDM 3D printing materials on the market, many of them with incredible end-use applications.

Stratasys ASA 3D printing material is available in ten different colors.

Stratasys ASA 3D printing material is available in ten different colors.

Unfortunately there is more to 3D printing than just pressing a button and waiting for your finished part to be ready. Not only does printability need to be considered during the design phase, but once a 3D model is ready to be printed a technician needs to carefully orient the model on the build plate in order to maximize the quality of the materials, ensure a quality surface finish and reduce or eliminate the amount of supports that will need to be removed. Unfortunately many 3D printing materials are very different from each other and will react in different ways depending on how they are used.

The very best way to learn how to use a 3D printer and a specific 3D printing material is to practice, experiment and be ready to start over more than once, but there are also many resources available to help new and experienced 3D printers make sure that they’re using their 3D printing material in the most optimal way. The video below by Stratasys is full of tips and tricks to getting the best possible 3D print no matter which material is being used. It covers the typical applications of each material and includes 6 tips for making sure that the correct material is being used for the correct job. It also covers which materials should be used to make everything from sterilizable medical equipment to end-use products, prototypes and finished industrial parts.

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