Stratasys announced it has taken an order for five of its largest additive fabrication systems — FDM 900mc units — to be used expressly for direct digital manufacturing. The customer is an unnamed Fortune 500 company, which will produce plastic parts for end use. This production method will replace traditional manufacturing methods.

The order is a part of the successful completion of a previously announced $3.6 Million R&D contract with the customer. The parties entered into the contract to advance the Stratasys FDM® process for direct digital manufacturing. Stratasys expects the customer to purchase several more FDM 900mc systems in the future.

For low-volume production, direct digital manufacturing can be a viable alternative to traditional manufacturing methods with several benefits:

ROI can often be realized in a small number of projects
Products get to market quicker
No machining or tooling or associated costs
No waiting for maching or tooling
Inventory reduction: components can be made on demand
Design can be changed during production with virtually no penalty
Engineers can focus on creating the best design with no concern for manufacturability

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