But there was still the issue of being able to test their new designs. In his quest to find printers that could make real production parts, Guy’s investigation led him to Stratasys Fortus 3D printers. “We started out using Nylon 12 material and it got us about 75% of the way there,” Guy said. “We made a quad prototype using parts printed with other materials that were either too brittle or too flexible.”
It wasn’t until Guy tried FDM Nylon 12 Carbon Fiber that he realized he had found a tool that would change his business.“The FDM Nylon 12CF is fantastic. It’s changing everything for us,” Guy said. He cites the strength of the material, as well as its soluble support as game-changers. Additionally, “We can take the part and put it into our tumbler overnight and it comes out with a smooth, polished finish,” said Guy.
“Let’s face it, when it came down to bolting a part on a trike and heading down a hill on it, it was only the Stratasys FDM Nylon 12CF that held up.” A pedal-powered wheelchair in production at Utah Trikes has 450 distinct parts, 120 of which are 3D printed. Also game-changing for the custom manufacturer is their ability to now design and print on-site, which has cut production time from two months to two weeks, reducing the company’s costs 8-10 times.
According to Guy, “Stratasys FDM Nylon 12CF parts can be printed faster, with superior stiffness-to-weight performance and with better repeatability than any other 3D printing technology we’ve seen.” Guy cites the superior mechanical properties of FDM Nylon 12CF Carbon Fiber and its ability to be used in all stages of the manufacturing process, from rapid prototyping to jigs and fixtures to final production parts for short-runs and custom orders. “With FDM Nylon 12CF, we’re able to make parts we wouldn’t otherwise be able to make.”