Custom Stratasys® Fortus® Materials & Filament Development

TPU 95A flexible elastomer enables production of durable, impact-resistant components using Stratasys Fortus FDM production systems. With a balance of strength and flexibility, this material is well suited for industrial elastomer components, protective parts, and flexible engineering applications.

TPU 95A elastomer parts provide controlled flexibility while maintaining structural strength in functional components. Printed on Fortus production systems, the material allows flexible brackets, clips, and protective parts to be manufactured with repeatable dimensional accuracy.

Close-up detail of TPU 95A flexible elastomer demonstrating clean feature definition and dimensional accuracy on Stratasys Fortus production systems. Despite its elastomer flexibility, the material produces sharp geometry and well-defined features, enabling functional flexible components for engineering applications.

TPU 95A elastomer components combine flexibility with excellent toughness and abrasion resistance. With elongation capability approaching 580%, the material withstands repeated deformation without permanent damage, making it ideal for demanding engineering environments.

TPU 95A flexible parts are ideal for assemblies that require vibration absorption, flexibility, or protective interfaces. The material’s elastomer behavior allows Fortus systems to produce functional engineering components that bend, flex, and recover without cracking.

TPU 95A flexible elastomer components printing on a Stratasys Fortus 400mc production system. The material supports flexible engineering applications while maintaining reliable layer bonding and dimensional stability on Fortus FDM platforms.

TPU 95A flexible elastomer can be processed on Stratasys Fortus production systems using compatible OEM soluble supports including SR-30, SR-100, and SR-110. This enables complex flexible geometries to be printed with clean support removal and minimal manual post-processing, allowing elastomer components to be produced with the same soluble support workflow used for many Fortus materials.

Batch production of TPU 95A elastomer components on a Fortus 400mc, demonstrating stable flexible part manufacturing. The material is compatible with OEM Fortus soluble supports including SR-30, SR-100, and SR-110, enabling complex geometries and simplified post-processing.

TPU 95A elastomer components printing on a Stratasys Fortus 900mc, supporting large-format flexible part manufacturing. The material can be processed across Fortus production systems including 400mc, 450mc, and 900mc using compatible OEM soluble supports.

High-resolution ULTEM™ 9085 printing using a custom tuned T10 extrusion profile at 0.005" layer height on Stratasys Fortus production systems. This capability demonstrates precision high-temperature FDM manufacturing for aerospace-grade thermoplastics on Fortus platforms including 400mc, 450mc, and 900mc.

Small-feature ULTEM™ 9085 components produced using a tuned T10 extrusion profile on Stratasys Fortus production systems. This capability enables complex geometries and fine features in high-temperature engineering thermoplastics beyond typical Fortus production parameters.

Thin-wall ULTEM™ 9085 frame demonstrating precise feature definition and dimensional accuracy on Stratasys Fortus production systems. A Canadian loonie is shown for scale to highlight small feature capability in high-temperature FDM printing.

Multiple thin-wall ULTEM™ 9085 frames produced with consistent dimensional accuracy using a tuned T10 extrusion profile. Demonstrates repeatable manufacturing capability on Stratasys Fortus production systems for high-temperature engineering components.

ULTEM™ 9085 component featuring printed threads designed for reliable engagement with standard hardware. Manufactured on Stratasys Fortus production systems, demonstrating functional high-temperature FDM parts for tooling and industrial applications.

Close-up of printed ULTEM™ 9085 thread geometry demonstrating clean feature definition and reliable hardware engagement. Produced using a tuned Fortus FDM process designed for precision engineering components.

Batch manufacturing of ULTEM™ 9085 components on Stratasys Fortus production systems using a tuned T10 extrusion profile. Demonstrates repeatable high-temperature FDM production of engineering thermoplastic parts.

Multiple ULTEM™ 9085 parts produced simultaneously on a Stratasys Fortus production system demonstrating efficient batch manufacturing. This process supports repeatable industrial FDM production of high-temperature thermoplastic components.

ULTEM™ 9085 components mid-build on a Stratasys Fortus production system demonstrating stable high-temperature FDM printing. This process enables reliable manufacturing of precision engineering thermoplastic components.

Close-up of ULTEM™ 9085 being printed on a Stratasys Fortus production system during high-temperature FDM manufacturing. Demonstrates precision additive manufacturing capability for advanced engineering thermoplastics.

PEKK (polyetherketoneketone) is an ultra-high-performance thermoplastic belonging to the PAEK polymer family, widely used in aerospace and high-temperature industrial applications. NEXT 3DP produces this PEKK filament in-house using advanced PEKK polymer systems such as Arkema Kepstan®, allowing the material to be optimized specifically for Stratasys Fortus production systems. The result is excellent layer bonding, chemical resistance, and thermal stability with continuous-use performance approaching that of machined PAEK components.

PEKK prints in an amorphous state during Fortus FDM processing, providing excellent layer bonding, toughness, and dimensional stability directly off the machine. In this state the material retains strong thermal performance with a glass transition temperature around 160 °C, allowing components to operate reliably in elevated temperature environments. This amorphous structure also provides improved ductility and impact resistance compared with fully crystalline high-temperature polymers.

PEKK components can be thermally annealed after printing to convert the polymer from an amorphous structure into a semi-crystalline state. This controlled process increases stiffness, chemical resistance, and heat resistance, enabling parts to perform in environments approaching continuous service temperatures near 240–250 °C depending on application conditions. The annealing strategy developed by NEXT 3DP allows Fortus-printed PEKK components to achieve maximum thermal performance.

Fortus production systems enable large PEKK components to be manufactured with excellent interlayer adhesion and dimensional stability. The material’s combination of structural strength and high temperature capability in both amorphous and annealed states makes it ideal for ducts, housings, and engineering components exposed to elevated operating temperatures.

PEKK belongs to the same high-performance PAEK polymer family used in aerospace additive manufacturing materials such as Antero®. When processed using NEXT 3DP’s Fortus parameter development and printing strategy, PEKK delivers strong layer bonding, chemical resistance, and excellent thermal performance, making it a strong candidate for demanding aerospace and industrial applications.

Fortus FDM systems allow multiple PEKK components to be manufactured simultaneously, enabling efficient low-volume production without expensive tooling. The material’s combination of mechanical strength, chemical resistance, and high-temperature capability makes it well suited for aerospace brackets, tooling, and engineering components operating in elevated temperature environments.

PEKK provides excellent layer bonding and dimensional control, allowing detailed structural features such as ribs, mounting bosses, and threaded interfaces to be printed directly into the part. Combined with the material’s high thermal stability and mechanical durability, this precision allows complex engineering geometries to be produced reliably on Fortus production systems.

LEXAN™ FST9405 polycarbonate is an aerospace interior material designed to meet FAR 25.853 flame, smoke, and toxicity (FST) requirements. When printed on Stratasys Fortus production systems, it provides aerospace-grade performance while processing at significantly lower temperatures than ULTEM™ 9085, reducing overall manufacturing cost.

A major advantage of LEXAN™ FST9405 is compatibility with OEM SR-30 soluble support on Stratasys Fortus printers. This allows complex aerospace geometries to be manufactured with clean support removal and minimal manual post-processing.

Compared to ULTEM™ 9085, LEXAN™ FST9405 processes at lower extrusion and chamber temperatures, operating within the stability limits of SR-30 soluble support (~100 °C chamber) on Stratasys Fortus production systems. This enables aerospace-grade components to be printed with true soluble support removal, unlocking complex geometries that are difficult to produce with high-temperature materials.

LEXAN™ FST9405 aerospace polycarbonate enables production of aircraft interior components using Fortus FDM manufacturing systems. The material provides strong engineering performance with a stable processing window ideal for repeatable high-temperature thermoplastic printing.

Compared to ULTEM™ 9085, LEXAN™ FST9405 processes at lower extrusion and chamber temperatures, reducing energy consumption and mechanical stress on Stratasys Fortus production systems. More importantly, its compatibility with SR-30 soluble support eliminates the labor and scrap associated with breakaway support removal—allowing complex aerospace components to be produced with the same hands-free support removal workflow Fortus users rely on for ABS and ASA.

LEXAN™ FST9405 polycarbonate offers a stable processing window on Stratasys Fortus production systems, allowing consistent, repeatable builds across complex geometries and large components. The material’s lower processing temperatures help maintain dimensional stability and reliable layer bonding, making it well suited for aerospace production parts and engineering applications.