MakerBot Launches METHOD Materials Development Program

FRANKFURT, Germany—Nov. 19  MakerBot, a 3D printing company and subsidiary of Stratasys (Nasdaq: SSYS), announced at Formnext 2019 the METHOD Materials Development Program and MakerBot LABS Experimental Extruder for METHOD to enable 3D printing with a wide range of engineering-grade materials from leading filament suppliers. A growing list of partners starting with Jabil, KIMYA, Polymaker, and Mitsubishi Chemical are working to qualify filament for use with the MakerBot METHOD platform.

“The MakerBot METHOD platform brings features to engineers that were previously only available on much more expensive industrial 3D printers. These features enable METHOD 3D printers to achieve industrial reliability, precision, and engineering performance by tightly controlling the entire printing environment, from the heated chamber to the sealed filament bays and performance extruders,” said Nadav Goshen, CEO of MakerBot. “We also recognize that many of our customers want a way to experiment with different materials to explore new 3D printing applications. With the MakerBot LABS Experimental Extruder, we are opening more advanced settings for customization, allowing both users and our development partners to print and qualify a wider range of engineering-grade materials on the METHOD platform.”

MakerBot is currently working with Jabil, KIMYA, Mitsubishi Chemical, and Polymaker to qualify the following materials for MakerBot LABS for METHOD:

• Jabil PETg ESD: Jabil Engineered Materials PETg ESD is an Electrostatic Dissipative (ESD) product for printing parts that meet sensitive electronics and could be damaged by electrostatic discharge. 
• KIMYA ABS CARBON: An ABS composite material with 30% chopped carbon fiber for improved stiffness and compression strength, as well as lower weight than regular ABS.  
• KIMYA ABS ESD: An ABS-based ESD material filled with carbon nanotubes for applications that require protection against electrostatic discharge, such as manufacturing fixtures and electronics enclosures. 
• KIMYA PETG CARBON: PETG reinforced with carbon fibers for excellent stiffness and increased tensile strength over regular PETG.
• Mitsubishi Chemical DURABIO™: DURABIO is an engineering, bio-based, BPA free resin. It combines PMMA’s transparency with a higher chemical and scratch resistance compared to polycarbonate (PC). The core applications for the material are in automotive, housing, interior and exterior décor. 
• Polymaker PolyMax™ PC: An engineered PC filament combining excellent strength, toughness, heat resistance, and printing quality.
• Polymaker PolyMax™ PC-FR: Flame retardant PC filament (UL94V-0/1.5 mm) displaying excellent toughness, strength, and heat resistance. It opens new applications in the automotive, railway, and aerospace industries.

The METHOD manufacturing workstation includes industrial 3D printing features, such as the Circulating Heated Chamber, Dual Performance Extruders, Dry-Sealed Material Bays, and industrial SR-30 soluble supports, which make it ideal for printing with advanced, engineering-grade materials and partners can now leverage these capabilities to print advanced materials on the platform. 

MakerBot has modified the Experimental Extruder hot end to make it easier to change the nozzle assembly and plans to offer additional nozzle configurations in the future. The extruder gives users advanced customization options for new materials, including interchangeable nozzle assemblies, and expanded print settings in MakerBot’s print preparation software, MakerBot Print. 

The MakerBot LABS Experimental Extruder is expected to launch in an open beta program in December 2019. MakerBot will give away a limited number of free MakerBot LABS Experimental Extruders to existing and new METHOD customers, while supplies last. Customers can sign up for news about the MakerBot LABS Experimental Extruder for METHOD and the open beta program here. The MakerBot LABS Experimental Extruder is expected to go on sale in Q1 2020. The extruders will be available for both METHOD and METHOD X.

New materials for the MakerBot LABS Experimental Extruder can be purchased directly from MakerBot’s partners. Companies interested in joining the MakerBot Materials Development Program can contact MakerBot at labs@makerbot.com.