A new 3-D printer designed to offer ease of use and fast build times, the Stratasys F120 joins the company’s best-selling F123-series of fused deposition modelling (FDM) machines, which offer up to four different materials with easy-to-remove soluble support matter.

Available from Derbyshire-based SYS Systems (www.sys-uk.com) — a member of the Carfulan Group and a Stratasys platinum partner in the UK for more than 10 years — this quiet plug-and-print unit has been designed with simplicity and affordability in mind, and it is suitable for users that may not be experts in 3-D printing.

The F120, which is supported by intuitive design-to-print GrabCAD software and a user-friendly touch-screen interface, can work uninterrupted for 250hr, thanks to new large filament boxes; it also offers high levels of productivity through its ability to streamline work-flows and speed up the “concept iteration and component verification process”.

Omer Krieger, executive vice-president of products at Stratasys, said: “The F120 3-D printer introduces this cutting-edge technology to even the most basic users.

“Never before has it been this easy to put 3-D printing to work for everyone — from students preparing for industry to the smallest design studio, through full-scale prototyping departments putting tools at designers’ fingertips.

"While many analysts report that the entry-level 3-D printing segment has grown significantly, some organisations struggle with building production-level models with the reliability and repeatability of high-end systems.

“This puts smaller designers and academic institutions at a significant disadvantage.

“The F120 printer provides engineering and design groups with highly productive part printing.”