Rocket EMS ups its 3D Production offering

According to Spencer Hall, Rocket EMS’s Business Development Manager, the company purchased the printer to expand its capabilities. “For line production, the Fortus 3D Production System will allow our fixtures to be designed and produced in-house, reducing tooling costs and lead times.”

He added that as an additional benefit, Rocket EMS now will be able to offer prototype design/production services. “Along with building the PCB, we will be able to build the housing that the PCB will be installed into,” Hall said. “The prototyping business can be extended to customers outside the PCBA industry, thus increasing our customer base significantly.” Rocket EMS’s ability to build their customers’ PCB housings will translate into reduced lead times since they no longer have to ship from two different vendors, and also will save cost due to the reduced tooling costs.

The Fortus 3D Production System from Stratasys is designed with flexibility to meet the user’s needs, whether it’s adopting digital manufacturing for the first time or getting high-performance materials and high capacity for demanding production environments. The latest Fortus 3D Production System boasts faster print times and improvements in the user interface. That ultimately means they’re easier to use and increase productivity even further than previous models.

Fortus systems run on FDM technology, which builds parts layer by layer from a CAD model using a variety of production-grade thermoplastics. With FDM technology, the traditional fabrication process is substantially simplified. Toolmaking becomes less expensive and time consuming. Intricate designs that are impossible to make with conventional tooling are now possible. As a result, manufacturers realize immediate improvements in productivity, efficiency and quality. FDM technology also allows users to choose from a wide range of production-grade thermoplastics, each with specific qualities to meet individual manufacturing needs.

Hall added that one of the available thermoplastics is Ultem 1010, which is a high-strength, high-heat material that is food-contact and bio-compatibility certified, chemical resistant, and ideal for aerospace and under-the-hood automotive applications.  

He concluded that while the system can print quickly, speed is not actually a good measurement of printer performance. It is a byproduct of quality: a very precise part will require a slow print; however, a rough shape (no small details) will print quickly. Rocket EMS appreciates that the Fortus 3D Production System has four resolutions to choose from to reach the best quality/speed combination for its specific, individual needs.