For September’s Part of the Month, Sales Engineer John Starkey chose to highlight a part that most people walk right past without realizing it’s 3D printed: the FDM table displaying other 3D printed parts in our showroom.
What Is It?
Despite its size, the table is easy to overlook among the wide range of parts on display. John highlighted that when he gives tours of our showroom, “it’s always the thing that throws people off.” People expect to see 3D printed parts throughout the space, but they don’t expect those parts to be sitting on a massive 3D printed table.
How Was It Printed?
The table was printed on the Stratasys F900 using black and white ASA. What makes it especially impressive isn’t just its size, but it’s that something of this scale was done in a single print. This table showcases the full build volume of the Stratasys F900 (36 × 24 × 36 in.).
As John explains, “the F900 can switch off between materials even if it’s a continuous print.” This manual process allowed the black and white sections to be incorporated into one uninterrupted build, demonstrating the large-format capabilities and versatility of FDM. Similarly, multi-material FDM printing can be automated with the Stratasys F3300, which offers a build volume of 23.6 × 23.6 × 31.5 in.
Why FDM?
FDM is ideal for strong, functional end-use parts, and this table puts that strength on display. John notes that the table “is completely hollow,” yet it’s durable enough to serve as functional furniture and support parts displayed in our showroom.
Using a hollow internal structure helped reduce material usage, cost, and overall weight without sacrificing the strength needed to produce a functional piece. John’s pick is a simple, yet striking example of how FDM can be used to produce parts that go beyond traditional prototypes.
Whether you’re looking to explore the possibilities of large-format FDM or interested in creating strong, functional end-use parts, we can help. Want to learn more about FDM materials or printers? Contact us using the buttons below.
Meet John Starkey
Meet Sales Engineer, John Starkey. John focuses on providing customers with the right additive solution for their prototyping and production needs and bringing their innovative ideas to life. What John enjoys most about working at Purple is working with a variety of cool companies.
Outside of the office, John likes to surf, snowboard, and build computers. If you haven’t had the chance to meet John, make sure to connect with him on LinkedIn!
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