Stratasys Ships 3D Printers for US$70,000

Stratasys (NASDAQ:SSYS) announced on Monday (August 20) that it has begun shipping its self-described “low-cost” Fortus 380mc Carbon Fiber Edition for US$70,000.

The company said that the new product is an addictive manufacturing system meant for carbon-fiber-filled Nylon 12 material. Stratasys previously provided carbon-fiber-filled composite for high-end 3D printers priced between US$200,000 and US$350,000.

Stratasys said that the composite material witnessed a year-over-year growth of 8 to 12 percent.

“Our customers are pushing us for easier access to carbon fiber,” Stratasys senior vice president of sales Pat Carey said in the release. “Because the 380mc CFE is dedicated only to carbon-fiber-filled Nylon 12 and one other material, we’re able to currently offer it at the lowest price for any of our industrial printers.”

The company said that the additive applications for carbon-fiber-filled Nylon 12 can be used to produce lightweight assembly tools, functional prototypes of composite or metal parts along with  replacing metal parts that are high strength but lightweight composites.

Stratasys also highlighted that carbon fiber composite applications and carbon fiber reinforced polymers are considered clean energy technologies by the US Department of Energy due to its fine ability to reduce energy consumption.

The company expects those that will adopt the product first will be in industries like automotive, recreational sporting equipment, defense and marine.

In terms of the automotive industry, Team Penske, who competes in various motorsports series has a partnership with Stratasys by using FDM to produce prototypes and end-use parts from carbon-fiber-filled Nylon 12 material.

Terry Wohlers of Wohlers Associates in the press release said that the additive manufacturing industry was in need of machines that can produce parts of high strength composite materials.

“I’m hopeful the newest machine from Stratasys will help to meet this need by offering strong parts in carbon fiber and Nylon 12,” Wohlers said.

Following the announcement on Monday, Stratasys’ share price was up 8.3 percent over the two day trading period to close the trading session on Tuesday (August 21) at US$25.73. However, the stock has a “Hold” rating on TipRanks with a high estimate of US$25 and a low estimate of US$20 and an analyst price target of US$21.50. Meanwhile, TradingView gives the stock a “Buy” ranking with 16 verticals in favor, six in neutral and four against.

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Securities Disclosure: I, Bala Yogesh hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.