Stratasys
Stratasys Ltd.
Stratasys is an American-Israeli company that manufactures industrial 3D printers and additive manufacturing materials, best known for developing and commercializing fused deposition modeling, a process that builds parts by extruding…
Definition
Stratasys is an American-Israeli company that manufactures industrial 3D printers and additive manufacturing materials, best known for developing and commercializing fused deposition modeling, a process that builds parts by extruding molten thermoplastic layer by layer. Its equipment is used by manufacturers, engineering firms, and healthcare organizations to produce prototypes, tooling, and end-use parts, and it operates across a range of price points from professional desktop-class machines to large industrial production systems.
Overview
Stratasys played a foundational role in additive manufacturing by developing fused deposition modeling, the process in which a thermoplastic filament is heated to a semi-liquid state and deposited through a nozzle in successive layers to build up a solid object. The technology, along with the acronym FDM, was patented and commercialized by Stratasys before related open patents and terminology like FFF spread the underlying approach to the broader desktop printer market. Mechanically, an FDM printer moves a heated nozzle across a build platform, extruding filament that fuses to the layer beneath it as it cools. Complex geometries require printed support structures, which are removed after the build completes, and material choice determines the part's strength, heat resistance, and flexibility. Stratasys expanded its own portfolio beyond FDM to include additional processes such as PolyJet, which jets and cures liquid photopolymer droplets to achieve finer detail and multi-material prints in a single build. Within the additive manufacturing landscape, Stratasys is generally viewed as a peer of 3D Systems, competing across similar industrial and healthcare markets, while sitting apart from desktop-oriented manufacturers such as Prusa Research, Ultimaker, and Bambu Lab that target individual makers and small studios with lower-cost FDM machines built on the same underlying extrusion principle Stratasys pioneered industrially. Organizations use Stratasys equipment for functional prototyping during product design, jigs and fixtures used on factory floors, dental and orthodontic appliances, and short-run production of end-use parts in materials engineered for specific mechanical or thermal properties. Its PolyJet line is particularly used where fine surface detail or multiple material properties in a single part matter, such as medical training models that mimic soft and hard tissue in one print. Limitations shared across FDM and PolyJet technology include visible layer lines affecting surface finish, anisotropic strength where parts are weaker along the layer-bonding direction than within a layer, and post-processing time for support removal. For very high-volume production, traditional processes like injection molding remain more cost-effective than 3D printing, and Stratasys equipment is generally positioned for prototyping and low-to-mid volume runs rather than mass production. Material selection also requires trade-offs, since higher-strength or heat-resistant engineering plastics often cost more per kilogram and may need heated, enclosed build chambers to print reliably without warping, adding to the total cost and complexity of a production-grade part compared to a simple prototype run in a basic thermoplastic. Teams evaluating Stratasys equipment typically weigh these material and post-processing costs against the tooling lead time and cost of injection molding, since 3D printing tends to win on speed and design flexibility for smaller runs while molding remains cheaper once volumes are high enough to amortize a mold.
Key Features
- originator and long-time commercial developer of fused deposition modeling technology
- PolyJet process for fine-detail, multi-material photopolymer printing
- industrial and desktop-class printer lines spanning multiple price points
- engineering-grade thermoplastic materials for functional prototypes and parts
- software for build preparation, support generation, and production management
- dental and healthcare-focused printing solutions and materials
- large-format industrial systems for bigger part production