Stratasys : Technology leadership in the 3D Printing arena

Mr. Rajiv Bajaj – General Manager, Stratasys India Pvt. Ltd.

Q. Please brief us about company’s infrastructure & achievements?
Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Rehovot, Israel, Stratasys is a leading provider of 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions globally. Stratasys Asia Pacific has 10 offices in the region with Hong Kong as the Asia-Pacific & Japan headquarter. (Other regional offices are located in India, Japan, Korea, Singapore, China.) With a well-established channel partner network, the team is committed to providing world-class 3D printing solutions and services to cater to the unique needs in the diverse markets. Stratasys holds over 600 granted or pending additive manufacturing patents worldwide and has received more than 25 awards for its technology and leadership. Its products range from affordable desktop 3D printers to advanced 3D production systems, offering wider accessibility of 3D printing for different users. The establishment of a fully-facilitated office in Bangalore in April signifies Stratasys’ commitment to the region, thus providing local support to cater the growing demand and broadening accessibility of 3D printing technologies to the public. We also plan to setup an office in Pune and Delhi in this fiscal year.

Q. What are the latest initiatives executed by your company in 3D printing space? Which are your focus areas?
Awareness of 3D printing is on the rise in India and Stratasys intends to capture the potential through offering advanced 3D printing technology platforms, solutions and applications. Stratasys offers complementary 3D printing technologies designed for a range of applications, striving to be a significant partner in the product development department, in classrooms and labs and on the production floor.

FDM Technology
FDM Technology is a powerful Stratasys-patented additive manufacturing method. FDM builds concept models, functional prototypes and end-use parts in standard, engineering-grade and high-performance thermoplastics. It’s the only professional 3D printing technology that uses production-grade thermoplastics, so parts are unrivaled in mechanical, thermal and chemical strength.

PolyJet Technology
PolyJet technology is an additive manufacturing method that produces smooth, accurate prototypes, parts and tooling. With 16-micron layer resolution and accuracy as high as 0.1 mm, it can produce thin walls and complex geometries using the widest range of materials.

On the applications front, digital manufacturing applications including jigs & fixtures, end-use parts, injection molding and sand-casting are well suited for the Indian market. (Digital Manufacturing is a manufacturing process which complements traditional production processes. By enabling production of prototypes, tools and final parts directly from CAD data, digital manufacturing fosters dramatic reductions in delivery times and production costs while improving overall product quality.) Combined with other applications such as concept modelling and prototyping, Stratasys strives to offer a wide-range of solutions to various industries including education, automotive, medical, dental, industrial machinery and consumer goods.

Q. What are the market opportunities for your products in India? How do you plan to position these products?
With the PM’s thrust on Make in India we see a never before opportunity to provide Indian customers with the best in class additive manufacturing solutions via our portfolio of specially engineered 3D printers and printing materials. As per recent reports The World Bank has predicted a GDP growth rate of 8 per cent for India by 2017.
In view of the government initiatives, local businesses will look for new ways to enhance manufacturing efficiencies and Stratasys can leverage such opportunity to promote the adoption of 3D printing technology; thereby assisting companies to optimize the manufacturing process. This initiative provides us a good platform to push forward 3D printing in the manufacturing sector, thus deepening our footprints in key segments such as automotive & components, aerospace, education, industrial machinery, consumer goods, etc.

With the opening of Stratasys’ first 3D printing experience centers in Bangalore, Pune and Delhi, engineers and manufacturers can experience in person to discover how 3D printing helps them succeed at every stage of the product development cycle. Together with our certified partners, we provide the best in class services which strengthen the bonding with customers.

Q. What is your marketing strategy for India?
Stratasys has always been at the forefront of the 3D Printing market by actively participating in industry events such as ICAM-3D 2015, Aero India 2015, PlastIndia 2015 and organizing seminars. Through these events we introduce the latest technologies and share regional best practices.

We are looking to partner and work closely with CII and ACMA this year.

Riding on the Make in India initiative, we also work with different local and international companies to educate the benefits and promote the adoption of 3D printing to the public, such as assisting Bangalore-based startup Cardiac Design Labs to produce their new wearable medical device. We are working to enable Indian companies to stay at the cutting edge of innovation.

Q. In your opinion how can the 3D printing industry become globally competitive?
3D printing is a unique industry, instead of competing against any other industry, it complements businesses from different sectors, assisting them to gain competitive advantages through optimizing production process, accelerating go-to-market and minimizing cost. To stay competitive globally, Stratasys offers not just 3D printing systems but solutions.

We have a well-established channel partner network with whom we work closely with to cater to the local needs

We also engage with industry associations and aligned with government policies on promoting the technology

We actively promote and foster a community of 3D printing professionals (ie. The annual Stratasys 3D Printing User Forum)

Service excellence — Stratasys is a customer-centric organization which listens and places customers first.

As a leader in the market, Stratasys also places strategic focus on R&D, thus ensuring that we are offering the latest technology and solutions to the market, bringing value to the customers that match with their needs and expectations.

Q. What are the key technological trends that are driving 3D printing industry?
3D printing not only reduces time-to-market, it also helps to minimize cost of errors, prevents leakage of confidential designs and also maximizing creativity. Industrial designers, mechanical engineers, packaging designers and marketing staff can better understand a product’s aesthetic appeal and perform functional testing with 3D printed prototypes. In today’s competitive market, time is of essence and this is where 3D printing plays its role, alongside with the cost reduction factor.

Accuracy, materials, ability to build customized products and create parts with fine-details are critical to business success. These will continue to be the driving forces for the adoption of the technology. Companies are increasingly looking for ways to produce customized or small batch products in a more cost-effective manner. As mentioned before, 3D printing enables businesses to produce prototypes, tools and final parts directly from CAD data, thus accelerating delivery time and reducing productions costs while improving overall product quality.

In October 2014, Gartner highlighted top 10 technology trends that will be strategic for most organizations in 2015, in which 3D printing attributes to significant expansion in industrial use. Today 3D printing is being adopted across industrial, medical and consumer applications with the usage varying from prototypes to simulations of human organs and exoskeletons. 3D printing is transforming itself with its varied applications; it is becoming an integral part of manufacturing business as organizations strive to reduce time to market.

Q. What is your vision for your company in near future?
Adoption of 3D printing in India is still in an early stage when compared to other parts of the world; however, the market is picking up on the benefits of 3D printing and the value it brings, particularly for advanced applications. We will continue to educate the market on this front and promote adoption of the technology. At the same time we look to inspire educators with the 3D printing technology to elevate research and learning in science, engineering, design and art. We are passionate believers in the value and power of 3D printing, and in the change it can bring to the world.

For more information
http://www.stratasys.com