Stratasys 3D Printing Solution for Eyewear: New VeroFlex Rapid Prototyping Eyewear Solution to Help Manufacturers Significantly Improve Time-to-Market & Cost-Efficiency

The following video presents Eyewear Icon Safilo Makes Frames for Top Fashion Brands in Record Time with Stratasys 3D Printing:
“Safilo is the second-largest producer of eyewear in the world with an impressive portfolio that includes 25 luxury brands such as Dior, Fendi, Jimmy Choo and Hugo Boss, as well as five of its own brands including Carrera, Polaroid, and Safilo.

The large number of frames produced by the company demands constant innovation and efficient throughput during the design process.

Previously, the company produced its concept prototypes with a CNC machine, which the team would use as a template when manually developing the actual prototypes. This resulted in lengthy lead times and, if iterations were required, would also prove costly further down the production line.

In a bid to overcome the bottlenecks associated with traditional manufacturing, Safilo invested in a Stratasys J750 full color, multi-material 3D Printer, which, as well as streamlining the prototyping workflow, also brought with it the opportunity to achieve greater prototype realism than previous methods allowed.

Watch this video to understand how full color, multi-material 3D printing enabled Safilo to slash developmental turnaround time by 60%, excluding post-processing, accelerate time-to-market and maintain their competitive edge.“

PRESS RELEASE

New Stratasys 3D Printing Solution for Eyewear Aims to Get Frames to Market One Year Faster

Solution is a response to eyewear designers’ need for a more efficient process, offering a unique combination of stiffness and flexibility, essential for eyewear makers’ prototyping requirements

First rapid prototyping solution specifically for eyewear permits full aesthetic and functional evaluation before manufacturing

September 26, 2017 04:00 AM Eastern Daylight Tim

MINNEAPOLIS & REHOVOT, Israel–(BUSINESS WIRE)–From initial design concept to display on the store shelf, a new eyeglass-frame design takes about 18 months, using traditional development techniques, according to Stratasys eyewear customers. Large eyewear manufacturers may create up to 150 new frame designs weekly (or thousands of new frames per year). Imagine cutting up to 15 months from the development and production cycle of every frame and shrinking time-to-market to eight weeks or less.

That’s what’s possible, say pioneering companies that tested a new eyewear rapid prototyping solution introduced today from Stratasys (Nasdaq: SSYS), a global leader in applied additive technology solutions. Stratasys developed the VeroFlex Rapid Prototyping Eyewear Solution to help manufacturers dramatically improve time-to-market and cost-efficiency.

The new solution combines Stratasys’ unique J750 Multi-color, Multi-material 3D Printer with, VeroFlex, a new specially formulated 3D printing material for eyewear rapid prototyping needs. VeroFlex offers a unique combination of stiffness and flexibility, essential for a wide range of prototyping requirements. From initial concept iterations to complex multi-color and advanced texture models, to precise functional models for performance testing, VeroFlex offers a more durable and flexible material for demanding internal tests prior to tooling and production. This provides eyewear manufacturers the ability to deliver products over a year faster and lead with the latest market trends, while improving salability of its products.

“The eyewear market continues to expand, driven by new technologies, demand for customization and growing addressable markets,” says Mike Vasquez, founder and CEO at the digital manufacturing consultancy, 3Degrees. “As the industry seeks to maximize its opportunity, Stratasys’ prototyping solutions for frames and eyewear accessories — which can cut time-to-market by upwards of 80 percent — will be an attractive solution that is able to deliver immediate value for users looking to make parts with a high degree of mechanical function and appearance.”

For functional performance testing, the Stratasys VeroFlex material stands up to key eyewear-maker evaluation, including drop tests, lens-mounting, stress tests and wearability tests.

When used for design verification, the Stratasys VeroFlex material offers ultimate realism enabled by combining six new VeroFlex materials (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, White, Black, and Clear), and the ability to create and mix solid, opaque, transparent and color shades in addition to simulating true-to-life textures such as wood grains, leather, stitching, bone, carbon-fiber, and photo-realistic images.

For more information, visit the Stratasys VeroFlex Rapid Prototyping Eyewear Solution webpage.

Photos for the Stratasys VeroFlex Rapid Prototyping Eyewear Solution are available in the Stratasys newsroom.

Want to know more? See Stratasys at the TCT Show on Stand D30, Hall 3 at the NEC Birmingham, September 26^th – 29^th.

Stratasys (NASDAQ: SSYS) is a global leader in applied additive technology solutions for industries including Aerospace, Automotive, Healthcare, Consumer Products and Education. For nearly 30 years, a deep and ongoing focus on customers’ business requirements has fueled purposeful innovations—1,200 granted and pending additive technology patents to date—that create new value across product lifecycle processes, from design prototypes to manufacturing tools and final production parts. The Stratasys 3D printing ecosystem of solutions and expertise—advanced materials; software with voxel level control; precise, repeatable and reliable FDM and PolyJet 3D printers; application-based expert services; on-demand parts and industry-defining partnerships—works to ensure seamless integration into each customer’s evolving workflow. Fulfilling the real-world potential of additive, Stratasys delivers breakthrough industry-specific applications that accelerate business processes, optimize value chains and drive business performance improvements for thousands of future-ready leaders around the world.

Corporate Headquarters: Minneapolis, Minnesota and Rehovot, Israel.

Online at: www.stratasys.com, http://blog.stratasys.com and LinkedIn.

Stratasys is a registered trademark and PolyJet, J750, VeroFlex Rapid Prototyping Eyewear Solution and the Stratasys signet are trademarks of Stratasys Ltd. and or its subsidiaries or affiliates. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.

Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
The statements in this press release relating to Stratasys’ beliefs regarding the benefits consumers will experience from the VeroFlex Rapid Prototyping Eyewear Solution are forward-looking statements reflecting management’s current expectations and beliefs. These forward-looking statements are based on current information that is, by its nature, subject to rapid and even abrupt change. Due to risks and uncertainties associated with Stratasys’ business, actual results could differ materially from those projected or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the risk that consumers will not perceive the benefits of the VeroFlex Rapid Prototyping Eyewear Solution to be the same as Stratasys does; and other risk factors set forth under the caption “Risk Factors” in Stratasys’ most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 9, 2017. Stratasys is under no obligation (and expressly disclaims any obligation) to update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by the rules and regulations of the SEC

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