Mr. Langfeld, after almost a year of corona - how much has the crisis affected Stratasys and have you been able to use the time for new developments?

Of course, the Covid-19 pandemic has affected almost every industry. When lockdown measures were in place in most countries, production almost came to a standstill. When they reopened, many manufacturers' supply chains were disrupted or destroyed. This meant that many companies were under enormous pressure to find ways to maintain operations. When production was initially shut down in China, the fact that some car manufacturers went so far as to transport much-needed car parts around the world in suitcases says it all. It has certainly been a challenging year for the industry, but there is no doubt that the value of additive manufacturing to manufacturing agility and the supply chain in general has gained greater recognition.

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The Stratasys J series offers full-color options for additive manufacturing. © Stratasys

We are currently focusing on our core competencies and R&D in four specific key areas - Design, Engineering, Manufacturing and Healthcare. This has not only helped us to achieve short-term success, but we believe we are perfectly prepared for strong opportunities and growth in 2021. In design, there is an increasing need for full-color 3D printing with multiple materials and properties so that product designers can create realistic 3D printed model iterations much faster than through traditional modeling. The more iterations, the better the product and the faster it gets to market. This is an area we are addressing with our advanced PolyJet J-Series 3D printer family. Automotive design is one area where we see this happening, and Volkswagen is just one example.

Volkswagen recently invested in two full-color, multi-material Stratasys J850 3D printers, which VW says are used to create complex prototypes that mirror the final components with an accuracy of up to 99 percent. These include 3D-printed components with different textured surfaces, from fabric and leather to wood and glass.

For engineers, the need for engineered materials and machine accuracy is a key driver to meet functional prototyping requirements. Our F123 Series industrial 3D printers and MakerBot Method range have proven to be a hit with engineers, offering industrial-grade additive manufacturing capabilities at easily accessible prices. With a variety of robust FDM thermoplastics, these systems are ideal for design validation as well as demanding functional prototyping applications. We will continue to bring new materials to market this year to meet the needs of our engineering customers.

In manufacturing, we are seeing strong growth in demand for tooling applications and end-use parts with our high performance thermoplastics, enabling companies to better and faster adapt to supply and demand. As mentioned earlier, the last year has signaled a tipping point for growth in 3D printing for end-use parts. As a result, Stratasys is working hard to ensure that its production systems, materials and software meet the needs of manufacturers - including Industry 4.0, driving the use of new applications and increasing market growth.

Andreas Langfeld, President EMEA at Stratasys. © Stratasys

Are medical technology and anatomy very special niches and how can they benefit from 3D printing?

3D-printed model of a spine with connective tissue. © Stratasys

Healthcare continues to be an important area. In recent years, Stratasys has worked with customers around the world to improve patient care and communication, accelerate clinical validation and increase innovation - whether it's creating patient-specific 3D medical models to improve surgical operation planning or medical training. Or the use of 3D printing to accelerate the design, validation and production of medical devices. Perhaps the most exciting 3D printing development for the healthcare industry is our J750 Digital Anatomy 3D printer.

Using advanced new materials and software, this printer can reproduce the feel, sensitivity and biomechanical properties of human anatomy in medical models. This is a game changer for medical institutions and medical device manufacturers who are constantly demanding better replication of realistic scenarios. Hospitals, healthcare facilities and medical schools can use these lifelike 3D models to improve clinical assessment for a variety of pathologies and bring new medical devices to market faster.

In the medium term, is the focus more on improving the printing technology or the materials?

We always see additive manufacturing as a process chain, and this consists of printing technology, materials and software. In order to offer our customers constant progress and added value, all these components and their interaction need to be further developed. For us, the expansion of our technologies is an important point in order to be able to offer the right solution for designers, engineers and manufacturers. Each technology is based on specific materials that enable a use case. The software supports the user and increases their efficiency or automates the AM process.

How important do you think additive manufacturing will be in the industry in 10 years' time? Will it replace some conventional technologies?

Additive manufacturing will hardly replace our conventional technologies in their entirety. However, it will establish itself for certain applications and become the primary production method for selected components. This may be industry-specific, such as in the medical sector, or part-specific, where series are built conventionally and additive manufacturing is used for the spare parts business. Additive manufacturing will become firmly anchored in our processes and establish itself as a recognized alternative to conventional manufacturing.