Every successful product begins its journey through a series of carefully planned stages. These stages—Discovery, Design, Planning, Production, and Replenishment—guide the transformation of an idea into a market-ready solution. At Stratasys Direct, we support innovators at every step, leveraging decades of expertise in additive manufacturing (AM) to bring ideas to life.
The journey begins with a spark—an idea. Whether it’s solving a problem or enhancing an existing product, this initial concept holds limitless potential.
At Stratasys Direct, we provide critical resources like design guidelines, white papers, and articles to nurture your idea. Our Design Services team offers on-site assessments and training, helping your workforce understand the transformative business value of additive manufacturing.
With proprietary production methods, advanced materials, and rigorous quality control, we ensure you’re equipped to integrate AM into your workflows and supply chains. By exploring the available options, you lay a solid foundation for the next step—design.
Advancements in software, scanning tools, and manufacturing methods have opened new possibilities for product design. Traditional design constraints no longer apply with AM, enabling intricate, complex geometries for innovative parts.
Rapid prototyping is essential at this stage. It validates your concepts, allowing you to iterate and refine designs quickly. If you need assistance optimizing your design for AM, our Design Services team and detailed guidelines are here to help.
Our 3D printing services offer fast turnaround times, diverse technologies and materials, and advanced finishing options to give prototypes a polished look. With a validated design in hand, you’re ready to move to the planning phase.
Planning bridges the gap between design and production. Armed with an optimized design, your team can determine materials, manufacturing methods, in-house vs. outsourced work, and supplier coordination. Proper planning ensures timely and cost-effective market entry.
Stratasys Direct simplifies this process with a wide range of materials and manufacturing methods. Our Material Wizard tool helps you select the best options for your application. Functional prototypes made with thermoplastics or metals can be used for rigorous environmental testing.
If your in-house capabilities fall short, our extensive manufacturing capacity can help meet your production demands. Our assessment services further streamline AM adoption into your value chain, ensuring efficiency and scalability.
With planning complete, it’s time to bring your product to life. Additive manufacturing delivers exceptional customization, unlimited design possibilities, and faster lead times, empowering companies in industries from aerospace to medical.
For low-volume or bridge-to-production runs, our 3D printing services use advanced thermoplastics. For mid-to-high volume needs, our conventional manufacturing services offer robust solutions. We also provide expert finishing, post-processing, and assembly to ensure a flawless end product.
Beyond production, AM can create manufacturing aids like jigs, fixtures, and gauges to improve efficiency on the production floor, streamlining operations and reducing costs.
Once your product reaches the market, maintaining a steady supply of spare parts becomes crucial. However, traditional inventory management is costly and inefficient, especially for rarely ordered parts.
Additive manufacturing solves this challenge by enabling on-demand production. Suppliers can send digital files to Stratasys Direct, leveraging our vast manufacturing capacity and extensive post-processing capabilities. This approach eliminates storage costs and ensures quick turnaround times for replacement parts, keeping customers satisfied and operations seamless.
From ideation to replenishment, the product development lifecycle is a comprehensive process. At every stage, Stratasys Direct is your partner, providing the tools, expertise, and resources to bring your vision to life. We’re here to help you succeed in today’s competitive market!
