Stratasys has surfaced in two recent patents that work on very different problems: keeping heat inside an industrial FFF machine, and making resin parts last longer after printing.
The first application, WO2025059103A1, is titled “Thermal Retention Management of Heated Build Chamber in 3D Printer.” Published in March 2025 and assigned to Stratasys, it describes a moving thermal barrier intended for an enclosed extrusion 3D printer.
High temperature FFF is mostly a heat-management exercise. Engineering materials like PEEK, PEKK and ULTEM definitely benefit from a consistently hot chamber to limit warping, improve interlayer bonding and produce more predictable dimensions. But the print head must enter the chamber, travel across it, and potentially be swapped for another tool. Machines printing these materials typically have very high chamber temperatures as a result.
Here’s the catch: every opening leaks heat.
Stratasys’ proposed answer is a roller based, deformable thermal insulator. Flexible insulating sheets are held under tension by rollers in both X and Y directions, while a tray and tool port allow the print head to access the chamber. As the tool moves, the insulating barrier moves with it and attempts to keep the remaining opening substantially closed.
In other words, it is a moving ceiling designed to follow the print system rather than leaving a large, fixed gap above the build. Stratasys has used variations of this design for quite some time, but now it seems to be patented, and worldwide at that.
The patent also covers a barrier aperture that opens for the print head and contracts after it is withdrawn, as well as a vertically moving platen supported through insulated wall slots. Those features could be particularly useful for systems with removable or multiple print heads.
The second patent takes Stratasys into an entirely different 3D printing process. Chinese application CN122477132A is about a “durable liquid radiation curable composition” for resin-based additive manufacturing.
Why is Stratasys pursuing a Chinese patent? It indicates that Stratasys considers this formulation worth protecting in a major and highly competitive AM market. In other words, Stratasys believes they will be doing significant business in China.
The resin composition in the patent combines multifunctional and monofunctional urethane (meth)acrylate ingredients with a free-radical photoinitiator. That is the usual photopolymer chemistry, but the patent talks about parts that retain their useful properties after light and heat exposure.
The application specifies a viscosity between 500 and 1,500 mPa.s at 25C, compatible with resin printing workflows. It also describes cured targets including at least 65C heat deflection temperature, 50 MPa tensile strength, 2,100 MPa tensile modulus, 12% elongation at break, and 20 J/m notched Izod impact strength.
It talks about 1,000 hours of accelerated artificial weathering under SAE J2527 conditions, claiming strong retention of tensile properties and no significant yellowing. That could be quite valuable for fixtures, housings and production aids expected to function outdoors.
Via Espacenet
