Stratasys: AM adoption depends on planning before delivery and ongoing support

Stratasys argues that successful adoption of additive manufacturing starts well before a printer arrives: with an application-first choice of technology, trained staff and a continuing relationship with the supplier. The company points to its Academy, on-site training and application engineers, and invites visitors to meet its experts at Formnext in Frankfurt. The source is a supplier-led account, so the figures it cites come from Stratasys itself.

Context An application-first approach means defining the part, volume and cost target before choosing a printing process, rather than picking a machine first.

Why does Stratasys start with the application?

Stratasys says adoption is more than buying a printer, installing it and pressing print. Before any hardware is bought, teams should settle what the technology is for: prototyping and R&D, tooling and manufacturing aids, small-series end-use parts or scalable series production. Part complexity, cost per part and materials follow from that answer.

The company notes that polymer users alone can choose between FDM, SLS, photopolymerization, material jetting and binder jetting. Starting from the application is meant to narrow that field to the right process from the outset.

What training and support does Stratasys offer?

Once a system is chosen, internal stakeholders need to agree on the role of AM, and adjacent teams need to understand the end-to-end process. Stratasys describes onboarding guidance, technical material for engineering teams and help with delivery and installation.

The Stratasys Academy is an online platform with basic and advanced content and a certification programme. Instructor-led courses run at the US headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota and the EMEA headquarters in Baden-Baden, Germany, using the company's printers. Stratasys reports a 63% increase in materials purchased after advanced training, a figure from its own statistics.

How does the supplier relationship continue after installation?

Each new user is assigned a customer experience specialist who acts as liaison. A technician sets up the system and gives on-site training, and an application engineer can refine build parameters, workflows and post-processing for the user's applications. A call about two weeks after installation helps the customer build first applications.

Customers can extend their service contract or move to a time-and-materials agreement. Stratasys will show its services at Formnext in Frankfurt this November, Hall 12.1, Booth D129.

What it means

For small and mid sized manufacturers, the useful point is that adoption cost extends beyond the machine: training, installation and application tuning affect how quickly a first qualified part is produced. The utilization figure comes from Stratasys itself and is not independent evidence. Buyers can ask any supplier what onboarding, training and support are included versus charged separately. This follows Stratasys's Formnext announcements, where a new production system is expected, but this piece covers services rather than new hardware.

Frequently asked questions

What does Stratasys say matters most for successful AM adoption?

Early planning, an application-first choice of technology, training for staff and an ongoing relationship with the supplier. Stratasys frames this as a way to reach a faster return on investment.

Where can readers meet Stratasys at Formnext 2026?

Stratasys exhibits in Frankfurt this November in Hall 12.1, Booth D129, where its experts discuss applications, business objectives and manufacturing challenges.

Is the 63% materials increase independent data?

No. Stratasys cites it from its own statistics, linking advanced training to higher materials purchases.

This summary was written with the help of AI from the linked reports, under the editorial responsibility of Svetozar Kolesar.