We here at Skunk Works have been hard at work trying to figure out the limitations of our 3d printer, and we have put together some data for everyone.
Through destructive testing of 3D printed test coupons, we have come up with a rough idea of the maximum and minimum operating condition for 3d printed parts. We used a Stratasys Fortus 250mc printer to print these coupons, and tested for both compressive and tensile strength.
Our maximum compressive strength with our medium test coupon survived 3,600 pounds. On our least dense compressive test, the coupon survived 1,800 pounds.
In tensile testing, our most dense test coupon survived 340 pounds. Our least dense test coupon survived 120 pounds.
Probably the most useful discovery was that the print orientation matters. The greatest difference being as much as 2,000 pounds between medium density coupons printed in different orientations.
The attached report contains our lab setup and specific results.
Pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/washuug...57640701582814