What Is Stratasys' R&D Road Map?

In a report published Tuesday, Brean Capital analyst Ananda Baruah maintained a Hold rating on Stratasys, Ltd. SSYS, after attending the company hosted Analyst Event in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Analyst Ananda Baruah said that the event fostered "a greater tangible appreciation" for Stratasys' R&D strategy. Additionally, the company announced it is working on its new printer platforms that will "provide capabilities more robust than" the anticipated technology by Hewlett-Packard Company HPQ (rated Buy), while stating that it is aimed at manufacturing.

"SSYS is continuing to innovate and expand capacity across its hardware and materials capabilities. While Israel is the home to legacy Objet / PolyJet, SSYS recently stood-up a new facility that will accommodate fresh lines for FDM filament production (which so far has been produced exclusively out of Eden Prairie MN). SSYS is starting here with 2 lines, although it will have the flexibility to move to as many as 10 lines. SSYS also spoke of its willingness to add another facility as necessary," Baruah wrote.

In the report Brean Capital noted the Key R&D focus areas as:

1. Colors and Digital Materials

• Currently this is PJs real advantage
• Looking to move from triple-jetting today to wider gamuts in the future

1. Smarter Materials

• Looking to move from Digital ABS today to functional materials in the future
• 35% of the PJ R&D budget is here and includes material / hardware / software work

1. Higher quality

• Looking to move from the best small features today to “true to life” models in the future

1. Higher performance

• Continually improving printer speeds