Case Study: Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) cuts project costs 10× and saves a year of development with Stratasys 3D printing

INFN overcomes research production challenges with additive manufacturing

Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) faced the challenge of producing low-volume, highly specialized parts for research projects like the Mini‑EUSO space telescope, where traditional manufacturing was too slow, costly and heavy and materials had to meet strict ISS/aerospace certification and vibration requirements. To overcome this, INFN evaluated additive technologies and adopted Stratasys FDM solutions, adding a Fortus 450mc and PolyJet systems to its in‑house capabilities.

Stratasys supplied the Fortus 450mc FDM platform and enabled printing the Mini‑EUSO mechanical structure in ULTEM 9085 resin, with PolyJet used for high‑accuracy prototypes; the fully 3D‑printed structure now flies on the ISS. The Stratasys solution met insulation, weight and launch‑vibration requirements, allowed in‑house production of functional parts, reduced project costs by a factor of ten and cut development time by about one year.

Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare

Marco Ricci

Lead Researcher and INFN Country Manager