New Photopolymers 3D Printing Materials Available for Nexa3D
Building on momentum from previous collaborations, Henkel and Nexa3D continue to drive solutions for functional 3D printed parts with the release of three new photopolymers. Leveraging the expanding portfolio of high-performance resins and Nexa3D’s productivity advantages using the NXE400 printer, both companies are enabling access to a wider range of durable prototypes, production tools, and end-use parts. This new digital workflow unlocks greater design freedom, supply chain resiliency, and rapid implementation that traditional manufacturing methods cannot compete with. “We believe that our rapidly expanding collaboration with LOCTITE, now spanning six materials, coupled with our demonstrated 20X productivity gains achieved by our ultrafast NXE400 3Dprinter and up to 85% lower total cost of ownership, delivers higher productivity, better-extended life functionality, and exceptional economics.” — Kevin McAlea, Chief Operating Officer, Nexa3D. xPP405 Black and xPP405 Clear A tough semi-rigid material with high-strength engineering plastic delivering good impact resistance with performance similar to unfilled propylene. Suitable for applications such as large housings, sheet metal forming dies, and see-through element. xPEEK147 Black Tough materials with excellent surface finish, strong dimensional stability, and temperature resistance up to 230°C. Suitable for applications, such as tooling, molding applications, automotive under-hood, and a variety of end-use parts. For more information on [...]
Partial Hand Solutions Create Pediatric Prosthetics with Fuse 1 3D Printer
Advanced prosthetics manufacturer Partial Hand Solutions (PHS) has leveraged Formlabs’ new Form 1 3D printer to optimize its artificial limb manufacturing process. Instead of outsourcing the production of its pediatric M-Finger and Elbow implants to an injection molding firm, PHS now uses the Form 1 to create patient-specific prosthetics in-house. By switching to Formlabs’ recently-launched system, the company has managed to 3D print more durable nylon parts cost-effectively while cutting their lead times down from two weeks to just a couple of days. “Waiting two days for a full build platform of printers blows away the weeks I used to wait for my injection molding parts to arrive,” said Matthew Mikosz, Founder of Partial Hand Solutions. “Using the Fuse 1 has expanded my horizons. Now I’m thinking about how I can improve my work and create better patient outcomes.” Partial Hand Solutions’ new 3D printer setup (pictured) has allowed it to produce patient-specific prosthetics for the first time. Photo via Partial Hand Solutions Partial Hand’s SLS Problem Since 2007, PHS has worked to push amputee technology boundaries and create prosthetics with new functionality for those with partial hand amputations. Given that many of the firm’s clients are either active soldiers or [...]
Metrology Minute – Free Control X Viewer
The Free Control X Viewer sets new standards for inspection report review. While Control X has always been able to produce complete inspection reports in various static formats, the Control X 2020 Viewer goes beyond a static review of inspection criteria. When the Viewer opens an inspection, each of the Model Manager inspection objects is populated by the author of the inspection program, yet no menus are available for you to add new or remove any of the inspection objects. Only the 3D Compare objects (3D Color Maps) are editable, enabling you to change nominal and critical tolerances, as well as any of the other menu settings. Below is a sample color map. For the 3D Compare tool, when you click on the 3D Compare node in the Model Manager, the menu opens, allowing you to make modifications to that portion of the inspection. In the example below, the specific tolerance was modified from +/-.003” to +/-.001” and you can see that much more of the model now falls outside of the new nominal specifications. While the Viewer doesn’t allow you to create new inspection criteria or edit most of the inspection node items, the ability to view any of the values in [...]
Nexa3D and Keystone Industries Partner to Deliver Higher Performance 3D Printing Solutions for the Dental Industry
Nexa3D and Keystone Industries recently announced a collaboration to make all Keystone KeyPrint® 3D printing dental resins available worldwide on Nexa3D’s ultrafast NXE 400 3D printers. Under this agreement, both companies will combine their extensive dental, photopolymer and 3D printing capabilities to deliver the highest productivity, precision and performance 3D printing solutions to the dental market. This powerful new combination comes with Keystone’s best-in-class, FDA-cleared night guard resin, KeySplint Soft® and KeyModel Ultra®, the go-to material for next-gen dental and orthodontic models along with the rest of Keystone’s laboratory and medical device printing materials, including KeyTray and KeyGuide. All Keystone precision dental resins are manufactured in the USA, and available immediately through Nexa3D’s expanding global channels. “We are thrilled to tailor our entire portfolio of KeyPrint resins for Nexa3D, a company that is fast emerging as an additive polymer market leader,” said Keystone Dental President Ira Rosenau. “During our extensive internal optimization and validation testing, we confirmed that the NXE 400 produces outstanding quality prints at high volumes, making it an ideal additive manufacturing partner for the dental industry. We expect Nexa3D users to have an outstanding experience with our growing line of KeyPrint resins.” Nexa3D’s ultrafast and high-resolution NXE 400 3D printer [...]
3DGence FFF 3D Printing Platform
Let’s take a look at the innovative FFF 3D printing platform by 3DGence. Capable of printing high-temp & high-performance materials, this robust solution is geared to accommodate a wide range of demanding industrial applications. From concept modeling and functional prototyping, to manufacturing tooling and short-run production. With this platform, you'll experience 'best in class' value for your investment, with a low barrier to entry that's a fraction of other offerings in this category. The Industry F340 and F420 are based on the traditional FFF printing process, where the extruder heats & deposits the filament to build your geometry layer by layer. With the best volume-to-price ratio in its class, each offers swappable print modules that allow you to change materials quickly & easily. Print speeds of up to 400 mm/s can be achieved, with a minimum layer height of 40 microns. The 3DGence platform grants engineers access to an open certified materials platform with a wide range of options. This includes standard thermoplastics like ABS and ASA, as well as higher temp materials like PEEK, PEKK, and Ultem that traditionally have had higher barriers to entry. PEEK & PEKK are great for components in automotive, marine, nuclear, oil-well and more. While they have [...]
Formlabs Releases Fuse 1 Selective Laser Sintering 3D Printer
Formlabs just released the Fuse 1 selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printer. This totally re-designed SLS 3D printer is ready to deliver industrial grade nylon parts, right on your workbench. Delivering production-ready nylon at a low cost per part, a large build chamber to accommodate various project sizes, and the ability to print 24/7, no other SLS printer offers the quality and ease of use as the Fuse 1. Formlabs has also begun to ship the Fuse Sift, an all-in-one powder recovery station for the Fuse 1. The Fuse Sift was created to flawlessly integrate into your SLS workflow and deliver a seamless, simple post-processing setup. SLS 3D printing has long been the domain of expensive, high-end industrial printers, oftentimes putting them out of reach for most business and product designers. The Fuse 1 delivers the industrial power of SLS into your workshop with an affordable, compact system for production-ready nylon parts. Affordable SLS Printing On Your Workbench The Fuse 1 offers a number of benefits typically found in industrial level SLS printers costing four times as much: Low material costs. With an expansive build chamber and the ability to reuse nylon powder, the Fuse 1 offers industrial quality SLS 3D printing for [...]