Several new AM materials were announced in the past week.
We often receive notes from manufacturers that have developed new and unique materials, but most times the news value is relatively low and these do not warrant a story on their own. However, we thought we might bundle together several material announcements into one post, this one, for your review.
Desktop Metal Qualifies Henkel DLP Materials
Desktop Metal announced two Loctite 3D printing resins have been qualified for use on the company’s Xtreme 8K device. Both Loctite 3D IND405 black and Loctite 3D 3843 are now printable on this high resolution 3D printer. Desktop Metal explained the two materials are both “stiff, strong and durable”, making them ideal for a wide variety of applications.
Velo3D Qualifies M300
Velo3D has qualified M300 tool steel for use in its Sapphire metal 3D printers. This is an “ultra-low carbon alloy” that is extremely hard, making it ideal for producing manufacturing tools that must withstand repeated engagement.
Velo3D VP of Technology Greg Brown said:
“By qualifying M300 tool steel for use in our printers, we’re able to service entirely new industries, like automotive and tooling, that can leverage Velo3D’s advanced capability to print high quality, large diameter internal channels for their applications. By manufacturing die cast inserts and other tooling components with our technology, we expect companies will be able to build stronger products, improve machining throughput, and decrease manufacturing costs.”
6K Additive Sources Domestic Metal Supply
6K Additive announced they’ve organized domestic (US) based sources for raw metal to be used in their powder production system using their UniMelt plasma technology. This should enable 6K Additive to sell to organizations requiring domestic supplies, such as the military.
In addition, 6K Additive also struck a new deal with New York-based Incodema3D to sustainably recycle materials, leveraging the domestic metal supply even further.
Argyle Materials Releases ABS M30-Like Material
Argyle Materials is one of the few providers of third party materials for Stratasys equipment. In this case they’ve developed a material said to be compatible with Stratasys’ M30 ABS material. The company provides the ABS M30-like material in a Fortus-style canister equipped with a chip readable by the 3D printer, just like regular Stratasys canisters. The Argyle canisters will sell for US$260, a significant saving over Stratasys materials.
Markforged Launches “Smooth” TPU 95A
Markforged introduced a new flexible material, Smooth TPU 95A. I believe this is the first flexible material offered by the company, which up to now has focused on extremely rigid materials such as carbon fiber. They say:
“We started this program with the goal to provide world-class elastomeric part production to the additive manufacturing space — and after countless engineering hours and numerous iterations, we’re ready to release this truly differentiating product to the world. Manufacturers and product developers alike can now produce rubber-like material properties with the quality, consistency, and ease of use of the Digital Forge — all with minimal user interaction.”
3D Systems New Clear Resin
3D Systems introduced “Figure 4 Tough Clear”, a new clear resin for their SLA equipment [see image at top]. While there are clear resins on the market, many suffer from degradation over time as they are exposed to sunlight.
The new Figure 4 Tough Clear resin has high light transmissivity and is both “production grade” and “long term stable”. This means outdoor applications that require clear material could now have a usable option.
Raise3D’s 32 New Filaments
Raise3D announced new materials for their powerful E2CF 3D printer. They announced not one, not two, but an incredible 32 new materials.
Raise 3D has collaborated with 16 different well-known polymer providers in their Open Filament Program. The partners include:
- BASF Forward AM
- Covestro
- eSUN
- Extrudr
- FiberThree
- Grupa Azoty
- Handtmann
- Jabil
- Kexcelled
- Kimya
- LEHVOSS
- NHH
- Polymaker
- RadiciGroup High Performance Polymers
- Spectrum Filaments
- TreeD
All of the partners provide different fiber-reinforced materials that are now certified on the E2CF, which is specifically designed for composite materials.
