Gears 3D printed with Tough Resin.
Formlabs has today announced a new functional resin designed for 3D printing applications in engineering and prototyping. Tough Resin provides users with the same physical properties as ABS for strong and sturdy parts 3D printed on the FORM 1+ SLA machine.
Tough Resin material has been engineered for applications that require performance under stress or strain such as load-bearing gears or snap-fit enclosures. Durable parts are essential for engineering and prototyping and parts produced with Formlabs’ Tough Resin will be able to absorb high-impact and other mechanical stressors that would normally cause 3D printed parts to snap or shatter.
Tough carabiner 3D printed.
To coincide with the material’s release, Formlabs has created the first 3D-printed Rube Goldberg machine, which will demonstrate the functional properties of Tough Resin. This version of the popular chain-reaction machine, which is deliberately engineered to carry out a simple task in a complex manner, has been assembled by printing many of the major mechanisms with Tough Resin on the Form 1+ printer.
Testing against ABS filament and other ABS-like resins, Formlabs’ Tough Resin was found to outperform every material available in desktop 3D Printing. Parts printed in Formlabs’ Tough Resin delivers a superior combination of yield strength, elongation, and impact resistance.
“Engineering and prototyping are a really important application of 3D printing. We’re excited to release our new Tough Resin because now Form 1+ users can create high resolution prints in a really durable, resilient material,” explained Formlabs co-founder and TCT Conference 2015 Keynote speaker, Max Lobovsky. “Developing new high-quality materials continues to be a really important focus for us. Every time we release a new material, we create new possibilities for every Form 1+ user and build a more compelling experience.”
Tough Resin is available in 1-litre bottles from the Formlabs web store immediately and is compatible with both the Form 1 and Form 1+ 3D Printers.
