Nexa3D 147 PEEK material
Nexa3D has announced the launch of three new photopolymer materials developed in partnership with Henkel for its NXE 400 stereolithography (SLA) platform.
The companies have been working together since April 2020 and have since launched a range of resins, including a medical-grade polypropylene-like material and a general-purpose prototyping grade. They believe that the combination of these new materials with Nexa3D’s SLA 3D printing system will enable customers to tackle a wider range of applications, including housings, packaging products, footwear components and production tooling.
All six of the materials to have come out of this alliance have been based on Henkel’s Loctite formulations. One of the latest additions to Nexa’s portfolio, the xPP405-BLACK is a tough semi-rigid resin with high-strength and good impact resistance that is said to have similar performance to unfilled propylene. It boasts a modulus similar to polypropylene, a 130% tensile elongation at failure, excellent UV weathering stability as characterised by G154 testing and enables an industrial black finish. Nexa believes it is suitable for the design and manufacturing of parts like large housings, enclosures and sheet metal forming dies.
The xPP405-Clear, as well as offering different aesthetics, has a heat deflection temperature of between 50-60°C, but boasts much the same modulus, tensile elongation fat failure, UV weathering stability and impact strength of the black version of the material. Nexa3D’s xPEEK147-BLACK, meanwhile, is a tough material with good surface finish, strong dimensional stability and high heat deflection temperature. It exhibits a temperature resistance of up to 230°C, has very high stiffness, is thermally stables for long periods, has good solvent resistance and has good dimensional stability. Nexa says it is suitable for production tooling, moulding applications and end-use automotive under-hood applications.
“We are pleased to further expand our partnership with Nexa3D as Loctite’s portfolio of photo-plastic and photo-elastic materials are well-matched for the higher throughput of the NXE400 3D printer,” commented Ken Kisner, Head of Innovation at Henkel. “The Nexa3D team have continued to deliver an expanded portfolio of production tools, materials and the validated workflows that the industry requires to realise the full potential of additive production.”
“We believe that our rapidly expanding collaboration with Henkel, now spanning six Loctite materials, coupled with our demonstrated 20x productivity gains achieved by our ultrafast NXE400 3D printer and up to 85% lower total cost of ownership, delivers higher productivity, better extended life functionality and exceptional economics,” added Kevin McAlea, Chief Operating Officer at Nexa3D. “Both companies are committed to democratising access to scalable additive polymer solutions, empowering customers to own their supply chain throughout their entire product life cycle from design to production and aftermarket success.”
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