MakerBot
ABS-R parts before and after removal of the RapidRinse supports.
MakerBot has announced the launch of a new ABS formulation and a fast-dissolving support material to make the 3D printing of industrial applications easier.
Compatible with the METHOD X and METHOD X Carbon Fiber 3D printing systems, MakerBot believes its new ABS-R and RapidRinse materials will support users in the additive manufacture of production tools and parts. The METHOD platform was launched back in 2019 with the claim of enabling ‘real ABS’ 3D printing – two years on, the company believes it has further advanced its ABS 3D printing capabilities with the launch of two new materials.
ABS-R is said to provide superior printing reliability and performance to enable more consistent and repeatable ABS parts. It has been optimised to work with the RapidRinse fast-dissolving support material, which is patent-pending and designed to eliminate ‘cumbersome and costly’ post-processing steps. Easily dissolving in warm tap water and with no caustic chemicals required, the RapidRinse material is said to be able to dissolve ‘significantly quicker’ than other high-temperature soluble support materials under the same conditions. MakerBot says the launch of RapidRinse means users will no longer need to purchase additional post-processing equipment and will have an easier and safer experience working with 3D printing.
When combining the ABS-R and RapidRinse materials with the METHOD X’s patented Variable Environmental Controlled Temperature (VECT) 110 technology, MakerBot is confident that it can now enable dimensionally accurate ABS parts of ±0.2mm as easy as it can produce parts in PLA. The new materials are expected to begin shipping in December 2021, with MakerBot suggesting they will contribute to an increase in safer and more sustainable applications of 3D printing.
“Our goal with METHOD has always been to make industrial 3D printing easy, reliable and accurate on a desktop 3D printer. With RapidRinse and ABS-R, we are continuing to deliver on that promise,” commented Nadav Goshen, CEO of MakerBot. “METHOD is the only desktop 3D printer in its price class with a heated chamber that can print a range of advanced polymers, composites and metal – all on one machine. Further, RapidRinse is another step we are taking with Stratasys in our ongoing efforts to support sustainable manufacturing practices and industry safety standards.”
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