Nexa3D
Nexa3D has announced the launch of a new soft rubber 3D printing material developed in partnership with Henkel.
The xFLEX 475 material is said to be suitable for the additive manufacture of industrial and consumer products on Nexa3D’s NXE 400 stereolithography platform.
Available in black and white, the xFLEX 475 exhibits an elongation at failure of 150% and an energy return of up to 50%. Nexa3D has made the material available immediately through its network of resellers, and believes the material is capable of being used to produce applications which require resilience, snap back and tear resistance. Among such applications, Nexa lists pipes and manifolds, handles, grips, seals and footwear midsoles, among other parts.
“Productivity and performance for volume production applications can only be maximised when manufacturers have access to both ultrafast 3D printer technology and advanced polymers,” commented Kevin McAlea, Chief Operating Officer at Nexa3D. “Historically, during prototyping, manufacturers could 3D print aesthetically pleasing models, but they were not durable. On the other hand, they could create functional parts that did not match the aesthetic requirements of production parts. We don’t believe manufacturers should to compromise any longer. Our close partnership with Henkel allows us to expand our suite of functional photoplastic and photoelastic materials, so customers can produce functional prototypes and volume production parts that have both an attractive surface finish and the durability they require.”
“Henkel’s portfolio of photoplastic and photoelastic materials are tailored to the high throughput of the NXE 400 ultrafast 3D printer, allowing design and manufacturing engineers to achieve the best results with both rapid prototyping and mass production,” added Simon Mawson, Senior Vice President and Global Head of 3D Printing at Henkel. “We plan to further strengthen our collaboration with the Nexa3D team and quickly expand our materials portfolio to help make rapid prototyping and mass production of functional parts more accessible.”
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