New Line of Engineering Materials for Desktop 3D Printing Unveiled

Dear DE Reader:

They’re an interesting bunch of engineers and designers over at Formlabs. For example, their Form 2 brings professional-level SLA (stereolithography) 3D printing in a desktop-sized package that runs 3500 smackers. They also develop their own 3D printing software and their own materials, including three new materials announced a few days ago. Today’s Check it Out link offers you a way to get a hold of a sample to see what these materials are about.

Hitting today’s link takes you to “Engineering Industries,” a multimedia web page. You’ll first see a short video overview of what professionals can do with the Form 2. Watch it and then scroll down. You’ll see various application areas where you can use the Form 2—concept modeling, rapid prototyping, pre-production design validation and production jobs like jigs and fixtures. Each topic has a complementary video.

You then come to “High-Performance Engineering Materials.” Click on the “Compare Properties and Applications” button. Here you’ll find details on all of Formlabs’ materials, including their new High Temp and Durable as well as their newly reformulated Tough Resin. With each discussion, you’ll find a link to get a sample sent to you.

So, what’s the deal with the new materials? My contact explains that Tough Resin closely resembles ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic with comparable tensile and flexural strength. This is the material you’d use for functional prototyping since it should withstand high stress or strain well.

The new Durable material was designed to simulate PP (polypropylene) plastic. It has a comparable low modulus and high-impact strength. It’s wear-resistant and can handle deformation. Its smooth, glossy finish should do you well with applications where you’re prototyping consumer products or packaging.

The High Temp material sounds interesting. It has an HDT (heat deflection temperature) of 0.45 MPa (megapascals) of 289°C. That means you can use it for production processes such as casting and thermoforming as well as applications testing hot air or fluid flows and prototyping injection molding tools.

The importance of this is plain: When you’re using 3D printing to prototype designs, it’s always to your benefit to use materials with properties that jibe with your intended production material’s properties. And when you can do it from your desktop, it can make your process much smoother. Hit today’s Check it Out link, learn more about Formlabs’ capabilities and request your sample part to finish the job. Good stuff.

Thanks, Pal. – Lockwood

Anthony J. Lockwood

Editor at Large, DE