Ackuretta Technologies Launches Ackuray A135 DLP 3D Printer and Eight Engineering-Grade 3D Printing Resins

Taiwan-based professional-grade 3D printer and materials manufacturer Ackuretta Technologies has just announced its new Ackuray A135 3D printer, and a line of eight engineering-grade resin materials to go with it. The Ackuray A135 was built with durable, high-grade components and uses DLP technology, along with several other features to improve the print quality and machine reliability. The materials, the Qura range and the DETAX range, are designed especially for applications in jewelry and dentistry; the resins also work for medical, manufacturing, and prototyping.

First, let’s take a look at the Ackuray A135. DLP technology is becoming ever more popular for 3D printing small parts with fine details, because these systems are usually capable of producing some of the highest resolution small parts available. The Ackuray A135 system design features very few moving parts, so it’s not only easy to operate, it’s also reliable. The build envelope is 135 x 76 x 200 mm, which is comparable to the desktop MiiCraft 125 DLP printer from Young Optics, also located in Taiwan. There is a 70 micron resolution on both X and Y, and the Ackuray A135 is extraordinarily accurate, due to its closed-loop brushless servo control of the Z-axis, which allows for resolutions of up to 1 µm increments.

Ayush Bagla, Managing Director, Ackuretta Technologies, said, “The A135 embodies the innovation and value that Ackuretta has set out to achieve in order to revolutionize the additive manufacturing industry. By incorporating DLP technology in a flexible, high-precision 3D printer, we are set to provide the product manufacturing industry with the speed and accuracy necessary to deploy 3D printing in viable business model.”

The machine uses the functional and reliable Materialise Visualizer Software platform, which gives users a more streamlined and customizable experience. A free three-year Visualizer license comes bundled with the purchase of the Ackuray A135, and offers features like automatic supports. Ackuray users also have the option of upgrading to Visualizer+, which offers additional features, including analyzing and auto-correcting print defects. The Ackuray A135 is priced at $18,900, and as part of the printer’s launch, Ackuretta Technologies is also introducing its eight resins, which were created specifically for work in the jewelry, dentistry, medical, prototyping, and production fields. The resins include four biocompatible materials, and modeling and casting materials.

There are four resins in the Qura range, and the first, a photopolymer resin aptly named QuraDENT, is perfect for printing dental models for laboratories, thanks to its matte finish and opaque optical properties. It is capable of reproducing the extremely fine details necessary for dental molds, and is recommended for any dental applications requiring high dimensional stability and accuracy and a fine surface finish. The other Qura photopolymer resin, QuraCLEAR, can 3D print parts with almost complete optical transparency, making it perfect for flow models, surgical guides, and prototypes requiring a transparent look.

Tough, with a high temperature resistance, QuraGP was designed to specifically stimulate standard ABS plastics. It’s durable, and offers both chemical and impact resistance, as well as very low shrinkage. This resin is a good choice if you want to print prototypes that are both accurate and functional. QuraWAX is another one of the Ackuretta resins well-suited for jewelry and dental casting, with its smooth surface finish and obvious high wax content; this last feature gives it an easy casting performance.

The four DETAX Freeprint resins are all biocompatible and BPA-free. DETAX Freeprint Splint and DETAX Freeprint Mould are the two clear DETAX materials, but DETAX Freeprint Splint is a transparent, light-curing resin that can be used to manufacture drilling templates for occlusal splints (a night guard for your teeth). The light curing resin DETAX Freeprint Mould is better for generative manufacturing of hearing protection and hard earmolds.

Green transparent light-curing DETAX Freeprint Cast 2.0 is also used to manufacture earmolds, but of the silicone variety. DETAX Freeprint Shell works best when you’re making hard ITE shells; it’s a black, light-curing standard resin.

In terms of price for these eight resins, they range from $140 (QuraGP) all the way up to $550 (DETAX Freeprint Splint).

Ackuretta also offers laser-based stereolithography printers as well as their DLP machines. The company wants to streamline the way businesses manage their time, in order to inspire untapped avenues of artistic and creative product development. It has developed its own hardware, software, and proprietary materials since its inception, in order to offer a complete end-to-end solution, as well as training and support, to its customers. Discuss in the Ackuretta forum at 3DPB.com.