New UV-Curable Engineered Resins for 3D Printing

The rapid growth of 3D printing has challenged manufacturers to find materials that enable the advanced properties needed to support new performance demands. To help additive manufactures move beyond this challenge, Arkema offers market-leading solutions in photocurable resins and high-performance thermoplastic polymers for the 3D printing market.

Led by its flagship brands including N3xtDimension® liquid resins, Rilsan® biosourced polyamide 11, and ultra-high performance Kepstan® PEKK polymer, Arkema’s product offering spans all major 3D manufacturing technologies (UV curing, powder bed fusion, filament extrusion) in partnership with all of the market’s major equipment manufacturers. Seventy-five percent of Arkema’s active product development is with its partners.

1. 1. 1. Liquid Resins for UV-Curing
      2. Sartomer, a business unit of Arkema, has developed the N3xtDimension® line of UV-curable 3D printing resins. These specialty liquid resins for 3D printing processes help additive manufacturers yield thermoplastic-like mechanical properties materials, ultra-high resolution, wavelength independency and enhanced processability. They also fulfil performance and regulatory requirements for a wide range of industrial uses in medical, dental, electronics and sporting goods applications. N3xtDimension® resins are ideal for multi-jet printing (MJP), stereolithography (SLA), digital light processing (DLP) and binder jetting (BJ) 3D printing technologies.

N3xtDimension® engineered liquid resins for UV curing enable a dedicated performance like impact resistance, flexibility, elastomeric recovery, water solubility, castability or prototyping; together with overall improved properties.

Sartomer Europe will introduce three new N3xtDimension® engineered liquid resins at the upcoming Formnext Show in Frankfurt, Germany:

• N3D I-2105 Impact resin imparts excellent impact resistance to 3D-printed materials. It enables the manufacturing of functional parts such as snap-fit buckles.
• N3D F-2115 Flexible resin achieves different flexibilities depending on the post treatment applied. Its elongation at break and modulus are fine-tunable to reach the desired set of properties such as elongation, tear resistance and Shore A hardness.
• N3D P-2125 Prototyping resin exhibits a homogeneous network, enabling an excellent processability and limited evolution of mechanical properties after post-curing.

N3xtDimension® custom liquid resin systems

3D printing wax jewelry engagement ring 3d model on a white isolated background with shadow

The N3xtDimension® line also includes custom liquid resin systems developed from a novel selection of oligomer and monomer resins to address key market needs for end-use applications. These tailor-made solutions for UV-curable additive manufacturing enable freedom of design and customized properties such as impact resistance, resolution, flexibility, processability, toughness and clarity.

3D Printing Center of Excellence

As part of its commitment to 3D printing innovation, Arkema recently opened its 3D Printing Center of Excellence at the Sartomer Americas headquarters in Exton, Pennsylvania (USA). The center is an advanced R&D lab where Sartomer and its partners develop cutting-edge 3D printing resins through advanced materials research and collaboration. This center is part of Arkema’s worldwide R&D network dedicated to the development of advanced materials for additive manufacturing, including research centers in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania (USA) for filament extrusion technologies and Serquigny (France) for powder sintering technologies. In addition, Arkema has announced new production capacities for PEKK resins in the United States in 2018, photocure resins in China in 2019, and polyamide 11 biosourced resins in Asia in 2021.

Conclusion

Success in additive manufacturing applications requires new material development and close partnerships. Customized, engineered resins and chemist-to-chemist support give additive manufacturers the technological and market edge they need to be at the forefront of 3D printing innovation.  Arkema will showcase its material offerings at Formnext 2018 in hall 3.1, booth H58.  Arkema experts will be available to discuss how materials offerings can be customized to specific applications.

Sumeet Jain, Global Director for 3D Printing Business, Sartomer