3D Printing News Briefs: July 11, 2019

July 11, 2019 by Sarah Saunders 3D Printers 3D Printing 3D Printing Materials 3D Scanning

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We’ve got plenty of new products to talk about in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, starting with materials from two chemical companies. WACKER announced new grades of of liquid and solid silicone rubber, and the Huntsman Corporation is introducing a new range of AM materials. Moving on, Artec 3D has a new addition to its product line. Finally, Rosswag Engineering has added a third SLM 280 3D printer to its facility in Germany.

WACKER Announces New Liquid and Solid Silicone Rubber Grades

At K 2019, Munich-based chemical company WACKER will showcase ELASTOSIL LR 5040. Parts made from the liquid silicone rubber possess very good mechanical properties and do not require thermal post-treatment.

At the recent Preview Press Conference for the upcoming K 2019 International Trade Fair for Plastics and Rubber, German chemical group WACKER announced several new innovative silicone materials with enhanced properties that it plans to showcase at the event in October. At Booth A10 in Hall 6 for the K 2019 show in Düsseldorf, the company will be showcasing eight topics, and will also have the new ACEO Imagine Series K2 3D silicone printer.

“Product requirements on plastic and rubber materials have risen drastically over recent years. Some standard materials can no longer keep pace with this development. That is why more and more companies are counting on silicone elastomers,” stated Christian Gimber, the VP of Engineering Silicones at Wacker Chemie AG. ” Thanks to their outstanding mechanical and chemical properties, silicones have become indispensable for solving demanding technical problems and developing and implementing innovative technologies.”

The new materials include: the high-performance ELASTOSIL LR 5040 silicone product line; flame-retardant ELASTOSIL R 771; self-adhesive liquid silicone rubber product lines ELASTOSIL LR 3671 for food technology applications and ELASTOSIL LR 3675 for automotive applications; novel silicone laminate NEXIPAL with electroactive properties; and silicone co-polymer GENIOPLAST Pellet 345, which is processed like a thermoplastic due to organic polymer segments inside.

Huntsman Corporation’s New Range of AM Materials

Another chemical company announced new materials at the K 2019 preview – the Huntsman Corporation shared details of its new range of 3D printing materials ahead of the rubber and plastics trade fair. The IROPRINT AM platform has three different kinds of flexible urethane-based materials that will work with multiple 3D printing processes, including fused filament fabrication, high speed sintering, and stereolithography. Huntsman is initially launching its new IROPRINT R resins, IROPRINT P powders, and IROPRINT F filaments in the global footwear and sports industry, though long-term plans call for branching out to other industries and applications. To learn more, visit the company’s Stand 22 in Hall 8A at K 2019.

“Our innovation incubation team worked in close cooperation with end-users and industry leaders to develop our IROPRINT additive manufacturing product portfolio. Together, we looked closely at what makes a good 3D printing material, and what’s been missing from the market to date. We believe the launch of our IROPRINT additive manufacturing portfolio fills a gap that exists for a range of functional, durable, yet softer 3D printing materials, which are technology agnostic, and both economical and easy to print – whatever your preferred production technique,” said Stephane Peysson, Global Business Development Manager at Huntsman Polyurethanes.
“Ahead of the launch of the range, we’ve been building relationships with key technology partners, which in turn work with some of the biggest footwear brands in the world. Further down the line we see huge opportunities for our IROPRINT additive manufacturing materials in other sectors of the 3D printing market, from components for the automotive industry to objects for Internet of Things (IoT) applications. It is an incredibly exciting time to be in the additive manufacturing market, with estimate s suggesting the sector is set to grow by more than 20% by 2024. We look forward to discussing the launch of our IROPRINT additive manufacturing platform with anyone actively involved in 3D printing at the main K show in October.”

Artec 3D Introduces Artec Turntable 3D Scanner

Speaking of new products, this week Artec 3D launched its fully-automated Artec Turntable, an intelligent platform that rotates for precise 3D scanning of small objects. The Artec Turntable is powered by Bluetooth and features auto-tracking capabilities for maximum results. If the Turntable loses tracking at any point during the scanning process, it will pause and reverse-rotate back, and then automatically regain its tracking and continue on. This makes the process of 3D scanning small objects very user-friendly. The Artec Turntable synchronizes perfectly with the handheld Artec Space Spider 3D scanner, and is directly integrated in the Artec Studio 3D data processing software.

“Our goal at Artec 3D has always been to make high precision professional tools as user-friendly as possible, reducing the learning curve to a minimum,” explained Artyom Yukhin, the President and CEO of Artec 3D. “The Artec Turntable, our handheld scanners and our Artec Studio software all work intuitively together to simplify all aspects of the scanning process. No matter how complex an object may be, the Artec Turntable will ensure that no features are missed during the scanning process. The technology nearly does all the work for you.”

Rosswag Engineering Acquires Additional SLM 280 3D Printer

Finally, while it’s not a new product, it’s new in a sense to German company Rosswag Engineering – it just added a third SLM 280 system from SLM Solutions to its Pfinztal facility. This acquisition will help Rosswag Engineering expand its development and production capabilities, while also aiding with material qualification. The company is a division of open die forged products provider Rosswag GmbH, which has almost 120 years of experience in manufacturing metal alloys. Rosswag Engineering is a strategic partner of SLM Solutions in advancing selective laser melting technology, and it uses the company’s Material Development Module to duplicate part positioning, in addition to creating an automated and systematic analysis of parameter sets through the use of a rule-based parameter variation.

“Our partnership with Rosswag allows us to help customers develop small-batch and exotic alloys to meet their unique needs,” said Hendrik Schonefeld, Head of Sales EMEA at SLM Solutions. “SLM Solutions is focused on production applications, and our machines reflect this, however many customers need quick parameter development to prove their process before they get to that step, and the experts at Rosswag allow us to meet their needs as well, creating a full-service selective laser melting partnership for all types of customers.”