Nexa3D Says New Everlast Membrane Extends Series Production 3D Printing Runs

California-based Nexa3D, well-known for making ultrafast polymer production 3D printers, has announced a new product that it says can extend series production 3D printing runs, and ensure less downtime as well. The company’s new Everlast Membrane is a new interface layer technology that’s meant to majorly increase the amount of time that membranes used for series production with Nexa3D’s NXE400 3D printer are able to last. The Everlast Membrane is made out of a resilient and durable substrate that, according to Nexa3D, “can extend the printer’s useful life more than 25 times” in comparison to other trays and vats that are on the market right now.

“We are very excited to bring Everlast Membranes to market. 3D print manufacturers seek every possible advantage to keep their workflows moving as fast and efficiently as possible while maintaining consistent production standards. Nexa3D Everlast Membranes give them yet another edge to provide longer, uninterrupted production runs and lower waste while ensuring consistent production part quality,” Michele Marchesan, the Chief Growth Officer for Nexa3D, stated in a press release sent to 3DPrint.com.

Over the past several months, Nexa3D has been in the headlines a lot, what with its acquisition of NXT Factory, multiple new reseller partnerships with companies all over the world, and teaming up with software companies Siemens and CASTOR. During an interview with the company’s CEO Avi Reichental after Formnext Connect a few months ago, we learned that Nexa3D focused on not letting the COVID-19 pandemic hold them back, but instead working to “accelerate innovation” by manufacturing critical products, shipping out 70 new 3D printers, and partnering with other companies to bring new materials to market.

“When I think about the future of AM, all of us at Nexa3D are taking significant steps from the desktop and the workshop to the production shop, taking some of the pain points out, having the ability to stimulate and to track the entire workflow with predictability and to provide the necessary quality assurance to let users know that every part and every printer will give them repeatability in performance and acceptable yields,” Reichental told us.

“We expect our value proposition of improving productivity by 20 times and having an end-to-end validated workflow that solves some of the fundamental pinpoints of our industry – basically repeatability, scalability, and acceptable production yields – will help remove the labor intensity out of every step of the AM process.”

The company’s new Everlast Membrane, which Nexa3D says can deliver “consistent optical and power transmittance” for long series productions runs, certainly is in line with what Reichtenal said is the company’s value proposition. The product is said to top 50,000 layers of processing up to 20 liters of material per each membrane, and will supposedly expand print life by more than 25 times compared to other trays and vats.

In addition to decreasing waste and downtime for changing membranes, which equals longer continuous series production runs of functional 3D printed parts, the Nexa3D Everlast Membrane is also said to feature consistent optical transmittance. This means that even after 99 parts have been printed with the membrane, the 100th part will still look the same as the first one, and Nexa3D also says that the membrane can help improve the dimensional accuracy, quality, and surface finish of the parts, no matter the material used.

Finally, the Everlast Membrane, which is compatible with the print parameters and workflows of Nexa3D’s NXE400 system, has a more resilient, tough surface, to ensure printing with more technical materials, and can also get around the typical restrictions that most membrane technologies deal with, such as aging, chemical instability, clouding, and doming effects.

Nexa3D’s newest product is immediately available for purchase on the company’s online store, or through one of its distributors. A two-pack of membranes costs $320, while a 5-pack will set you back $800.

(Source/Images courtesy of Nexa3D)