The two companies are expanding their partnership to create three new polymer materials for faster additive manufacturing.
Polymer 3D printer developer Nexa3D has announced that it is expanding its partnership with additive manufacturing company BASF Forward AM. BASF Forward AM will be using the high productivity advantage of NEXA3D’s NXE 400 3D printer to develop more additive-manufactured prototypes for various industries.
According to Francois Minec, BASF 3D Printing Solutions managing director, their current suite of photopolymers is “well-matched for the high throughput of the NXE 400 system.” The printer reportedly offers 20X productivity, meaning increased design agility and implementation. The two companies will be working on creating three new ultrafast photopolymer materials: x45-NATURAL, x45-CLEAR, and x45 BLACK, which will be delivered via Nexa3D’s global channels. These will allow customers to design a wider range of parts including housings, enclosures, pipes, packaging products and footwear components.
The x45-NATURAL is designed for models and functional prototypes that require high strength and durability. Compared to most existing materials, it’s capable of higher print speeds while also offering out-of-printer properties with robust print styles for increased first-time build success. This means a faster turnaround for modeling and prototyping with short processing times. According to the company, x45-NATURAL’s draft build mode can offer improved flexibility for manufacturing processes. Some applications for the x45-NATURAL include models and prototypes that require good optical clarity or a matte black finish.
The x45-CLEAR also offers great build speed for enhanced adaptability in manufacturing. The material combines good clarity as well as toughness, which is ideal for models and functional prototypes that require fast turnaround times. Similar to the x45-NATURAL, it also includes out-of-printer properties with robust print styles for high first-time build success.
Meanwhile, the x45-BLACK is a unique material that features a matte black finish. This is particularly ideal for parts like automotive components that are typically molded in black plastic. The x45-BLACK also provides high build speed and out-of-printer properties for first-time build success.
Nexa3D shared that this joint effort is part of the two companies’ continued commitment to “democratizing access to scalable additive polymer solutions for the entire product life cycle from design to production.”
Widely used additive manufacturing methods for polymer materials face challenges in terms of printing speed due to limitations in the manufacturing process. According to Nexa3D, the NXE 400’s capacity can address these while simultaneously boosting efficiency and productivity.
“Thanks to these new BASF materials and Nexa3D’s open materials platform, fast just got faster,” shared Nexa3D COO Kevin McAlea. “With NXE400’s 20X productivity gains and up to 85 percent lower total cost of ownership, manufacturers will benefit from higher productivity, better functionality and exceptional cost-effectiveness.”
The NXE 400, a stereolithography 3D printer based on Nexa3D’s proprietary Lubricant Sublayer Photo-curing (LSPc) technology, is capable of continuously printing up to 16 liters of parts volume at a speed of up to 1Z cm a minute. This allows it to directly compete against injection molding rates for the rapid manufacturing of prototypes and parts.
For more information, visit https://nexa3d.com/materials/photoplastic/prototyping/.
