3D Printing

What’s new with photopolymers in additive manufacturing

Photopolymers are reported to capture over half of the market for polymer materials used in 3D printing. Recent advances in materials and enhancements of print technologies have yielded an explosive growth in the adoption of photopolymer-based printing for prototyping development and production of real-world products. With nearly 40 photopolymer 3D printer manufacturers identified globally, this growth is only expected to continue.

The 39 identified photopolymer 3D printer manufacturers in the world, as identified by the Tactile Report.

Principal author, Dr. Stephanie Benight (President of Tactile Materials Solutions in Vancouver, Washington), includes recent advances, resins available, 3D printer OEMs, key players, and information to guide the reader through the open versus closed printer manufacturer landscape.

“Given the synergy between photopolymer-based technology and what is required for additively manufactured real-world products, we wanted to capture the readiness of this technology for production, but also as much of the activity in this segment of the 3D printing space as possible,” said Dr. Benight. “The idea with the Tactile Report is to have all of this information in one place, whether you’re an industry veteran or newcomer.

This report is intended for materials providers, machine manufacturers, current customers of 3D printing production technology, those looking to manufacture with 3D printing or incorporate 3D printing into their manufacturing ecosystem, and 3D printing enthusiasts.

This report includes:

  • A comprehensive overview of all photopolymer resin material companies, their current list of products, and 3D printers that utilize photopolymer technology.
  • A section explaining why you and your company should consider UV cured materials for 3D printing applications and current traction these technologies are getting in the marketplace.
  • An explanation of the difference between “open” and “closed” printer OEMs, and the pros and cons of both.
  • Examples and overview of applications and industries utilizing photopolymers with specific case examples/studies.
  • Photopolymer-related highlights from Formnext 2020.
  • Our comments on the importance of standards in 3D printing and the current state of testing standards around photopolymer-based technologies for 3D printing.
  • A complete summary of all 39 production-ready photopolymer 3D printer OEM’s, including 3D Systems, Atum3D, Azul3D, BMF, Carbon, Coobx, Envisiontec, FormLabs, Fortify, Genera, Nexa3D, Origin, Prodways, Raplas, Rapidshape, RPS, Sisma, Stratasys, and many others.

Tactile Material Solutions
www.TactileReport.com

About Dr. Stephanie Benight

Dr. Benight holds a dual Ph.D. in Chemistry and Nanotechnology and has deep expertise in materials characterization with a demonstrated track record in business development and strategic partnerships. Her areas of research experience include additive manufacturing (3D printing), photopolymers, polypropylene, plastics used in medical devices, liquid crystals, photonics, electro-optic materials, polymer-based construction materials, organic electronic materials (e.g. for sensors, transistors), and next generation optical computing.

As President and Principal Scientist of Tactile Materials Solutions, Dr. Stephanie Benight has first-hand experience growing an open materials network of photopolymer-based material partners for additive manufacturing technology, Dr. Benight is well-versed in the 3D printing photopolymer landscape.