Carbon Introduces New Polymer Material
Carbon® became known a few years ago for the release of its fragment 3D printing technology, attracting attention for its unprecedented print speeds and advanced designability. These materials, with their complexity and engineering-grade performance, play a large role in making the technology work to perfection and form a major part of the company's advanced 3D printing product development strategy. carbon®'s materials are among the most advanced polymer materials for industrial end-use. Whenever the company introduces a new material, it is always noteworthy.
Carbon®'s newest material is SIL 30, a silicone polyurethane material that combines biocompatibility, low stiffness, and tear strength. This material is designed for comfortable skin contact applications, such as headphones, wristbands and wearable accessories. It has a Shore hardness of 35, comparable to commercial thermoplastic elastomers.
"Consumer goods and medical are the most promising industries for large-scale use of 3D printing. That's why we prioritize the development of new materials like SIL 30," said Dr. Joseph DeSimone, CEO and co-founder of Carbon®, "We now have seven biocompatible materials, more than twice as many as other additive manufacturing companies."
All of these materials are suitable for long-term dermal contact (more than 30 days), and short-term mucosal contact (less than 24 hours.) The exception is EPU 40, which is only suitable for dermal contact. carbon® plans to obtain biocompatibility information for several other materials in the near future. The company is committed to providing data that supports the safety of its materials in medical and consumer applications and through collaboration with the North American Scientific Society (NAMSA). NAMSA is able to provide biocompatibility testing for 10,993 criteria consistent with FDA recommendations.
"For years, Carbon®n's materials scientists have been actively working to create the broadest possible range and depth of photopolymer materials with exceptional surface quality, mechanical properties tuned for production and now biocompatibility," said Jason Rolland, associate director of materials for Carbon®, " As we develop new production-quality materials, we engage closely with our customers to understand their individual needs. As a result, the range of materials that can be used on our M-Series 3D printers and digital photosynthesis technology will continue to grow broadly.
Carbon® is not the only company introducing new materials today. ARRK Europe has added a new material to its line of SLS 3D printing materials; SLS is one of several services the company offers to its customers. The new material, DuraForm Flex Black, is a more flexible 3D printing material developed to meet customer demand and increases the total number of SLS materials offered by ARRK to five, including DuraForm PA, GFN, HT and EX.
"We are proud to be able to offer our customers this new material, which has been in demand for a long time," said Craig Vickers, Head of Prototyping, "By using traditional DuraForm powders and our in-house column impregnation technology, we can now offer customers with a material that increases flexibility while maintaining its overall strength. This is a product we have been working hard to develop at ARRK and is something we are proud of."
ARRK's services include prototyping, engineering, tooling and low-volume production. In addition to SLS 3D printing, the company offers SLA and several other production methods, including CNC machining and vacuum casting.