Nexa3D, the maker of polymer 3D printers, has struck an exclusive material development agreement with functional polymers firm Henkel.
This agreement builds upon the companies’ partnership and deepens their joint commitment to advancing the capabilities of additive manufacturing (AM) for volume production.
As part of the expanding partnership, Nexa3D and Henkel are developing a new casting material which can be used to produce complex geometries to reduce weight and consolidate parts, resulting in affordable lightweight parts at high production volumes. The new class of functional material is fully optimised for ultrafast 3D printing workflows. Use of advanced design for additive manufacturing tools will further optimise results possible with the material, enabling reductions in material and energy consumption as well as final part weights and costs.
Kevin McAlea, COO of Nexa3D, said: “We have found that fewer than five percent of the more than 45,000 foundries globally currently use 3D printing, with adoption typically constrained by technology being either too slow or too expensive. Compared to traditional stereolithography printers, the combination of this new material and our ultrafast technology offers 20X productivity and produces far more robust parts. Foundries and patternmakers now have access to a complete digital workflow that enables them to speed up production and post-processing to develop patterns faster.”