Evonik is continuing its material campaign in 3D printing. With Infinam RG 3101 L and Infinam FL 6300 L, the specialty chemicals company has developed two new photopolymers for industrial 3D printing. They expand the product line of synthetic resins launched in 2021 that are suitable for use in common photopolymer 3D printing processes such as SLA or DLP.
Infinam RG 3101 L is another specialty resin for use in SLA and DLP 3D printing technologies from the company’s innovation hub in Singapore. The ready-to-use material is said to combine excellent impact resistance with high temperature resistance while exhibiting long-lasting thermomechanical performance. 3D components printed from this material such as drones, buckles, or automotive parts, can be processed by machine and remain fracture-resistant even when subjected to strong forces.
Elastomer photopolymers
With Infinam FL 6300 L, Evonik and the Viennese 3D printing company Cubicure are commercializing an innovation project jointly launched in 2019. The hot lithography printing process developed by Cubicure makes it possible for the first time to process highly viscous light-curing polyester-based resins. In contrast to conventional stereolithography, Hot Lithography creates objects at an elevated processing temperature using light-induced polymerization. The process is said to allow a significantly wider range of processable components.
The result of this collaboration is the first industrially suitable elastomer from the photopolymer class. Infinam FL 6300 L enables the additive manufacturing of highly flexible 3D objects that excel in material properties essential for elastomers: in addition to outstanding low temperature elasticity, its strengths include dynamic load cycles of up to one million load cycles.
„Infinam FL 6300 L enables completely new manufacturing possibilities in the field of elastic components. Thanks to the high precision with which the elastomer is processed in our hot lithography systems, it is possible for the first time to produce the most complex structures from a rubber-like material. The sports industry is showing great interest in using the material for cushioning elements in shoes, grips or backpacks,“ says Dr. Robert Gmeiner, CEO of Cubicure.
Evonik bundles its expertise in 3D printing in the Additive Manufacturing Innovation Growth Field. The strategic focus is on the development and production of new materials for all major polymer-based 3D printing technologies. Within this framework, the company has organized its product range of ready-to-use materials under the new Infinam brand.