- DuraChain photopolymers deliver breakthrough elastic and tough
material properties for digital light processing (DLP) printing
through a Photo Polymerization-Induced Phase Separation (PIPS)
process
- Several DuraChain materials – Elastic ToughRubber™ Black and
Blanc in various hardnesses – will be exclusively offered on the
ETEC Xtreme 8K top-down DLP system
- When illuminated during DLP printing, DuraChain 2-in-1
photopolymers phase separate at the nano level into a material that
cures into a resilient, high-performance network
- DuraChain photopolymers will enable a new wave of innovations
in 3D printing
Desktop Metal (NYSE: DM), a global leader in additive
manufacturing technologies for mass production, today announced
DuraChain™ — a first-of-its-kind commercial category of
photopolymers that uses a material chemistry process known as Photo
Polymerization-induced Phase Separation, or Photo PIPS, to deliver
breakthrough material properties.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220512005585/en/
Desktop Metal has announced an all-new
category of 3D printable resins called DuraChain™ that delivers
two-part material strength in a single pot. End-use products such
as core components on the DustBuddie from Dustless Tools are
already being 3D printed domestically in DuraChain category
materials. (Photo: Business Wire)
Parts produced with standard acrylate-based resins used in DLP
3D printing today are prone to shattering or fracturing upon
impact. For decades, the 3D printing industry has been working to
incrementally improve these material properties and deliver more
durable and elastomeric properties.
DuraChain photopolymers solve this challenge with a breakthrough
approach that leverages the Photo PIPs process to produce tough and
resilient end-use parts while eliminating the need for a two-part
resin. When illuminated during DLP printing, DuraChain materials
phase separate into two parts at the nano level and then cure into
a resilient, high-performing network that offers a variety of
benefits. DuraChain was developed by Texas-based Adaptive3D, which
was acquired by Desktop Metal in 2021.
Unlike two-part resins, DuraChain photopolymers demonstrate a
long pot life of roughly one year, depending on environmental
conditions, making them more suitable for volume production and
reducing waste from spoiled, unused material.
“DuraChain photopolymers signal a new era in DLP printing that
delivers material properties that compete with thermosets in a long
pot-life material,” said Ric Fulop, Co-Founder and CEO of Desktop
Metal. “Parts printed with DuraChain resins are high performing in
a wide range of temperatures and offer other important benefits
that will quickly lead to new material innovations in DLP
printing.”
The Challenge of Commercializing Photo PIPS
Photopolymers that cure using the Photo PIPs process have been
studied by researchers for years but have not been broadly
commercialized – primarily because DLP 3D printing hardware has
struggled to print the high viscosity resins required to make use
of this process.
Most DLP systems feature a bottom-up printing process in which a
projector is placed below the build area and illuminates each part
layer through a transparent tray, while the part advances upward
suspended to a build tray. Because Photo PIPS resins require more
energy to cure and are relatively heavy compared to standard
resins, they are challenging to suspend from a build plate during
bottom-up DLP printing.
Desktop Metal’s DuraChain materials will be printable on one of
the additive manufacturing industry’s only top-down DLP systems,
the ETEC Xtreme 8K.
A New Line of DuraChain Photopolymers
Several DuraChain materials will be exclusively available on the
ETEC Xtreme 8K: Elastic ToughRubber (ETR) 70 and 90, both of which
are offered today and which differ in Shore A durometer value. ETR
70 is available in Black while ETR 90 is available in both Black
and Blanc, which produces white parts that can be dyed to any color
for production.
ETR is already being used to 3D print end-use parts. A case
study showcases how Dustless Tools, a maker of construction and
industrial vacuum systems based in Utah, uses the rugged ETR
material to domestically produce its DustBuddie for demolition
hammers. The rugged application requires the material to have high
energy return, tear strength, resilience and other durability
properties.
Additionally, a new video also showcases the use of ETR 70 Black
by Aerosport Additive, a premium service bureau for 3D printed
prototypes and production parts outside of Columbus, Ohio.
Aerosport has purchased several ETEC Xtreme 8K printers and serves
the aviation, automotive, medical, electronic, and military
industries, among others.
Parts 3D printed in a variety of DuraChain materials will be on
display May 17-19 in Detroit at RAPID + TCT, North America’s
largest and most-influential additive manufacturing event. Desktop
Metal’s production-capable printing platforms for metals, polymer,
elastomers, ceramics, composites, and upcycled wood materials will
be showcased in Booth No. 3301 at the main entrance of the
show.
About Desktop Metal
Desktop Metal, Inc., based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is
accelerating the transformation of manufacturing with an expansive
portfolio of 3D printing solutions, from rapid prototyping to mass
production. Founded in 2015 by leaders in advanced manufacturing,
metallurgy, and robotics, the company is addressing the unmet
challenges of speed, cost, and quality to make additive
manufacturing an essential tool for engineers and manufacturers
around the world. Desktop Metal was selected as one of the world’s
30 most promising Technology Pioneers by the World Economic Forum,
named to MIT Technology Review’s list of 50 Smartest Companies, and
the 2021 winner of Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Award in
materials and Fast Company’s Next Big Things in Tech Award for
sustainability.
Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements
within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking
statements generally are identified by the words “believe,”
“project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,”
“strategy,” “future,” “opportunity,” “plan,” “may,” “should,”
“will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,”
and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are
predictions, projections and other statements about future events
that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a
result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could
cause actual future events to differ materially from the
forward-looking statements in this document, including but not
limited to, the risks and uncertainties set forth in Desktop Metal,
Inc.'s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
These filings identify and address other important risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ
materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made.
Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking
statements, and Desktop Metal, Inc. assumes no obligation and does
not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements,
whether as a result of new information, future events, or
otherwise.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220512005585/en/
Media Relations: Lynda McKinney
lyndamckinney@desktopmetal.com (978) 224-1282
Investor Relations: Jay Gentzkow
jaygentzkow@desktopmetal.com (781) 730-2110
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