[penci_blockquote style=”style-2″ align=”none” author=”” uppercase=”false”]Designers now have the option to 3D-print silicone rubber parts in color using liquid silicone rubber from Dow and a new dosing system developed by Nexus[/penci_blockquote]
A collaboration between Dow, Nexus Elastomer Systems and German RepRap enables designers to 3D-print colored parts using Dow’s groundbreaking SILASTIC™ 3D 3335 Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR) and companion color packs from Mesgo Iride Colors.
End-users can now enjoy the benefits of Dow’s 3D-printable LSR in a range of consumer-pleasing colors thanks to this collaboration, which has linked Nexus’s new color dosing system with German RepRap’s liquid additive manufacturing (LAM) 3D printer.
“The collaborative work with Nexus and German RepRap to align the new dosing system with the German RepRap L320 3D printer enabled us to give designers the option of printing colored parts – as well as transparent parts – from this uniquely beneficial material,” said Hans Peter Wolf, research and development manager at Dow.
SILASTIC™ 3D 3335 Liquid Silicone Rubber is very transparent, enabling users to design and produce parts for applications where clarity and transparency are vital attributes. The final performance is virtually the same, regardless of which color the designer chooses.
Once used primarily for prototyping, 3D printing has entered the realm of production-scale manufacturing. Potential applications include, but are not limited to, mobility and lighting, wearable devices, consumer electronics, and custom footwear.
Visitors to the K 2019 Trade Fair – 16-23 October in Düsseldorf, Germany – will be able to see this system in action on the new German RepRap L320 3D printer. Demonstrations using SILASTIC™ 3D-printable LSR will be held daily at the Dow exhibit in Hall 8a, Booth K48.
More about SILASTIC™ 3D-printable LSR
SILASTIC™ 3D-printable LSR combines the performance benefits of silicone elastomers with the design and processing advantages of the additive manufacturing process. It can enable faster prototype development and the creation of customized products, and it is ideal for small manufacturing trials of complex parts.
Expanding design options and speeding time to market, SILASTIC™ 3D-printable LSR supports colored and transparent 3D-printed parts with properties that closely match those of injection-molded LSR parts and can ease transfer to injection molding processes for high-volume manufacturing.
