3D Systems has expanded its PlasticJet Printing materials to include a new Nylon for its CubePro 3D printers—a desktop printer that can suit a number of professional engineering applications as well as consumer applications. The engineering-grade Nylon material brings strength, flexibility and durability to desktop production of functional parts for design, testing and small-scale manufacturing. The Nylon is a blend that includes Nylon 6 and is compatible with Infinity Rinse-Away water-soluble support material. The material enables 3D printing of complex, articulated and fully assembled end-use parts.

The material comes in a new Smart Cartridge equipped with a hydroscopic seal that extends the material’s shelf life for up to 12 months. Nylon cartridges are priced at $149 each, and are available immediately on Cubify and through select distributors. The CubePro has a climate-controlled chamber that houses these cartridges, so users are assured of high quality output for every use.

Luke Schantz, a technologist at SoftLayer recently worked with this material and observed the material’s properties. “When prototyping my custom-built, visual effects robot I knew ABS would be strong enough for some fit testing; but when it got to doing the real work, the functional testing and ongoing use, I needed the strength and endurance that Nylon delivers.”

Beyond functional prototyping and test parts, Nylon’s strength, durability, and smooth surface finish allows CubePro owners to transform their desktop 3D printer into an economic tool for low volume, high value direct-manufacturing. For example, small businesses can readily produce several hundred precision parts to satisfy their monthly sales requirements using a bank of CubePro printers as an affordable flexible-manufacturing cell.

“We are thrilled to offer this long-awaited material to our core, desktop user base, empowering engineers, small businesses and start-ups alike,” said Peter Theran, Vice President, Global Consumer Products, 3DS. “Nylon for CubePro takes desktop 3D printing into direct-manufacturing and end-use part production.”

Nylon for CubePro features include:

–Tensile Strength: 4,785 psi (pounds per square inch), with flexibility of a dog bone-like shape of 1/8th in. thick, 1/2 in. wide

–Elongation at break value: 22 %; 1 in. can stretch to 1.22 in.

–Strength-to-weight ratio: 174 psi, for light and strong parts with honeycomb infill structure

–Tensile Modulus: 248,005 psi

–Flexural strength: 8,270 psi

–Hardness, Shore D: 75 via needle penetration, meaning Nylon is as hard as a hardhat

Nylon’s strength and durability gives prints a smooth surface finish, ideal for parts requiring load bearing, base strength.

This material has good shape memory; it can snap back to original form, adding both form and function to 3D prints with Nylon.

3D Systems
www.3dsystems.com