EnvisionTEC and Covestro have announced a ‘material+printer collaboration’ that will focus on enabling 3D printing tooling applications.
The aim of the partnership is to lower the barriers to entry for companies looking to utilise 3D printing for the production of moulds for parts with detailed features.
Through their alliance, Covestro has optimised its patented e-PerFORM Digital Light Processing resin for EnvisionTEC’s 3D printing equipment and is showcasing the material’s capabilities on the EnvisionTEC Perfactory P4K series at RAPID + TCT this week. The combination of material and 3D printer is said to enable injection mould tooling that can meet industry-required dimensional stability and warpage requirements.
Working together, the companies have optimised print parameters, verified the e-PerFORM resin on the Perfactory 4K series and tested its performance with key moulding institutes. A number of completed mould trials are said to have demonstrated the material’s high stiffness and high temperature performance delivers a similar performance to the Somos PerFORM resin for injection moulding tooling.
“We tested the new e-PerFORM resin printed on the EnvisionTEC P4K printer and demonstrated that we could achieve very good results in part fidelity and in the number of shots moulded in both polypropylene and glass-reinforced nylon,” commented Guy Chrétien, Process Project Manager at Polyvia. “With the cost effectiveness and print speed of the P4K platform and with the properties of the e-PerFORM resin, this creates additional opportunities for rapid tooling.”
With this initial success, the companies are confident the combination of their solutions will have a big impact in injection moulding tooling.
“The combination of our P4K printer and Covestro e-PerFORM optimised for our printers enables fast, cost-effective production of injection moulding tooling,” commented EnvisionTEC CEO Al Sliblani. “Our collaboration has resulted in a new and much-needed solution.”
“By working closely with our partner EnvisionTEC, we developed a material that meets critical needs voiced in the market: improved dimensional stability and minimal warpage for optimal functionality,” added Covestro’s Head of Additive Manufacturing Hugo da Silva. “The validation and proven solution with their P4K printers will help accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing of injection mould tooling.”
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