On November 11, 2020, 3D printer manufacturer Nexa3D and chemical company Henkel jointly launched a new universal xPRO410 photosensitive resin. This rigid material is based on Henkel's Loctite PRO410 polymer and is optimized for printing on Nexa3D's NXE400 SLA 3D printer.
In addition, Nexa3D also launched a new xCast resin designed for the production of precision metal casting models. To provide a faster, tool-less alternative to traditional manufacturing, xCast is also optimized for NXE400, which is ideal for small and large parts in various industries.
xPRO410
Nexa3D describes xPRO410 as an economical, ultra-fast material that can provide high part accuracy and excellent surface effects. It is mainly aimed at 3D printing service providers who want to increase the delivery speed of parts, because this material can be printed on the NXE400 at a continuous speed of 8L per hour. Once cured, the material can maintain dimensional accuracy within 0.2% and can withstand temperatures up to 70°C. Nexa3D stated that it plans to provide a sample of xPRO410 with each NXE400 sold.
Ken Kisner, Head of Innovation at Henkel, said: "We are very pleased to further expand our partnership with Nexa3D and provide Formnext Connect with market access for a new class of photopolymers in a timely manner. Our cooperation with Nexa3D has broken the traditional 3D printing process. Productivity, performance and cost barriers."
xCast
xCast resin is developed for specific applications. It is intended as an "economical and scalable" alternative to metal production and is specially formulated for casting. According to reports, this material is characterized by clean ablation. Compared with traditional casting production, it can significantly increase productivity. Users can make models in one day instead of weeks.
Models printed with xCast can also be optimized using digital twin printing software. The process algorithm of the program can be used to improve part performance, consistency, achieve higher yields, and minimize material and energy consumption.
Brent Zollinger, Account Director of Nexa3D, concluded: "We are very pleased to be able to digitize parts in the precision casting process while bringing a 20-fold increase in productivity to the foundry. As a heavy user of the foundry industry, we have spent two years in this industry. For more than ten years, it is our honor to be part of the transformation of the foundry industry. What is more important is that the xCast model printed on NXE400 has greatly reduced the cost of traditional investment casting by up to 90%, while the production time is only one tenth."