Smart Molding International 3-2021

additive manufacturing 25 www.smart-molding.com N exa3D, the maker of ultrafast polymer 3D printers, has re - cently announced in partner - ship with Henkel the commercial avail - ability of xFLEX 475, a category leading soft rubber material that is ideal for the production of additively manufactured industrial and consumer products. Within the high growth elastomers market, customers can now access this industrial strength material for ap - plications that require resilience, snap back and tear resistance, such as pipes and manifolds, handles, and grips, seals, and gaskets or sportswear and footwear midsoles. This material also boasts an impressive up to 150 percent elongation at failure and an excellent energy return of up to 50 percent. The new xFLEX 475 material comes in two colors; black, and white and is immedi - ately available through Nexa3D’s grow - ing network of resellers. Nexa3D’s expanding collaboration with Henkel combines the proven capa - bilities of both companies to fast-track additive manufacturing towards mass production of functional parts across multiple industries, leveraging the pro - ductivity advantage of its ultrafast NXE 400 3D printer. No other manufacturing process offers as many possibilities for greater design agility and supply chain resiliency and ultrafast implementation at every phase of the product lifecycle. Combining Nexa3D’s productivity with Henkel’s rapidly expanding suite of functional polymers, makes it possible for customers to manufacture a wider range of parts such as protective gear, and grips, hoses, and pipes, gaskets, and seals footwear components and tooling for greater performance and functionality. “Productivity and performance for volume production applications can only be maximized when manufactur - ers have access to both ultrafast 3D printer technology and advanced poly - mers,” explained Kevin McAlea, Chief Operating Officer at Nexa3D. “Histori - cally, during prototyping, manufactur - ers could 3D print aesthetically pleasing models, but they were not durable. Or they could create functional parts that did not match the aesthetic require - ments of production parts. We don’t believe manufacturers should have to compromise any longer. Our close part - nershipwith Henkel allows us to expand our suite of functional photoplastic and photoelastic materials, so customers can produce functional prototypes and volume production parts that have both an attractive surface finish and the du - rability they require.” “Henkel’s portfolio of photoplastic and photoelastic materials are tailored to the high throughput of the NXE 400 ultrafast 3D printer, allowing design and manufacturing engineers to achieve the best results with both rapid prototyping andmass production,” explained Simon Mawson, Senior Vice President and Global Head of 3D Printing at Henkel. “We plan to further strengthen our col - laboration with the Nexa3D team and quickly expand our materials portfolio to help make rapid prototyping and mass production of functional parts more accessible.” Henkel www.henkel.com The new soft rubber material xFLEX 475 is designed to deliver higher resilience, greater snapback and stronger tear resistance for additively manufactured industrial and consumer products. Nexa3D and Henkel are launching xFLEX 475 - new photoelastic material The combination of Nexa3Ds and Henkel ́s expertise enables the manufacturing of 3D printed parts such as protective gear, and grips, hoses, and pipes, gaskets, and seals footwear components and tooling for greater performance and functionality (picture: Henkel)