Desktop Metal, Evonik Enhance Partnership

Desktop Metal and Evonik, a materials provider in 3D printing technology based in Germany, have expanded their collaboration on photopolymer and materials development with the qualification of INFINAM ST 6100 L on the ETEC Xtreme 8K and the Pro XL.

Evonik INFINAM ST 6100 L is a material used in high-strength photopolymers for 3D printing. It has a tensile strength (UTS) of 90 MPa, flexural stress of 135 MPa, and heat deflection temperature (HDT) of 120°C.

Desktop Metal’s ETEC brand for polymer 3D printing includes Digital Light Processing (DLP) hardware and a curated portfolio of AM materials.

“Desktop Metal is delighted to add Evonik and its INFINAM material to our highly selective portfolio of polymers, as we continue to offer customers the flagship material solutions in each performance class, ranging from stiff rigid plastics to high strength-to-weight ratio elastomers and foams,” says Walter Voit, senior vice president for polymer materials at Desktop Metal. “Our hardware systems offer the size, speed, and quality required for high-throughput Additive Manufacturing 2.0 production of premium photoresins like ST 6100L.”

“Collaboration with customers and partners is an important driver of innovation for us,” said Vitor Lavini, head of Evonik’s photopolymer market segment in the company’s Additive Manufacturing Innovation Growth Field. “The validation of ST 6100 L on Desktop Metal’s printers—especially the ETEC Xtreme 8K—fits with Evonik’s vision that larger and faster DLP printers will increase productivity, substantially reduce costs per part, and enable series production in the long run.”

The properties offered by INFINAM ST 6100 L make the material ideal for 3D printed production of molds, models, and tooling, as well as end-use parts in the aerospace, automotive, or electronics industries. Additionally, tools or parts 3D printed in INFINAM ST 6100 can deliver precise features and a smooth surface finish, especially when paired with the crisp 65 μm resolution offered on the ETEC Pro XL. Parts printed in this material can also be machined and polished, in addition to other post-processing techniques.

High-Throughput Production with Materials

A 3D printing process in use since 1999, DLP harnesses light from a video projector to cure photosensitive liquid resins into parts layer by layer, one flash at a time. DLP is a fast, accurate forms of polymer 3D printing, delivering high accuracy and a smooth surface finish with consistent materials properties.

The ETEC Xtreme 8K is the world’s largest industrial-grade DLP printer for high-volume production. With a 66-liter build volume and two overhead projectors, the Xtreme 8K is ideal for high-throughput tooling and end-use part applications, as well as the production of larger parts. The ETEC Xtreme 8K offers a build volume of 450 × 371 x 399 mm (17.72 x 14.61 x 15.71 in). The system is produced at Desktop Metal’s Polymer Center of Excellence in Richardson, Texas.

Priced for purchase at under $40,000, the ETEC Pro XL is a premium DLP printer with 385 nm wavelength technology, 5mW/cm2 power, and Hyperprint closed-loop printing – all of which work together to deliver premium results at high printing speeds. The ETEC Pro XL offers a build volume of 249.1 x 140.1 x 165.1 mm (9.8 x 5.5 x 6.5 in).

Parts 3D printed on the ETEC Xtreme 8K in Evonik INFINAM ST 6100 L material will be on display during the 2024 Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) Conference in Chicago, from March 10 to 14 at the Evonik booth P12, Salon D.