In August last year, it was reported that Munich-based chemical manufacturing giant Wacker disclosed that they have developed silicone 3D printing technology . Now the company has just announced that they will officially showcase the world's first industrial grade silicone 3D printer at K 2016 in October this year.
This is good news for the entire 3D printing industry because silicone is a very widely used material with outstanding performance. However, prior to this, silica gel could only be used in injection molding manufacturing techniques. This situation will change today with the advent of ACEO Imagine Series K, the name of this silicone 3D printer.
According to WACKER, they have seen the need for 3D printed silicone solutions long before. To this end, starting in 2014, the company began developing silicone 3D printing technology and equipment under the leadership of its silica research team leader Bernd Pachaly. Pachaly believes that many industrial applications can benefit from it. “In these applications, silica gel can show its outstanding properties,†he said. "Silicone is heat resistant, soft, transparent and biocompatible at lower temperatures. It can also be dyed in any color and has good damping properties.
It is understood that the 3D printer developed by WACKER has a large print size of 500×500 mm, and it uses the company's own management software. The printing speed is said to be very fast. “This 3D printer uses ACEO technology – a drop-on-demand technology developed by WACKER.†Pachaly disclosed: “It can be used to make complex geometries.†Parts and assemblies, as well as "impossible products" that were previously impossible to manufacture.
The so-called on-demand titration ACEO 3D printing technique is said to involve the deposition of tiny silica gel droplets onto a substrate using a special 3D printhead to construct the specified components. Of particular importance in the middle is that the droplets flow together before being cured by the UV light, so that the resulting parts are very uniform and almost indistinguishable from the injection molded parts. In addition, the support material is water soluble, which makes the creation and removal of the support structure convenient. The company said that the device they will show in October represents the first 3D printer to bring silicone to industrial design.
However, if you don't have the patience to wait until the ACEO Imagine Series K 3D printer is officially released, you can also use the 3D printing service provided by the device from August. According to Tiangong, two months later, this silicone 3D printer will become part of WACKER's 3D printing service and consulting business under the ACEO brand name. With the ACEO 3D printing service platform, customers can upload their own designs and order 3D printed silicone components, which will be manufactured in the ACEO Print Lab and shipped worldwide. In addition, the ACEO team provides consulting and development services to inexperienced designers.
In fact, 3D printing has become a very important business of WACKER. The company is building its own ACEO Campus Technology Center near its headquarters in Burghausen, Germany. There, customers will be able to test their concepts in the ACEO Open Print Lab.
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