DELO recently announced that it has developed light-curing epoxy resins that create new possibilities for liquid additive manufacturing. According to the company, the high-performance materials provide different functionalities, such as transparency or flexibility, which can be combined in one printing process. In addition, they adhere reliably and have isotropic strength in all printing directions.

Ideal for use in automotive and microelectronic applications, these epoxy resins have reportedly been optimized specifically for industrial 3D printing applications. Tailor-made liquid materials can be produced based on a broad product portfolio and desired properties, including flexibility, transparency, or conductivity.

The functional high-performance materials reportedly share a similar chemical basis and therefore exhibit good adhesion and perfect combinability, making them ideal for material mix. Hard and flexible materials, for example, can be used in one printing process by installing several dispensing heads in a printer, then applying the respective liquid materials according to defined parameters. Depending on the dispensing equipment, structures with wall thicknesses of less than 500 µm are possible using the DELO material. For complex structures with overhangs or undercuts, users can rely on a water-soluble support material.

DELO reports that since the functional materials are dispensed at room temperature, no heating of the material or installation space are required. Using UV light allows curing until final strength to take place within a few seconds, simplifying the process and helping save energy.

Different dispensing heads and curing lamps can be integrated into existing production lines, enabling the printing process to be combined with other manufacturing processes. The properties of the cured DELO materials are reportedly comparable to those of high-performance plastics, like polyamide or PEEK, as indicated by the materials’ high temperature and media resistances.

Additional information is available at www.delo.show/3d-printing.