In September of last year, German 3D printer manufacturer EnvisionTEC announced a partnership with Royal DSM, possibly the largest third party professional photopolymer resin manufacturer. Through DSM’s Somos brand of resins, the company is working with EnvisionTEC to develop materials specifically for the firm’s advanced 3SP 3D printers. At the AMUG Conference taking place this week, the partners announced that they’ve begun the beta phase of their collaboration.
EnvisionTEC’s 3SP® series is being pitched as a game changer for the company and the industry due to the large size and quick speed of the machines. Somos joined the DLP leader with the goal of providing a new range of industrial-grade materials for the 3SP line. After a successful round of alpha testing, the partners have determined that the high-performance materials are ready to move out of the alpha phase to begin beta testing with an EnvisionTEC customer.
John Hartner, Chief Operating Officer EnvisionTEC, said of the trials, “Great progress has been made in the collaborative partnership with Somos®. We are excited to test this developmental material with one of our strategic customers that is looking to make very large parts with high detail. We believe they will be as excited as we are with the performance of the 3SP® printer and this material.” Melissa Lutz, Business Director Somos®, added, “This is just the start of the collaboration between us. We are thrilled to be working with EnvisionTEC to bring new solutions to the 3D printing industry.”
EnvisionTEC’s technology is already highly utilized for such markets as dentistry, jewelry, and electronics. With the addition of Somos industrial-grade materials, it’s easy to imagine that the applications of the machines will only increase. What those applications will be remains to be seen, as the materials being developed are not yet disclosed.
