Forward AM and Photocentric launch joint portfolio of 3D printing visible light photopolymers

BASF’s 3D printing arm Forward AM, and materials and systems manufacturer Photocentric have launched a joint portfolio of polymers called ‘Ultracur3D Powered by Photocentric.’ Developed as part of an ongoing strategic partnership between Photocentric and Forward AM, the new resins are custom-engineered to work with Photocentric’s LCD systems. The initial line of ten visible light […]

3D printing industry news sliced: Nexa3D, Lulzbot, Protolabs, Shapeways, Arkema, 3D Hubs and more. 

In this edition of Sliced, the 3D Printing Industry news digest, we cover the latest business developments, partnerships, and acquisitions across our industry.  Today’s edition features supply chain updates, additive manufacturing partnerships, new 3D printing materials, a number of investments in the industry and a 3D printed  off-road electric vehicle.  Read on for the most […]

Nexa3D and Henkel launch new medical-grade polymer 3D printing material

California-based SLA 3D printer manufacturer Nexa3D and global chemical company Henkel have launched a new polymer for 3D printing called xMED412. The polypropylene (PP)-like material combines enhanced strength properties with the biocompatibility of medical-grade materials, potentially making it well-suited to producing medical devices. What’s more, the high-impact, durable plastic has also been tested and cleared […]

How to Apply Material Science Principles to Optimize For Strength in 3D Printing

3D printing can be used to manufacture all kinds of objects. It’s a very versatile process, and it can handle even the most complicated designs without much issue. When printing functional parts, strength is an important factor, and you might question if 3D printing is really your best option. With smart design and proper material selection, it’s surprisingly easy to make strong and durable 3D printed parts.

Basic Definitions

In the world of engineering and material science, “strength” has a specific meaning. So do other words like “toughness” and “stiffness”. Let’s make sure we’re all on the same page here and quickly go over some commonly used terms.

Yield strength is a material property that quantifies how much stress (internal pressure) a material can withstand before permanently deforming. Let’s consider a paperclip. If you bend it very gently, it will spring back to its original shape. If you bend it with considerable force, it will not spring back entirely, and it will stay bent. Usually, we don’t want parts to permanently deform like this, so for strong parts, it’s important to choose materials with high yield strength.

Toughness tells us how much energy a material can absorb without breaking. A material with high toughness is usually desirable in impact-absorption applications, but it comes with certain tradeoffs such as increased ductility.

Ductility is a measure of how far an object can deform without breaking. For example, paperclips must be made from a ductile material so they can be bent into shape without snapping.

Brittleness is the opposite of ductility. If an object is brittle, it will fracture after deforming only a small distance. Glass, for example, is brittle even though it has a relatively high yield strength. Brittleness is usually undesirable.

Stiffness measures how rigid a material is. Materials with high stiffness are very good at keeping their shape even under load, and stiff materials are usually used in load-bearing applications. A stiff or rigid material will deflect less than a flexible material under the same load.

Hardness measures a material’s resistance to scratching and surface indentation. Hard materials will scratch softer materials, but not vice-versa.

Material Choice

The material you choose significantly influences the strength of your part. You will normally choose a material depending on which material properties are most important to you. Shapeways offers a wide variety of materials, and each material has a unique set of properties that should be taken into consideration when you want a strong 3D print.

Thermoplastics

Thermoplastics are quite common in 3D printing. These plastics soften with heat and can be remelted once they have been printed. Some common thermoplastics are Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), Nylon or Polyamide (PA), and Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). Of these common thermoplastics, Nylon has the best balance of strength, toughness, and stiffness. Shapeways has several options of industrial-grade Nylon, two of these are: PA12, and PA12 GB.

PA12, also known as Nylon 12 is a tough, high-strength thermoplastic. It is printed with multi-jet-fusion (MJF) technology and can be smoothed to make parts watertight. As an added benefit, PA12 offers good chemical resistance.

PA12 GB is very similar to PA12 but this material is infused with lots of tiny glass beads. Since this material is 40% glass-filled, it has improved stiffness and resistance to warping.

Both of these thermoplastics have near-homogeneous properties. Due to the MJF printing process, these parts have comparable strength in the X, Y, and Z directions.

Thermoset Plastics

Thermoset plastics cannot be remelted once they have been cured. The 3D printing method used to print thermoset plastics is called stereolithography or SLA. In this process, a laser scans over a liquid bath of light-activated photopolymer resin, hardening the areas to be printed and leaving the rest as a liquid.

Parts printed with SLA have an extremely smooth and high-quality surface finish. They usually have a high yield strength, and are quite stiff. They tend to be more brittle than thermoplastics, so they are not ideal for high-impact applications. There are, however, certain resins which have been formulated to provide a mix of strength and stiffness as well as toughness.

Accura Xtreme 200 is our strongest SLA resin. It has a higher yield strength and similar stiffness to PA12 GB. For a rigid SLA material, it is exceptionally tough, and well-designed parts should be able to handle moderate impact loads.

Metals

Yes, metals can be 3D printed! While typically more costly than plastics, parts 3D printed in metal are by far the strongest. We offer a wide variety of metals for 3D printing, including steel, aluminum, and a variety of precious metals.

For industrial load-bearing applications, aluminum is a top choice because parts are printed using a process known as selective laser melting (SLM). This process uses a computer-controlled laser to fully melt aluminum powder. Aluminum is also corrosion-resistant and has exceptional electrical and thermal conductivity.

Steel is also available but it’s not recommended for heavy-duty industrial applications because it is printed very differently than aluminum. It is printed using an adhesive binder, which is later replaced with bronze. This process results in a part that is 60% steel, and 40% bronze. It’s still a very strong material, but for the best mechanical performance, aluminum is a better choice.

3D printed aluminum is one of the strongest 3D printing materials. It has an impressively high strength-to-weight ratio, and is perfect for creating parts that are strong, tough, and also lightweight such as drone frames. It has a yield strength 4-5 times higher than our Accura Xtreme 200 SLA resin and based on elastic modulus, it is over 20 times stiffer!

Material Data Sheets

Every material offered at Shapeways comes with a detailed material datasheet. These datasheets provide useful information including a comprehensive list of mechanical and thermal properties. These datasheets can be found at the bottom of every Shapeways material information page. For example, here’s the datasheet for PA12 GB.

Thermal and Environmental Factors

Sometimes you’ll want your parts to be able to withstand exposure to heat, light, and moisture. Some 3D printing materials are specifically formulated to be resistant to these conditions, and others should be avoided. Thermal and environmental factors must be taken into account to ensure parts will remain strong in harsh conditions.

Temperature Resistance

When parts will be used close to a heat source, or in a hot environment, it’s important that they do not deform or melt due to heat. 3D printed metals have the best temperature resistance by far.

SLA prints do not remelt, but they tend to become soft at relatively low temperatures. Accura Xtreme 200 has a heat deflection temperature of only 42°C (at 1.82 MPa) while PA12 GB has a heat deflection temperature of 114°C (at 1.82 MPa). Metals behave differently from plastics, so they do not have this characteristic. For comparison, 3D printed aluminum parts have a melting temperature of 570°C.

Keep in mind that parts that are darker in color will absorb more radiation energy, so for parts exposed to sunlight, white or translucent plastics are the best color choices.

Moisture Resistance

Some materials are slightly porous after being 3D printed so they will absorb moisture, and this can change their mechanical properties. Thermoplastics such as Nylon will absorb some amount of water, leading to minor swelling. Moisture exposure can cause a small reduction in strength and stiffness to some thermoplastics. Waterproof coatings, such as polyurethane spray, can be applied to some plastics to prevent moisture absorption.

SLA and metal 3D prints are not affected by moisture exposure.

Smart Design

3D printing is extremely versatile, but there are still a few general design guidelines that must be followed to ensure parts are printed properly. Every material available on Shapeways includes detailed material information as well as a set of design guidelines.

In order to maximize part strength, here are some general rules of thumb.

Increase Wall Thickness

Wall thickness greatly affects part strength. No matter what 3D printing method you use, having thicker walls will greatly increase the strength of your part. Although most 3D printing methods can print walls 1 mm thick, if strength is important to you, walls should be at the very least 2-3 mm.

Optimize Layer Orientation

Depending on how they are printed, some 3D printed parts are weaker along the layer lines. Parts are more prone to breaking along these planes, so if strength is required in all directions, it will be beneficial to reinforce areas that will be printed vertically.

Some methods of 3D printing such as SLA and multi-jet-fusion have been proven to have close-to-uniform strength in every direction.

Prevent Warping

As parts are being 3D printed, they will expand and contract due to temperature differences. This can cause warping, and this may weaken the structure of your part. Long, thin parts will experience this effect the most, so be sure to reinforce critical areas by increasing wall thickness or adding supporting features such as ribs.

Avoid Sharp Internal Corners

Be sure to use generous fillets if your part has any load-bearing sharp internal corners. Sharp internal corners can lead to highly localized internal stress concentrations, causing failure at loads lower than expected.

Conclusions

3D printed parts can be surprisingly strong! Your parts can be made for industrial-strength applications by understanding the basics of material science, selecting a suitable material, and following smart design guidelines. 3D printed parts can be strong enough to support heavy loads, absorb big impacts, and resist deformation in a variety of harsh conditions. Due to advances in 3D printing technology, and specifically engineered material formulations, we’re seeing more 3D printed end-use parts every year.

For more information, and our entire selection of materials, check out our materials page!

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How Shapeways’ Software Enables 3D Printing at Scale

While most news about the 3D printing industry focuses on advancement in hardware and materials, software has played a crucial role in the democratization of 3D printing. Companies like Shapeways have delivered software to generate 3D files, prepare and optimize them for printing, and manufacture and distribute.

This article was written by Matt Boyle, VP of Architecture at Shapeways, for Stack Overflow. See the full blog post here

A decade or two ago, getting a custom part manufactured required you to have your own workshop or to make a visit to a factory floor. Today, you can create your own 3D model, upload it to a website, and have a functional product delivered to your door within a few days—a turn around time unimaginable just 20 years ago.

While most news about the 3D printing industry focuses on advancement in hardware and materials, software has played a crucial role in the democratization of 3D printing. Companies like Shapeways have delivered software to generate 3D files, prepare and optimize them for printing, and manufacture and distribute.

Shapeways’ primary technology offerings can split into two categories—the ability to upload, repair, price, and purchase 3D models in a variety of materials, and back-end systems driving the manufacturing, distribution, and fulfillment of our orders at a global scale. I’m going to discuss three distinct pieces of software that occur in separate steps in the buying process: one that help customers upload designs and make purchases: Model Processing; one that securely shows the customer the final printable model: ShapeJS; and one that helps us manufacture, distribute, and fulfill those design purchases: Inshape.

Processing customer models

Our first contact with a customer’s order is when they upload a 3D model. We have no control over the quality and printability of the model, so our software repairs errors during model generation where it can and analyzes their printability in a wide variety of materials. This is a very compute-heavy process—we calculate the model surface area and volume, determine the number of parts that the model is composed of, and examine the model for errors and attempt to repair them, all within a mean time of 25 seconds.

In order to deliver these results, we needed to build a system that leverages parallelism and provides easy scalability to handle fluctuations in load without breaking our SLA. To start, we decided to build individual services that are each responsible for evaluating different components of printability. These services fall into three categories: model validation, model pricing calculation, and model repair.

continue reading

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3D Printing Servicers: Budgeting Time & Delivery Systems for On-Demand Production

Researchers Carl Philip T. Hedenstierna, Stephen M. Disney, and Jan Holmström explore one of the most fascinating new areas of manufacturing today as 3D printing service bureaus offer assistance to a wide range of professionals, businesses, designers, and users on any level the chance to see their 3D designs come to fruition—while eliminating the need on the consumer level for huge investments in materials and equipment.

In the recently published ‘Service levels in make-to-order production: 3D printing applications,’ the authors explain how 3D printing servicers can manage their workload, deliver on time, and still keep production costs low; however, they also discuss what can often be a tradeoff in business: the realistic dilemma of atrocious service being provided at a minimal cost, or near-perfect service given at a higher cost.

While the ability to offer customized parts on-demand is extremely advantageous for everyone involved, this new way of doing business also presents new challenges—especially due to a lack of inventory. The authors are very clear about the enormous issue this can cause, despite the benefits of not having to keep warehouses full of goods and the ability to offer one-of-a-kind work for customers: because the service bureau can’t ‘build inventory to decouple demand variability from production – any demand variability must be absorbed by capacity, or by the delivery time.’

The relation between lead time and delivery performance

While AM processes allow servicers to create specialized parts, the sequencing of work may not be a problem, but ‘production smoothing’ could be. Order-based operations must be smoothed in businesses relying on inventory to keep production running efficiently, but in this study, the researchers begin to see that it may be just as critical for service operations. Today, there are numerous 3D printing servicers to look at, and many of them have substantial followings as the companies provide access to many other resources too.

Worldwide companies like 3D Hubs (originally a community-based, peer-to-peer printing service), offer a unique 3D printing dynamic now for businesses to get quotes on projects and have them completed via ‘dedicated merchants.’ Other companies like i.materialise and Shapeways offer 3D printing, centers for commerce, and a host of community resources. In this study, the authors use Shapeways as an example:

“… with physical production times of minutes or hours, they offer a manufacturing throughput time of six days (or two days with expediting) for white plastic products with no dimension exceeding 250mm (Shapeways, 2016). This leaves some slack time for decoupling demand variability from production.”

Designated delivery times must be longer than the time spent in the order book, combined with actual manufacturing time. There is very little flexibility for slack time for buffering. Previous research has shown the potential for 3D printing ‘collaborative networks’ shouldering the workload together, ‘trading excess orders and capacity dynamically.’

The authors have developed a service rate concept for this study, offering a metric like the one used for businesses relying on stored inventory. Success is measured by how happy customers are with delivery times. The researchers also chose the CIMO framework as they began to create an analytical model for the framework of their study as they further examine:

  • Order book management in 3D printing
  • Dynamics of the order book
  • Service delivery performance
  • Capacity costs
  • Order book control
  • Numerical analysis

Ultimately, the researchers consider three outcomes related to operations and customer service: offer perfect service at great cost, offer near-perfect service with proportionately less cost, or offer poor service at a much lower price.

“The proportional alternative seems to be the most realistic, as it ensures high service with significant production smoothing,” concluded the researchers. “If, as in Shapeways case, there is an option for expediting, separate order book and control policies (with different a -values) must be maintained for each delivery mode.”

Embedding the order book management problem in the CIMO framework

“While the CIMO framework guided this research, we had to revisit the intervention stage after having defined the mechanism and the output in unambiguous terms. In this way, the mechanism and the intervention gave rise to an integrated system for providing the intended outcomes. To identify unintended outcomes, we would have to test the policy on actual order book data from a service operation. This might reveal new insights, not predicted by the model, that could aid in the development of a refined intervention.”

What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

The cost associated with high service levels for each of the policies

[Source / Images: ‘Service levels in make-to-order production: 3D printing applications’]

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Focus on Customer Centricity: 3D Printing Promotes Greater Customization for Everyone

In the recently published ‘Enhancing customer centricity via 3D printing,’ authors Subin Im and Aric Rindfleisch explore the connection between business and 3D printing, along with the improvements such technology can offer.

Opening with a very telling quote, “Everything will change when you can make anything,” (Hornick 2015) the authors explore how organizations around the world can become more customer centric. Initially, they find that much of this difficulty is due to ‘the disparity between the goal of customer centricity versus a firm’s capability to achieve this lofty directive.’ Such marketing is meant to promote better understanding of the specific customer, rather than mass markets.

This type of marketing seems to be easier to talk about and plan for than to make a reality. To make the process easier, some businesses are focusing on bringing in progressive technology such as 3D printing. And while so far, the future is uncertain even with the addition of new software, hardware, materials—and the outcome in customization and manufacturing practices—undeniably 3D printing fits in with the overall directive in meeting the specific needs of customers.

The 3D printing ecosystem

The authors examine three types of strategies for enhancing organizations with greater customer centricity:

  • Downloading
  • Remixing
  • Uploading

The strategies emerge from:

  • Customer needs
  • Technological capabilities
  • Organizational structure

An understandable but challenging obstacle is that so many companies remain product-driven rather than solution driven for their customers.

“… firms need to shift their focus away from mass markets and toward individual customers, invest in technology to better understand customer needs, and invert their organizational structure. Although these three guidelines seem straightforward, most firms appear to confront considerable difficulty trying to put them into practice.”

Because there is such difficulty in adopting change, the authors suggest 3D printing as a potential catalyst for serving customer needs better and allowing them to be more pro-active as products are created and delivered; in fact, in some cases, customers may learn to create their own products on-demand, manufacturing in small volumes to customize for their own target base.

The benefits of 3D printing and enjoying greater speed, affordability, and latitude in customizing but also creating and editing on a moment’s notice can be staggering for those who have been mired—and limited—in conventional methods.

In a downloading system or hierarchy, a business may allow their customers to download and use 3D printable files. Companies like Shapeways have made such a process extremely viable.

Exhibits:
1. Low-Poly Pikachu by Flowalistik (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing: 376601)
2. Low-Poly Pikachu G-Code (Authors)
3. Low-Poly Trumpachu by derproberto (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing: 2152465)
4. Low-Poly Squirtle by Flowalistik (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing: 319413)
5. Low-Poly Charmander by Flowalistik (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing: 323038)

In remixing, customers are allowed access to 3D designs, often referred to as ‘open source.’ They can use templates as is or modify them for their own project preferences.

“ … a Remixing strategy is like a conjoint design that stops at the design by letting customers identify the features and levels that they would like to modify. Hence, firms can take advantage of the ease of customization to enhance their degree or customer centricity by remixing existing designs,” state the researchers.

Uploading allows customers to design in 3D and then share within their organization:

“Firms can then manufacture these designs for their customers and/or share these designs with other potential customers,” state the authors.

“Thus, firms that employ an uploading strategy leverage economies of scale to enhance their degree of customer centricity. In effect, by leveraging economies of scope, 3D printing turns firms into customers.”

Convincing businesses to make such a change is not the only challenge though! Customers must also be willing to transition to a more progressive strategy, and an active role. They must have ideas for both products and their development.

“We believe that all three of our proposed 3D printing strategies provide both marketing practitioners and scholars with intriguing alternatives to the traditional (and uncertain) approach of trying to enhance customer centricity via information technologies such as CRM,” concluded the researchers.

Many businesses are undergoing transformations today as they considering adding 3D printers to their production schedules—while others have created comprehensive additive manufacturing facilities and resources.

What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

Examples of downloading, remixing and uploading

[Source / Images: ‘Enhancing customer centricity via 3D printing’]

 

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Here’s Every New Material We Launched in 2019

2019 was a banner year for Shapeways, as we continued to expand our capabilities through new partnerships and material launches. This year, we added over 20 new materials and finishes to our portfolio, providing new high-end 3D printing solutions for a multitude of industries. Curious about what we released in 2019? Here’s a look at some of the new materials we added this year.

MJF PA12 Glass Beads

PA12 Glass Beads is a glass-filled nylon printed with HP Multi Jet Fusion technology. This material offers high stiffness and high structural integrity. The glass particles make this material stiffer than MJF PA12, so products print without warping resulting in more structurally sound products for end-use applications. PA12 Glass Bead’s resilience and strength make it an ideal material for projects within the medical, robotics, and drones industries, particularly for applications like flat parts, fixtures, and tooling. It’s currently available in two finishes: Gray and Dark Gray.

TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane)

TPU is an excellent, cost-effective alternative to our premium elastomeric material, Carbon EPU. TPU’s elasticity and natural resistance to most every day wear make it an excellent candidate for automotive and medical use. It would work wonders as an insole, midsole, or helmet; and for robotics applications, TPU could be used for tubing, hoses, and seals.

PA11

PA11 is a biocompatible nylon material that is optimal for use in exterior medical applications such as customized orthotic braces and prosthetics. It is tensile, durable, and impact-resistant with a high elongation at break point. These properties make PA11 ideal for use in aerospace, automotive, and other high-impact applications.

MJF Black Smooth PA12 

Utilizing Additive Manufacturing Technologies’ physio-chemical process, MJF Black Smooth PA12 creates smooth, semi-shiny, and watertight surfaces, sealing Multi Jet Fusion Plastic’s typically matte and porous surface. And since the finishing process is non-line of sight, even the internal cavities of complex parts can be smoothed. With this new material, it’s now possible to achieve less than 1 RA of surface roughness. 

Accura® 60

This clear plastic produces rigid and durable parts with similar properties to molded Polycarbonate (PC). It has the ability for fine details making it apt for tough, functional prototypes, lighting components, medical instruments and fluid flow and visualization models.

Accura® Xtreme™

A material with similar physical properties to polypropylene and ABS, Accura® Xtreme is an ultra-tough grey plastic with outstanding durability, accuracy, moisture and thermal resistance and the ability for great detail. It is ideal for snap fit assemblies, enclosures for consumer and electronic products, master patterns for vacuum casting, and general purpose prototyping.

Accura® Xtreme™ 200

This white plastic is the toughest SLA material available and can replace CNC-machined polypropylene and ABS articles. It is perfect for projects that must withstand extreme, harsh conditions making it ideal for challenging functional assemblies. It can be applied to similar projects as Accura Xtreme as well projects that demand the highest durability like automotive parts, drill/tap applications, assemblies with self-tapping screws, enclosures for consumer electronic components, general purpose prototyping, and master silicone molding.

Copper

Copper is a precious metal that can be used in a wide variety of applications due to its unique properties. Copper’s initial appearance takes on an orange-red metallic color but eventually darkens by turning green in color through oxidation. This chemical reaction forms  a protective layer on its surface making Copper highly resistant to corrosion and biofouling. While oxidation can create an antiqued appearance that may be desirable for creating ornamented and unique jewelry, Copper is most suitable for marine and aerospace applications and use in other harsh environments.

And that’s not all! Through our partnerships, we’ve given Shapeways users access to even more cutting-edge materials. Want to learn how we you can get access to our premium materials for your business needs? Reach out to our sales team today!

The post Here’s Every New Material We Launched in 2019 appeared first on Shapeways Magazine.

Henkel & Shapeways: Large-Scale Manufacturing with Loctite Materials

Together, Henkel and Shapeways are reaching for bigger and better solutions in 3D printing, complementing each other in partnership to expand large-scale manufacturing of Loctite materials. The two companies will be exhibiting at Formnext, presenting more about their work together from November 19-22 in Frankfurt.

Germany’s Henkel is a global adhesive technology leader, while Shapeways is undeniably one of the leaders in product creation, offering a platform for others to see their ideas fabricated on demand. As accessibility and affordability in 3D printing continue to sweep the world, the two companies are on a mission to help other companies integrate 3D printing and 3D printed components into their production lines—and especially with the use of the next generation resins included in the Loctite brand. Shapeways provides both the technology and capability for enhancing materials and presenting even greater accessibility to industrial users.

Currently, the two companies are launching the ‘Loctite Powered by Shapeways’ multi-step program, which allows users to order predefined Loctite demo parts, including a new photopolymer for fire safety standard UL’s 94V-0.

“We are excited about the collaboration with Shapeways as a leading technology platform for customized 3D printing solutions,” explained Philipp Loosen, Head of 3D Printing at Henkel. “Combining Shapeways’ technology and production expertise with our materials know-how and industry access enables a powerful combination for the large-scale 3D printing of customized Loctite parts. Based on the partnership, we will launch a digital platform leveraging novel opportunities to its global customers for Loctite solutions in 3D printing through Shapeways’ existing platform integration.”

Loctite 3D Printing 3870 High Impact Bearing Cover

Loctite 3D Printing 3172 Tough High Impact Gray Robot Bracket

Both Henkel and Shapeways have been in the news recently. Henkel—a 143-year-old company—has continued its presence in the 3D printing market, further strengthening it with their Loctite brand and division. They continue to operate the bulk of their global portfolio in other technology, innovation, and branding to include adhesives, laundry, home care, beauty, and more. They also continue to lead as a force in sustainability.

As the two powerful forces combine resources in working together, they will be able to build on the strength of Shapeways, with factories and offices in New York, the Netherlands, and a network of other partners around the world. Shapeways has continued its dynamic presence, with a recent e-commerce integration with Etsy, a customized jewelry collection, and accelerated expansion.

For the future, the 3D printing partnership is on a mission to continue enhancing the functionalities they have created, ultimately allowing customers for Henkel to order industrial Loctite parts. If you will be attending Formnext next week, find out more about their new program at Hall 12.1, Booth C41.

What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

Loctite 3D Printing 3860 High Temp Exhaust Manifold

Loctite 3D Printing 3843 Tough HDT80 Black Puck Adapter

[Source / Image: Henkel / Shapeways press release]

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Shapeways Expands Partner Network With New Henkel Partnership

Today, we are excited to announce our new digital platform for product creation through 3D printing. As part of this announcement, Shapeways has partnered with Henkel and their Loctite brand to create ‘Loctite Powered by Shapeways’. As a leading provider of advanced material solutions, Henkel is a great match for our new platform. Through the new Shapeways platform, Henkel has now the ability to fulfill 3d printing orders through a customized website for use by their customers and global sales team. This partnership marks the beginning of the future for Shapeways and its partner network.

Through this partnership, we will be further enhancing the accessibility of Henkel’s 3D printed materials. Henkel’s Loctite brand has launched multiple next-generation resins, and we will be providing our advanced technology platform and production capabilities to help make these material solutions more accessible to Henkel’s global customer base. To learn more about this you can head over to www.loctite3dp.com, where you will be able to order a broad variety of Loctite demo parts, including new novel photopolymer for fire safety standard UL’s 94V-0. 

We will be continually enhancing the functionality and offerings of our platform, giving ‘Loctite Powered by Shapeways’ customers the ability to order customized industrial parts based on their requirements. The program will be introduced during the upcoming Formnext trade show on November 19 to 22 in Frankfurt, Germany, in hall 12.1 at booth C41.  

We could not be more excited to collaborate with Henkel on this customized program, combining their wealth of material and industry knowledge with our additive manufacturing expertise. 

We plan on expanding our partner network even further. If you’re interested in learning more about how Shapeways can bring advanced 3D printing solutions to your business, reach out to us through this page.

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