DUESSELDORF, Germany—K 2019 was a showplace for liquid silicone rubber, with companies highlighting new machinery, materials, tooling, molding and simulation technologies. Among the latest technology was a showcase of 3D printing advancements.
Dow Silicones showed off its latest L320 3D printer from its partner, Feldkirchen, Germany-based German RepRap GmbH. It printed a demonstration part in IMAGIN3D technology Silastic 3D 3335, colored in Dow corporate red with pigment color masterbatch from Garlasco, Italy-based Mesgo Iride Colors s.r.l.
The color was added to a Servomix X20 dosing system from Eberstalzell, Austria-based Nexus Elastomer Systems GmbH. A core element in the printer is the ViscoDuo-FDD 4/4 printhead, controlled by step-motor signals and produced by Langenfeld, Germany-based ViscoTec Pumpen-u. Dosiertechnik GmbH.
The latest Imagine Series K2 printer for 3D printing LSR, from Wacker's ACEO 3D printing business unit, was on display together with examples of the machine's new ability to simultaneously print four LSR materials in different colors or hardnesses. Egbert Klaassen, Aceo global marketing director, revealed the new printer has "optical control functionality, enabling us to print even more parts than before."
Meanwhile, Rico Elastomere Projecting GmbH's Wolfhalden, Switzerland-based, Silcoplast A.G. subsidiary displayed its own 3D printing equipment, which it used to produce an ethernet connector prototype. The company first printed a PET part, then 3D printed a single-cavity mold that was used to overmold the PET part with LSR.
The New Products blog showcases innovations suppliers are introducing to the rubber industry. It focuses on new materials, machinery, molds, testing equipment, software, and other goods and services that are intended to help manufacturers of finished rubber products. The blog will appear on Tuesdays and Thursdays. To have your product considered for the blog, contact Online Content Editor Erin Pustay Beaven at [email protected] or Editor Bruce Meyer at [email protected].