Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
      • 2023 winners
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • Bioplastics Live
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Resin Prices Overview
    • Commodity Thermoplastics
    • High Temperature Thermoplastics
    • Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Thermosets
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
March 26, 2020 12:43 PM

Firms make inroads in 3D production of heat-cured silicone parts

Catherine Kavanaugh
Senior Reporter
Rubber & Plastics News Staff
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    R.D. Abbott
    An LSR product is made using the LAM 3D printer developed by German RepRap.

    German RepRap GmbH, a manufacturer of industrial 3D printers, has developed a platform for liquid silicone rubber that it claims makes it possible to 3D print heat-cured silicone parts using a high-performance LSR.

    The company's next-generation printer — the model L320 — was designed to use a high-performance LSR from Dow Performance Silicones, called Silastic 3D 3335. The LSR prints colored parts, offers properties comparable to injection molded components and transfers easily to injection molding processes, according to RepRap.

    Unlike thermoplastic materials, LSR is a thermoset that must be cured. The L320 printer precisely dispenses and cures Silastic 3D material, which "speaks to the ingenuity and quality" of the printer and specially formulated material, according to Tom Jenkins, executive director of business development for R.D. Abbott Co. Inc., North American distributor of Dow silicone rubber products.

    "German RepRap's printer cures the rubber while it's producing parts with physical and dynamic properties that are comparable to an LSR molded part," Jenkins said. "The combination of the printer with the Dow 3D 3335 LSR is the only commercially available technology that heat cures the silicone rubber, the same curing method as used in the LSR manufacturing process."

    Since the printer hit the market last July, RepRap has been working with R.D. Abbott and other companies to promote liquid additive manufacturing and how LAM can help businesses move from design to production more quickly, or make customized parts. Common applications include seals, gaskets, shoe midsoles and insoles. In addition, business partners said LAM and Silastic 3D LSR support greater design freedom for other products in the automotive, aerospace, marine, medical devices, defense, transportation and window manufacturing markets.

     

    What's new?

    RepRap said its thermal crosslinking process reduces printing time while setting new standards. One of the updates is print head technology that allows precise metering and mixing ratios, and it can influence application direction or cross-linking at the molecular level.

    Instead of filament, the L320 printer deposits liquid, which then is vulcanized into a solid object through exposure to a high-temperature halogen lamp, according to RepRap. The lamp passes over the bed between layers and releases energy to accelerate cross-linking at the molecular level, the company said.

    With the L320 printer and 3335 LSR material, product designers can form complex shapes, honeycombs, lattices, flat bottoms and geometries with limited overhangs, according to Gifford Shearer, market manager of Dow Silicone Elastomers. The 3D prototypes resemble production-quality components, he added.

    "Not only can this technology be used for fit and form analysis, but it can be used for functional product testing. So this truly is a game-changer when it comes to rapid prototyping," Shearer said.

    Adding color

    Another partnership involving RepRap, Dow and Nexus Elastomer Systems is bringing new colors to LSR. Although it primarily is used for prototyping, 3D printing is entering a realm of production-scale manufacturing, putting a focus on development of innovative coloring processes.

    Nexus engineered a new color dosing system and RepRap linked its 3D printer to it so product designers have the option of making silicone rubber parts in color when using Silastic 3335 LSR material.

    Potential applications include colorful products for mobility and lighting, wearable devices, consumer electronics and custom footwear.

    "The collaborative work to align the new Nexus dosing system with the German RepRap L320 3D printer enabled us to give designers the option of printing colored parts — as well as transparent parts — from this uniquely beneficial material," Hans Peter Wolf, Dow research and development manager, said in a statement.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Treaty talks end with plans for a draft agreement, but hurdles remain
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    Debate exposes divisions in plastics treaty talks
    2
    GM, Stellantis give $15M lifeline to insolvent supplier
    3
    PVS Plastics expanding in Tennessee, Ohio
    4
    Ohio recycler Return Polymers triples PVC recycling capacity
    5
    Plastics additives one focus in Paris treaty talks
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
          • 2023 winners
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • Bioplastics Live
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Resin Prices Overview
      • Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temperature Thermoplastics
      • Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Recycled Plastics
      • Thermosets
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified