Jan.29, 2012
Yesterday we have written about Thingiverse user Tony Buser who has made a very cool Hilbert Cube and gear using dissolvable support material. This is probably the first test on DIY printer that soluble support material is used for printing objects. In professional 3D printers market soluable support materials has already been tested and adapted. 3D printers maker Stratasys announced in end of November 2011 that it would expand its WaterWorks soluble support material to be compatible with its polycarbonate build material (PC-10) for Fortus 3D Production Systems.
The soluble support material SR-100 allows automated, hands-free removal. It can be washed away in a solution of heated-water and cleaning agent. It can take as little as 30-120 minutes to dissolve an SR-100 support structure in an agitation or ultrasonic tank. Besides, it will also enable a finer layer thickness, that means users can now produce parts in 0.005 in.
The polycarbonate build material has superior mechanical properties and could be used in more applications than ABS.
"The soluble material is more efficient to remove than the old break-away supports, so we're now using polycarbonate regularly," JGR Design Engineer Brian Levy says. "All of our cars have the PC filter component, and they use them every week."
The SR-100 soluble support material will be available for the Fortus 360mc, Fortus 400mc, Fortus 900mc, Fortus eV and Fortus eT systems. SR-100 is expected to ship in Q1 2012.
image credit / source: Stratasys
Posted in 3D Printing Technology
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