Introduction of EPX 82 and EPU 41 expands portfolio, unlocking new verticals and applications

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — May 2, 2018 — Carbon ( www.carbon3d.com), a Silicon Valley-based digital 3D Manufacturing company, today announced two new materials: Epoxy (EPX) 82 and Elastomeric Polyurethane (EPU) 41. EPX 82 is a high-resolution and high-strength engineering material with excellent long-term durability, while EPU 41 is the company’s production-scale elastomeric material offering higher resilience for making durable, elastic lattices.

“The world’s most innovative companies are adopting digital 3D Manufacturing and Carbon is helping accelerate this growth through our expanding portfolio of production-ready materials,” said Jason Rolland, Vice President of Materials at Carbon. “At Carbon, we are constantly pushing the boundaries to create solutions for producing more durable, higher quality end-use parts. The introduction of EPX 82 and EPU 41 is a testament to this, and further validates our vision to fundamentally change how the world designs, engineers, makes, and delivers products.”

EPX 82

EPX 82 is a high-strength engineering material with a heat-deflection temperature of 125°C and good impact strength, making it ideal for applications requiring a balance of strength, toughness, and thermal-cycling durability such as connectors, brackets, and housings in the automotive and industrial sectors. Its mechanical properties are comparable to lightly glass-filled thermoplastics (e.g., 20% GF-PBT, 15% GF-Nylon) and meet the USCAR-2 fluid compatibility standards.

“When selecting a material for the production of electrical connector housings, it is critical that the material is tough and allows for flex-features to perform adequately, yet stiff enough to yield strong, thin-walled geometries. These mechanical properties must also be maintained as the connector withstands harsh environmental conditions, including temperature-humidity cycling and exposure to caustic chemicals,” said Jerry Rhinehart, Manager of Additive Manufacturing Development, Aptiv (formerly Delphi). “Carbon's newly released EPX 82 provides a level of performance that allows us to tackle the USCAR-2 T2 temperature class of connection systems. Our confidence in this material enables our product development engineers to free their minds from the design constraints imposed by traditional manufacturing processes, paving the way for the creation of connectors that outperform their injection-molded counterparts by adding value through geometric complexity.”

EPU 41

The launch of EPU 41 adds to Carbon’s unparalleled elastomeric materials families ( SIL 30, EPU 40, and EPU 41), and is especially well-suited for producing elastomeric lattice geometries that can outperform traditional foams. It has higher resilience at room and low temperatures compared to EPU 40, and its tear strength, energy return, and elongation make it perfect for cushioning, impact absorption, and comfort. EPU 41 also performs very well in functional testing, including fatigue, hydrolysis, UV-stability, and plastic deformation tests.

Customers can combine the performance of EPU 41 with Carbon’s exhaustive library of tunable elastomer lattices and software tools to rethink old benchmarks for comfort, safety and performance that were previously set by foam products. Carbon’s software tools also eliminate the conventional trial-and-error process of creating lattices, enabling designers and engineers to test load requirements, confirm it can be manufactured using Carbon’s technology, and create multiple functional zones within the same part.

EPU 41 is offered only in five-liter bulk packaging, and is the second material (after Rigid Polyurethane 70) to be offered under the Carbon production-scale materials pricing of $150 per liter. It requires an MMD (meter, mix, and dispense) device for proper dispensing of the material in bulk quantities.

Availability

EPX 82 and EPU 41 are currently available to Carbon customers in North America. Information about global availability will be shared at a later date. To learn more, contact Carbon’s sales team at sales@carbon3d.com.

For more information about Carbon and its wide range of 3D Manufacturing materials, visit Carbon’s booth at NPE next week (#S24160, South Hall Level 1) or go to www.carbon3d.com/materials.

About Carbon

Carbon is a Silicon Valley-based company working at the intersection of hardware, software, and molecular science to deliver on the promise of digital 3D Manufacturing. The company empowers its customers and partners to evolve beyond using 3D printing for basic prototyping to producing at scale by revolutionizing how they design, engineer, make, and deliver their products. With Carbon’s Digital Light Synthesis™ technology and its SpeedCell™ system (M Series printers and Smart Part Washer), manufacturers can unlock new business opportunities such as mass customization, on-demand inventory, and differentiated products made with unique functional materials. Carbon's solutions also provide substantial operational efficiencies, such as the elimination of tooling costs and decreased time to market. To learn more, visit www.carbon3d.com.

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