ROCK HILL, South Carolina, April 4, 2022 – Today, 3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) announced the SLA 750 stereolithography additive manufacturing (AM) solution. Designed to address large format or high volume production applications, the solution comprises the SLA 750 and SLA 750 Dual – the first synchronous, dual-laser stereolithography printer – as well as the company’s new Accura® AMX Durable Natural material and the PostCure™ 1050 post-processing system. The solution is optimized for cost-effective SLA batch part production at up to twice the speed and triple the throughput of other available stereolithography solutions. Additionally, the entire solution can be seamlessly integrated into the factory floor through the power of the Oqton Manufacturing OS. The result is a first-of-its-kind solution to deliver large, production resin parts and batch part production for industries such as transportation & motorsports, consumer technology & durable goods, manufacturing services, aerospace, and healthcare.
“I see the launch of this new platform – which includes a synchronous dual-laser option, Accura materials, and the specialized curing oven - as an example of how we are executing on a global AM strategy that focuses on our strengths,” said Dr. David Leigh, executive vice president & chief technology officer for additive manufacturing, 3D Systems. “I believe we are entering an era where there will be a path of rapid evolution to our innovations. In this light, our multi-purpose SLA platform will become a system that can help scale production applications through built-in functional and throughput enhancements.”
SLA 750 & SLA 750 Dual for Large Production Parts at Unparalleled Speed
With the introduction of 3D Systems’ SLA 750 and SLA 750 Dual, manufacturers now have access to the fastest stereolithography solutions available. The platform is designed to deliver the industry-leading combination of print size, speed, accuracy, and resolution for final parts that possess unmatched finish and mechanical performance. The SLA 750 Dual, which is a synchronous, dual-laser system, delivers up to 2X faster print speeds and up to 3X faster throughput than previous generation SLA printers. The SLA 750 is a single-laser configuration that delivers up to 30% faster print speeds and is field-upgradable to the SLA 750 Dual. Both printers feature a 15% larger build envelope and smaller hardware footprint than previous models, allowing manufacturers to optimize and scale production. The system features a self-calibrating dual-rail recoater to improve print process reliability and final part mechanical properties.
3D Systems SLA 750 Dual high-speed, synchronous dual-laser 3D printer, part of the company’s full workflow solution for the factory floor. Inside: Accura AMX Rigid Black production-grade resin parts.
The SLA 750 and SLA 750 Dual utilize Hyper-Scan™ vector technology – a proprietary scanning algorithm developed to address the unique requirements of production additive manufacturing applications. Hyper-Scan optimizes key speed and productivity elements such as laser focus and power, as well as vector motor kinematics to deliver significantly improved printer speed and throughput. The printers include downstream automation readiness and are robot compatible for 24/7 lights-out operation (e.g., fully automatic printer turnover, job-offloading, washing, on-boarding).
Both printers include 3D Sprint®, all-in-one software to prepare, optimize, and print 3D CAD data. 3D Sprint delivers all the tools needed to quickly and efficiently go from design to high quality, true-to-CAD printed parts without relying on multiple software packages.
The SLA 750 is already receiving positive feedback from 3D Systems’ customers.
“We produce hundreds of SLA parts every week, so time-to-finished-part for us is everything,” said Matt Harman, technical director, BTW Alpine F1 Team. “The SLA 750 increases our productivity and efficiency, allowing us to deliver superior quality production parts faster than ever. The entire system has been engineered for ease of operation, including automation. This is a huge step forward for our additive manufacturing capabilities and we are eager to extend our fleet with two more SLA 750s in 2022.”
“We depend upon our fleet of 3D Systems SLA printers to deliver accurate, superior quality parts with maximum availability and uptime,” said Roger Neilson, Jr., co-CEO, VP, sales & marketing, In’Tech Industries, Inc. “The SLA 750 will allow us to be even more productive with its new user-friendly design and automation features. Our customers love the finish of the parts we produce using the new production-grade Accura AMX materials. The result is the closest we’ve seen to injection molded parts while allowing engineers the freedom to design for true functional applications.”
General availability of the SLA 750 is planned for the second quarter of 2022, and the SLA 750 Dual is planned to be available in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Extremely Tough Accura AMX Durable Natural Material for High Elongation, High Impact Applications
3D Systems’ range of production-grade SLA resins utilizes patented chemistry to deliver long-term mechanical performance and stability for large-scale plastic parts. The company is enhancing its portfolio today with the introduction of Accura AMX Durable Natural. This resin is designed to withstand repeated high mechanical loads and shocks with a unique combination of mechanical properties including impact resistance, tear strength, and elongation at break. Accura AMX Durable Natural is tested per ASTM D4329 and ASTM G194 for indoor mechanical performance for up to eight years, and outdoor weathering stability for up to one and a half years. This material exhibits similar stress/strain toughness performance to standard thermoplastics, and its isotropic mechanical properties ensure superior part strength in any build orientation.
3D Systems' toughest production-grade SLA resin, Accura AMX Durable Natural, is formulated to withstand repeated flexing and bending, as in this mandrel tool which can be removed whole from convoluted carbon fiber tubing.
These properties make Accura AMX Durable Natural an ideal material to deliver large, complex, mandrel tooling cores that can be easily removed from convoluted tubing as a single piece. These are invaluable as manufacturing aids for large cooling ducts, pipes, and manifolds used in automotive, aerospace, energy, and consumer goods applications.
Accura AMX Durable Natural is available for immediate order.
PostCure 1050 Industrial Scale Post-processing for High Yield, Repeatability
An integral aspect of any polymer additive manufacturing workflow is drying and curing. To meet the requirements of 3D Systems' high yield SLA 750 production workflow, the company is introducing the PostCure 1050. This industrial-scale, post-processing system offers high-volume, high-speed drying and curing for batch jobs and large parts up to 1050mm x 750mm x 600mm. The PostCure 1050 delivers cure times and throughput that are 5X faster than comparable solutions due in part to consistent 360° light uniformity which allows more parts to be cured in less time without manual intervention (e.g., part flipping). Long-life LED light sources, automatic detection and alert of light failures, and a one-step light output calibration routine help ensure more predictable, consistent part and job outcomes. Additionally, optimized light wavelengths, a separately configurable UV intensity, and actively cooled LEDs each with its own adjustable heating enable optimal part cooling without thermally-induced warp.
PostCure 1050 is compatible with all 3D Systems resin printers and suitable for all current and future material innovations. General availability of the system is planned for the third quarter of 2022.
Seamless Integration into Existing Workflow with Oqton Manufacturing OS
Additive manufacturing solutions are only one piece of an entire production workflow. To maximize true production agility, AM must seamlessly integrate with the manufacturer’s existing workflow. This can be facilitated by Oqton’s best-in-class Manufacturing OS, an agnostic platform that enables manufacturers to increase innovation and efficiency by intelligently automating production. Powered by artificial intelligence, the Oqton Manufacturing OS unifies engineering and production, connecting specialist applications across design, CAM, 3D printing, simulation, reverse engineering, and inspection. Combined with Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) and machine learning technologies, manufacturers can connect technologies and machines across multiple sites, increasing traceability and visibility across an organization.
To learn more about 3D Systems’ new SLA 750 stereolithography additive manufacturing solution, the company will have experts on hand at this year’s Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) conference and will also showcase parts and applications in its booth (#P17) on April 3 & 4. The new SLA 750 printer will be in 3D Systems’ booth (#2613) at RAPID+TCT, May 17-19 in Detroit. For more information, please visit the company’s website.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made in this release that are not statements of historical or current facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from historical results or from any future results or projections expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In many cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as "believes," "belief," "expects," "may," "will," "estimates," "intends," "anticipates" or "plans" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are based upon management’s beliefs, assumptions, and current expectations and may include comments as to the company’s beliefs and expectations as to future events and trends affecting its business and are necessarily subject to uncertainties, many of which are outside the control of the company. The factors described under the headings "Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors" in the company’s periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as other factors, could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected or predicted in forward-looking statements. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not, and should not be relied upon as a guarantee of future performance or results, nor will they necessarily prove to be accurate indications of the times at which such performance or results will be achieved. The forward-looking statements included are made only as of the date of the statement. 3D Systems undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements made by management or on its behalf, whether as a result of future developments, subsequent events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by law.
About 3D Systems
More than 30 years ago, 3D Systems brought the innovation of 3D printing to the manufacturing industry. Today, as the leading additive manufacturing solutions partner, we bring innovation, performance, and reliability to every interaction - empowering our customers to create products and business models never before possible. Thanks to our unique offering of hardware, software, materials, and services, each application-specific solution is powered by the expertise of our application engineers who collaborate with customers to transform how they deliver their products and services. 3D Systems’ solutions address a variety of advanced applications in healthcare and industrial markets such as medical and dental, aerospace & defense, automotive, and durable goods. More information on the company is available at www.3dsystems.com.