Carbon introduces three new resins at Formnext 2022

Carbon, a leading 3D printing technology company, has announced two all-new damping elastomers, EPU 43 and EPU 45, at Formnext 2022. The elastomers add to Carbon’s already impressive portfolio of materials as part of its idea-to-production platform. They offer new opportunities for breakthrough products in impact protection such as padding, gloves, and helmets.

EPU 43 is an energy-damping elastomer that is soft while offering promising durability under high-cycle flexing, making it suitable for applications like comfort padding for helmet liners and safety gloves. EPU 45 achieves the highest level of damping performance and printability within the Carbon portfolio, making it the choice for many high-performance applications including sports padding and seating.

“EPU 43 and EPU 45 are the future of impact protection, providing the benefits of performance, comfort, and durability that come with Carbon’s elastomers,” said Jason Rolland, SVP of Materials at Carbon. “EPU 43 and 45 further exemplify our commitment to providing a robust and complete idea-to-production platform.”

Carbon’s new, dual-cure, damping elastomers offer new opportunities and solutions for a number of impact protection needs, including:

• Damping performance: EPU 45 is a strain-rate-sensitive material that stiffens to absorb energy at higher impact rates, enabling the design of highly breathable lattice geometries tuned for comfort at low-impact speeds and energy absorption at high-impact speeds. EPU 43 offers moderate stiffness, good damping, and excellent durability through flexing cycles in a variety of temperature and humidity environments.
• Durability and comfort: EPU 45 has the toughness and recovery needed to survive repeated, high-energy impacts in a variety of environments. EPU 43 has moderate stiffness that enables softer and more conforming lattice structures.
• Production Throughput: EPU 45 has the highest green strength of Carbon’s elastomers, allowing the widest range of part shapes and lattice geometries to be printed with a high yield. EPU 43 prints with moderate green strength, allowing for a broad set of production shapes with high yield.
• Proven-in-production: Products utilizing EPU 45 will be on the market soon and EPU 43 has been proven with well-known products like Hard Head Veterans and the CCM Hockey helmet.

Both elastomers are available now in North America, Europe, and China. Starting in 19L package sizes with high-volume production workflows, EPU 45 will also be available in 5L samples to support mid-volume production workflows.

Carbon and Henkel expand strategic partnership

In addition to the introduction of the damping elastomers, Carbon has announced the expansion of its strategic relationship with Henkel to offer several new resins, which are expected to be available on the Carbon idea-to-production platform in 2023. This follows the successful 2020 launch of LOCTITE IND405 Clear, a tough, clear resin that is used in production applications such as enclosures and housings.

Loctite IND147, fully validated for shipping as of Formnext 2022, is a photopolymer resin with high stiffness and high-temperature resistance. It was created for product designers and engineers who need a quick and easy way to print molds, fixtures, and manufacturing tools with smooth surfaces and accurate dimensions used under high-heat applications in industrial, consumer, and automotive markets. Additional resins from the expanding partnership are also expected to become available in 2023.

“The expansion of our partnership with Carbon follows the success we’ve had together and builds on our shared focus on production applications and better end-use parts for our customers,” said Sam Bail, Director of 3D Printing Sales from Henkel. “Carbon’s platform allows us to provide LOCTITE 3D printing’s unique industrial resins, creating more value for our customers.”

This strategic partnership builds on the unique combination of Carbon’s open material platform and DLS printing process with Henkel´s materials expertise, providing a portfolio of resins while expanding the possibilities for end-use parts, in less time.

“We’ve shared a great deal of success with Henkel and are thrilled to further expand our partnership with these new resins,” said Jason Rolland, SVP of Materials from Carbon. “With this partnership, Carbon has the most comprehensive one-part and dual-cure resin portfolio in the industry, providing an open solution for customers to create better products in less time.”