MakerBot announced the launch of a new ABS formulation and fast dissolving carrier material to facilitate 3D printing of industrial applications.
Compatible with the METHOD X and METHOD X carbon fiber 3D printing systems, MakerBot believes its new materials ABS-R and RapidRinse will help users in additive manufacturing of production tools and parts. The METHOD platform was launched in 2019 with the claim of enabling ‘real ABS’ 3D printing – two years later, the company believes it has further improved its ABS 3D printing capabilities with the launch of two new materials.
ABS-R is said to provide superior reliability and printing performance to enable more consistent and repeatable ABS parts. It has been optimized to work with the patent-pending RapidRinse rapidly dissolving carrier material and designed to eliminate “cumbersome and costly” post-processing steps. Dissolving easily in hot tap water and with no caustic chemicals required, the RapidRinse material would be able to dissolve “much faster” than other high temperature soluble support materials under the same conditions. MakerBot claims that the launch of RapidRinse means that users will no longer need to purchase additional post-processing equipment and will have an easier and safer experience working with 3D printing.
By combining ABS-R and RapidRinse materials with METHOD X’s patented Variable Environmental Controlled Temperature (VECT) 110 (VECT) technology, MakerBot is confident that it can now enable ± 0.2mm ABS parts as easily as it can produce parts in PLA. The new materials are expected to start shipping in December 2021, with MakerBot suggesting they will help increase safer and more sustainable 3D printing applications.
“Our goal with METHOD has always been to make industrial 3D printing easy, reliable and precise on a desktop 3D printer. With RapidRinse and ABS-R, we continue to deliver on this promise, ”commented Nadav Goshen, CEO of MakerBot. “METHOD is the only desktop 3D printer in its price category with a heated chamber that can print a range of advanced polymers, composites and metals, all on one machine. Additionally, RapidRinse is another step we are taking with Stratasys in our ongoing efforts to support sustainable manufacturing practices and industry safety standards.
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