Home 3D Printer WACKER to Unveil First Industrial 3D Printer for Silicones

WACKER to Unveil First Industrial 3D Printer for Silicones

Munich-based chemical company WACKER will showcase the first industrial 3D printer for silicones at the K 2016,  International Trade Fair for Plastics and Rubber.

Due to their particular characteristics, silicones are indispensable for many applications. WACKER has been working on a suitable technology for 3D printing silicones since 2014 and will unveil the first industrial machine capable of printing silicones in October. The ACEO Imagine Series K prints considerably faster and is more compact in design than previous prototypes.

Dr. Bernd-Pachaly, Picture (C) WACKER
Dr. Bernd-Pachaly, Picture (C) WACKER

“The printer is based on the ACEO technology – a drop-on-demand method developed by WACKER,” explains Bernd Pachaly, head of WACKER’s silicones research and responsible for the ACEO team. “It can be used to make parts and assemblies with complex geometries, as well as ‘impossible products,’ which could not previously be produced.”

The ACEO 3D printer allows for the production of prototypes or small series in a quick an efficient way, while opening up new possibilities for product designers.

Picture (C) WACKER
Picture (C) WACKER

The drop-on-demand methods works by depositing tiny silicone droplets on a substrate. This way, the printer head builds up an object layer by layer. The silicone is formulated so that the droplets flow together before the curing process, activated by UV light, starts. According to wacker the homo-geneous workpiece can keep up with injection-moulded parts. Even overhangs and internal lattices can be produced by using water-soluble support materials.

The main sectors for this applications are the automotive and aerospace industries. Additionally, 3D printing is growing most rapidly in medical applications.

“In these types of applications, silicones can display their favorable properties particularly well,” emphasises Pachaly. “Silicones are heat resistant, flexible at low temperatures, transparent and biocompatible. They can furthermore be pigmented in any color and have good damping properties.”

WACKER will already be offering 3D printing services under the ACEO brand as of August 2016, with customers being able to upload their own designs in a webshop. Ordered parts are then printed in the ACEO print fab and shipped worldwide. Additionally, the team will focus on consultation and development services for the design and manufacture of silicone parts.

The company is currently setting up a technology center, called the ACEO campus, near its headquarters in Germany. There, customers will be able to test their own product ideas in the Open Print Lab.


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