Stratasys Direct Manufacturing's 25+ years of Stereolithography (SLA) experience has fostered a partnership with the leading producer of SLA materials, DSM Somos®. Customers building 3D printed parts will now have easier access to newer and advanced SLA materials than ever before through this collaboration. The move doubles our SLA production capacity, allowing us to deliver larger projects more rapidly and accelerates material development. We will also be working with Somos’ development team to beta test new materials before they hit the market and provide the most extensive offering of premium Somos materials.
“We made this move to meet customers’ strong demand for Somos materials that the rapid prototyping services industry wasn’t fulfilling,” said Chuck Alexander, director of product management for Stratasys Direct Manufacturing. “We’re excited to build on Stratasys Direct Manufacturing’s legacy of Stereolithography excellence by giving customers materials that have the power to enable more life-changing innovations.”
Somos NeXt provides an added level of toughness and durability not often found in other SLA resins. Perhaps the most desirable characteristic of this material is its memory set, or ability to resist plastic (permanent) deformation, often exhibiting the ability flex several times before mechanical failure. It also has a very high impact strength compared to all of the SLA resins available at Stratasys Direct Manufacturing.
Somos WaterClear Ultra 10122 is an optically clear and colorless resin that is easy to use and fast to build. It produces functional and accurate parts that simulate an acrylic appearance. WaterClear Ultra 10122 also has excellent temperature resistance and tensile strength for master patterns and rigid parts for optical light transmission testing.
Somos WaterShed XC 11122 produces transparent yellow/green parts with a smooth finish. It provides exceptional clarity, has low viscosity and is water-resistant, perfect for fluid-flow analysis.
Somos continues to produce innovative materials for the 3D printing industry. Being a part of their beta process allows us to discover applications earlier and speed up the release of new materials. Customers now have more choices and greater control over mechanical properties for SL projects.
“Together with Stratasys Direct Manufacturing we’ll accelerate Stereolithography material development like never before,” said Melissa Lutz, business director Somos®. “Stratasys Direct Manufacturing’s customers have already used Somos® materials in some exciting and potentially life-saving applications so we’re eager to see what incredible SLA parts users develop next.”
