Now SLA Prototypes Can Have Many Textures.A new patented process expands the range of texture options on stereo-lithography (SLA (1) (StereoLithography Apparatus) See 3D printing. (2) (Service Level Agreement) A contract between the provider and the user that specifies the level of service expected during its term. ) parts from the original three basic patterns to over 2000 intricate and highly detailed designs, including text and logos. The Prototex process was developed by Akron Metal Etching Co. of Akron, Ohio Akron is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County.GR6 The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on the Cuyahoga River between Cleveland to the north and Canton to the south, approximately 60 miles (96 km) west of . It employs a special blue photopolymer A photopolymer is a polymer which is cured by exposure to light, often in the ultraviolet spectrum. These polymers are useful in dentistry for fillings and in rapid prototyping in the stereolithography and PolyJet processes. layer, equal in thickness to the depth of the specified texture, which is applied to the surface of the SLA part. Over the photopolymer surface is placed a proprietary film mask with the texture pattern printed on it. After exposure to a special light source, the film is removed, and the photopolymer is exposed to a proprietary solution that etches away the uncured areas of the photopolymer that were not exposed to light. The photopolymer is etched etch v. etched, etch·ing, etch·es v.tr. 1. a. To cut into the surface of (glass, for example) by the action of acid. b. all the way down to the SLA substrate. Thus the part dimensions are changed only by the added depth of the pattern. Says company president Lee Eisinger, "We can texture only specific areas, just as one would texture an injection mold." Eisenger says the Prototex process can also be used on pre-production injection molded parts made of PS or ABS for customer approval of the surface finish. Akron Metal Etching attempted to use the process on PP but experienced problems with poor adhesion of the photopolymer. The problem was solved when the company discovered a new flexible epoxy epoxy Any of a class of thermosetting polymers, polyethers built up from monomers with an ether group that takes the form of a three-membered epoxide ring. The familiar two-part epoxy adhesives consist of a resin with epoxide rings at the ends of its molecules and a curing SLA material that has PP-like properties but adheres well to the photopolymer, as do other SLA materials. The resin is the 9100 Series from DSM 1. DSM - Data Structure Manager. An object-oriented language by J.E. Rumbaugh and M.E. Loomis of GE, similar to C++. It is used in implementation of CAD/CAE software. DSM is written in DSM and C and produces C as output. Somos, New Castle, Del. Akron Metal Etching offers its Prototex process for licensing. |
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