Carbon has unveiled EPX 86FR, a new photopolymer resin designed to offer flame retardancy, functional toughness, strength and long-term stability.
EPX 86FR should allow users to reduce development time and tooling costs for end-use parts, functional prototypes, and tools that need to have flame-retardant and self-extinguishing features.
The 3D printer manufacturing company has stated that EPX 86FR works particularly well with parts that require UL 94 V-0 or FAR 25.853(a) ratings in plastic flammability standards, and is compatible with Carbon M1, M2, M3, M3 Max, and L1 printers.
The launch of this innovative resin follows an announcement made at the end of January in which the Californian company introduced its new Digital Light System (DLS) M3 Series 3D printer.
Other key features include functional toughness, temperature stability and the possibility to create parts with high surface quality, accuracy and repeatability, Carbon has claimed.
Thanks to its high flame retardancy, EPX 86FR is meant to be ideal for applications in the electronics industry, such as device battery housings, fans, circuit board covers, automotive battery cases, brackets, covers, fasteners, cable clips, and connectors.
“We’re thrilled to bring this new material to market, broadening the already impressive materials offerings we have for our clients,” said Carbon senior VP materials Jason Rolland.
“EPX 86FR was created for critical industries and markets that require a V-0 flame rating, high-performance mechanical properties, and smooth surface quality in a reliable, consistent, and high throughput printing platform.”
EPX 86FR has been tested by Astoria-Pacific, a company that manufactures automated analysis solutions for laboratories, to develop heat bath housings for electronics devices.
“We encountered significant supply chain delays in sourcing PVC and sheet metal,” said Astoria-Pacific senior engineer Whitney Menzel.
“We turned to Carbon’s platform and extensive material lineup, including EPX 86FR, to mitigate these challenges. Not only did we experience a much shorter production time frame using the flame-retardant resin, from 18 weeks through traditional methods to two weeks utilising Carbon’s platform, but we also saw significant cost savings, enhanced surface finishes, reduced weight, and both thermal and mechanical advantages.”
