Structur3d has launched its desktop platform that leverages Ultimaker 3D printing to create water-soluble moulds for use in custom-manufacturing rubber parts.
The company’s Inj3ctor Platform, which injects industrial-grade liquid materials into 3D-printed moulds, leverages Ultimaker water soluble PVA filament and 3D printing technology to custom design complex moulds that dissolve.
The solution allows manufacturers to design more intricate parts without the damage risk. The moulds are biodegradable, leaving behind no hazardous by-products, with the resulting rubber material having strong thermal stability, withstanding the heat produced by silicone’s curing process.
Structur3d launched the Inj3ctor platform in response to 3D printing being unable to develop factory-grade flexible parts with complex shapes – which Structur3d enables with 3D-prints moulds that use single-use dissolvable filament.
“Ultimaker’s open platform enables innovative solutions from companies like Structur3d,” said a spokesperson from Structur3d.
“The Inj3ctor platform harnesses Ultimaker Cura and the Ultimaker S5 3D printer and soluble PVA molds to create the first solution on the market to combine the principles of injection molding with 3D printing.”
Using Ultimaker 3D-printed moulds, the Structur3d Inj3ctor uses curated material cartridges to mix and inject 2-component (2K) flexible materials into any customisable shape, enabling turnkey, small-batch manufacturing of rubber materials.
The company is looking to advance 3D printing’s role within industrial manufacturing by expanding its material capabilities to create new products with factory-grade rubber materials, like silicones and polyurethanes.
Structur3d CTO Dr. Andrew Finkle, said: “The quality and openness of Ultimaker’s products empowered us to continue creating new solutions for our customers, and that lead to the development of our Inj3ctor platform.”
