Foamable photopolymer 3D resins contain heat-activated foaming agents which after printing expand upon heating several times its size (two step manufacturing: printing + expansion thermal treatment).
Alternatively, soft and elastic photopolymer 3D resins with similar softness and elasticity to foams can be printed without the need of heating the prints (one step manufacturing).
Comparison of two step manufacturing with heat activated 3D resins versus one step manufacturing with 3Dresyns non heat-activated 3D resins:
- Heat-activated foamable 3D resins are often dangerous and flammable whilst non heat-activated resins are safe and can be transported by air without restrictions
- Heat-activated foamable 3D resins may exhibit dimensional inaccuracy during expansion whilst non heat-activated resins are directly printed with optimum dimensional accuracy even in low cost LCD printers
- your foam can be designed accurately from its conception and printed straight away with specific pore/cell sizes
- Heat-activated foamable 3D resins required a second step: the usage of an oven at high temperature (eg 160ºC) whilst non heat-activated resins can be used straight away after printing
- Heat-activated foamable 3D resins are prone to suffer thermal degradation during their expansion in the oven at high temperature (eg 160ºC) whilst non heat-activated resins do not need to be heated
- Foams printed with non heat-activated 3D resins can be vacuumed in a plastic bag to reduce their size for their transport
Discover our 3D-ADD CBA1 Bio, our biocompatible Chemical Blowing Agent paste for foaming 3D prints, which can be added to most of our thermoplastic flexible and elastic SLA, DLP & LCD 3D resins (see list below) before printing to produce after printing expanded cell sponges or foams upon heating (two step manufacturing: printing + expansion thermal treatment).
Discover our directly printable 3D resins for printing foams:
- 3Dresyns from Shore A20 to O50 can be printed straight away with even low cost LCD printers, without the need of heating them in an oven for expanding the foam (one step manufacturing).
- 3Dresyns with Shore from D70 to O50 can be heat activated with 3D-ADD CBA1 Bio to produce after printing expanded cell sponges or foams upon heating (two step manufacturing: printing + expansion thermal treatment).
Discover our 3Dresyns portfolio for printing foams shown in increasing order of Shore, from O50 to D70:
