ALTANA AG Presents New Resin-based Cubic Ink Materials for 3D Printing

Giving shape to ideas by turning product designs into reality is now achievable with the new and enhanced resin-based Cubic Ink® 3D printing materials. Among them is the first material for SLA applications: Cubic Ink High Performance 2-1400 VP.

These innovative products will be presented at this year’s formnext, the premier European 3D printing trade fair for additive manufacturing, which will take place in Frankfurt am Main from Nov. 7-10, 2023.

With the new products, ALTANA is extending its Cubic Ink 3D printing material family for high-performance resins.  The expansion positions ALTANA as a supplier of manufacturer-independent, system-open materials suitable for DLP, LCD, and SLA applications, as well as inks for material jetting.

This development unlocks entirely new opportunities for users, particularly in the automotive and aerospace sectors. It is also a boon for the medical technology field, encompassing audiology, dental medicine, and orthopedics, enhancing their product manufacturing processes.

“ALTANA is focusing its Cubic Ink family of 3D printing materials on system-open and industry-applicable additive manufacturing across DLP, LCD, and SLA technologies. Our customers reap the rewards of our extensive solution expertise in pioneering high-performance materials,” said Dr. Max Röttger, head of Cubic Ink. “Furthermore, we offer dedicated support to our customers in the development and formulation of high-performance inkjet inks for material jetting.”

Among the extensive lineup of more than ten Cubic Ink products showcased at formnext, certain material series stand out due to their exceptional performance and properties.
Notable among these highlights are the two Cubic Ink series, Mold 210 VP and 601 VP, designed for resin printing. These series offer a multitude of advantages regarding both the printing process and post-processing stages.

The materials are used, for example, in the manufacture of hearing aids. Their low viscosity allows for rapid printing, and the printed molds can be effectively cleaned using common washing solvents, such as IPA. Furthermore, after approximately ten minutes of UV post-exposure, these materials are ready for filling with the corresponding molding compound.

Equally innovative is the new Cubic Ink High Performance 4-1301 VP for medical technology applications. The material has been tested for its non-cytotoxic properties by accredited testing laboratories for medical technology. The results of these tests show that the material is well-suited for medical technology applications with direct skin contact, such as orthoses for fingers or arms.

Cubic Ink High Performance 4-2800 VP-ESD is set to debut in the segment of ESD-compliant, or anti-statically designed, printing materials. The resin is engineered for crafting items that possess electrostatic dissipative properties, effectively mitigating the risk of sudden voltage discharges in sensitive electronic components.