3D printer manufacturer Nexa3D has announced the launch of a “next-generation” version of its Everlast membrane at the RAPID+TCT 2021 industry trade show.
Much like its predecessor, the aptly-named ‘Everlast-2’ is designed to improve the print speed, surface finish and fidelity it’s possible to achieve with the firm’s NXE 400 3D printer, but according to Nexa3D, it now features a “new-generation interface layer technology,” that enables it to “deliver enhanced printed part quality” to users in “all industries.”
“Everlast-2 is the membrane of choice for customers that are more discerning about achieving greater printability performance without compromising speed,” explains Michele Marchesan, CGO of Nexa3D. “Everlast-2 delivers greater feature definition and enhanced overall part smoothness. For customers who don’t want to spend precious time on part finishing, the Everlast-2 shines.”
An ‘interface layer technology’
First introduced in February 2021, Nexa3D’s Everlast essentially enables NXE400 users to print more parts with their systems’ membranes, before having to replace them. Featuring the firm’s proprietary ‘interface layer technology,’ the devices are able to process up to 20 liters of material or 50,000 layers without needing changing, enabling adopters to reduce machine downtime and enter longer print runs.
According to Nexa3D, the Everlast also overcomes the constraints of traditional membrane technologies such as clouding, chemical instability and doming effects, while maintaining a consistent level of quality and offering “tremendous functional durability,” thus allowing users to establish a workflow in which “the 1000th produced part is identical to the first.”
Building on the success of the original, Nexa3D has now launched the Everlast-2, which retains the same resilience attributes, but is said to deliver enhanced part quality as well. As a result, NXE 400 machines fitted with the membrane, yield parts with a greater level of surface detail than before, allowing adopters to achieve smooth parts without having to conduct any time-consuming post-processing.
Designed to be fully-compatible with NXE 400 workflows and print parameters, Nexa3D says that its new membrane ultimately lasts 25 times longer than conventional vats and trays, while leaving a “minimal carbon footprint,” and it’s therefore well-suited to “any customer wanting to enhance the smoothness and consistency of their products.”
The Everlast-2 is now available for purchase via the company’s store page or authorized reseller network, although the original product will remain available to those that prefer it. For more information, and to check out the new membrane in action, attendees at RAPID+TCT can catch up with Nexa3D’s technical team at booth E7428.
Nexa3D’s NXE 400 portfolio
Since appointing Avi Reichental as its CEO in 2019, Nexa3D has ramped up its activities, launching new machines, materials and softwares that it says “enable dramatic increases in the print speed of parts, and change the face of 3D printing.”
Of these new releases, the most significant is its flagship NXE 400 3D printer, a modular system powered by its proprietary Lubricant Sublayer Photo-curing (LSPc) technology. The machine’s 275 x 155 x 400mm build volume enables the production of either large-format parts, or a high throughput of smaller components, and it has been deployed in everything from general purpose tooling to F1 applications.
Since launch, the company has sought to support the NXE 400 with a number of compatible resins, designed to help users get the most out of their machines. In May 2021, for instance, Nexa3D partnered with BASF subsidiary Forward AM to produce three new photopolymers: the x45 NATURAL, x45 CLEAR and x45 BLACK, for housing, enclosure, piping and packaging applications.
Working with Henkel, the firm has also launched its xPRO410 and xCast 3D printing resins, which are specifically optimized for processing with its NXE400 system. The former is based on Henkel’s Loctite PRO410 polymer, while the latter is designed for the series production of precision metal investment casting patterns, but can also be used to produce small or large parts that address a wide variety of industries.
To complete its end-to-end offering, Nexa3D recently released its new xWASH automated washer as well, with the aim of helping manufacturers streamline, optimize, and scale their operations. By adopting its proprietary post-printing setup, the firm says that users stand to reduce their related costs by up to 75%, while achieving a consistent part quality within “volume production applications.”
The xWASH’s launch closely followed the conclusion of the company’s latest funding round, which saw it raise $55 million of investment. At the time, the firm said that this capital would be redeployed to fast-track the commercialization of new polymer 3D printers and materials, thus the NXE 400 could now be in line for further enhancements moving forwards.
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Featured image shows Nexa3D’s ‘next-generation’ Everlast-2 membrane. Image via Nexa3D.