R.D. Abbott and Dow to 3D Print Heat-Cured Silicone Parts at RAPID + TCT

R.D. Abbott, a full-service elastomers supplier and materials science company, will demonstrate a L280 LAM 3D printer in The Dow Chemical Company booth #1673 at RAPID + TCT 2019 in Detroit, MI, from May 20 to 23.  

The LAM 3D printer that R.D. Abbott will showcase was developed in collaboration with its supplier partners German RepRap GmbH, a German manufacturer of 3D printers, and Dow Performance Silicones, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company. German RepRap’s first production-ready L280 LAM 3D printer uses Dow SILASTIC 3D 3335 liquid silicone rubber (LSR). This supports a transition to injection molding processes for high-volume manufacturing.  

German RepRap’s 3D printer prints successive layers of LSR in a process comparable to the fused filament fabrication (FFF) method. Each layer of silicone is then fully cross-linked through thermal cure. German RepRap’s LAM platform, combined with Dow’s 3D-printable SILASTIC 3D 3335, is capable of printing functional prototype parts for high-volume manufacturing. This LAM 3D printer is also ideal for highly customized parts for small manufacturing trials. Examples include complex geometric shapes with overhangs, to larger, less-detailed parts.  

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R.D. Abbott

German RepRap

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.