NanoTool RP material produces quality parts faster

NanoTool SL parts are claimed to demonstrate the best sidewall quality of any composite SL material on the market today. Better sidewall quality reduces the amount of finishing time required to sand layer lines, making NanoTool extremely attractive for applications that require highly finished parts – such as wind tunnel testing for Formula 1, rapid tooling for injection moulding, and metal plating for prototyping metal cast parts.

In addition to demonstrating better sidewall quality, NanoTool parts are easy to clean once built. Unlike other composite resins that require more extensive time and care to remove residue, a simple water honing process removes any residue left on the surface of NanoTool parts.

Ralf Deuke, Director of German-based service bureau Alphaform AG, comments: "NanoTool delivers superior sidewall quality, excellent detail resolution and is very easy to finish. Overall handling is very similar to non-filled resins."

Metal Plating

NanoTool's smooth surface quality and high initial modulus make it an excellent resin for metal plating – which is a growing application that saves time and money as an alternative to fully metal prototypes.

Sean Wise, President of RePliForm, comments: "The issue of part cleanliness becomes extremely important when plating composite resins because the RP parts will not metallise completely if residue is present." DSM Somos, in conjunction with RePliForm, is currently studying the metal plated strength improvements achievable with NanoTool. To date, flexural modulus values of >55GPa have been reached based on a metal-to-resin volume ratio of 1:4. The technology, known as MC2, promises to greatly enhance the effectiveness of prototyping metal parts.