Nano Dimension has introduced a new 3D printer, the Exa 250vx, which uses digital light processing or DLP and is designed to produce high-resolution micro parts at the production scale.
The new Exa is an evolution of the NanoFabrica technology that Nano Dimension acquired in April 2021. Essentially, DLP uses a light source to cure a photopolymer resin, one layer at a time to build up an object, though NanoFabrica’s approach to this is said to be much faster than other 3D print competitors. The new machine builds on the existing Fabrica machines, the Tera and Giga, and can use the full portfolio of resin materials developed for those systems.
Those materials include D-810, which is similar to ABS with a tensile strength of 50 Mpa and shore hardness of 88. Other resins in the range offer transparency with some also suitable for medical-grade parts. In addition, these machines will also work with third-party resins.
It addresses the same applications, including connectors and other miniaturized components for electronic devices, as well as medical devices like micro-needles, micro filters, and components for minimally invasive surgeries. It’s also suitable for optical uses and micro-decorative items – including gold coated – for the jewelry sector. As such, 3D printing of these types of parts can be more cost-effective than alternatives such as micro-injection molding and micro-CNC.
However, the Exa has a much larger capacity than the existing machines with a build volume of 100mm x 100mm x 70mm. It offers 7.6µm XY resolution and can produce a layer thickness of 10 microns. That suggests that there is still room for the existing machines, with the Tera 250vx and Giga 250vx both capable of 3.8µm resolution and layer thickness down to 1µm.
Nir Sade, senior vice-president of Additive Manufacturing at Nano Dimension, says that the production of micro parts always involves a trade-off between precision and productivity, adding, “As part of Exa’s development, we worked closely with customers to address a host of needs such as high-volume parts production with micro-level detail for parts larger than the 50mm build limit we currently have on the Tera. The result is a system that provides the perfect balance of quality, productivity and cost, making it a game changer for the industry.”
The Exa is available for pre-order now but won’t ship until Q2 2025. In the meantime, you can find further details on micro-additive manufacturing from nano-di.com.
