ECE Testing Facility

Objet Connex350 Multi Material 3D Printing System

Description

The Objet Connex350 features Objet's pioneering multi-material 3D printing capability with an intermediate-size build tray of 350 x 350 x 200mm. It enables designers and engineers to rapidly build prototypes to simulate their intended end-product closer than any other technology.

What's Unique about Objet Connex?
Like the larger Objet Connex500, the Objet Connex350 features simultaneous multi-material jetting technology. This enables users to print models made of up to 14 different materials, in a single print job. The system is ideal for designers and engineers looking to effectively highlight the varying material components in complex or assembled products.

Freedom to Select your Own Materials
From an unrivalled range of over 120 materials including up to 100 Digital Material, the Objet Connex350 allows users to simulate diverse mechanical and physical properties, from rubber to rigid; opaque to transparent; and standard to ABS-grade engineering plastics.

Base materials include:

  • Transparent material (VeroClear) for fit and form testing of detailed transparent parts and simulation of transparent thermoplastics such as PMMA
  • A family of Rubber-like materials (Tango family) suitable for a range of applications requiring non-slip or soft surfaces
  • Transparent material (RGD720) for standard plastics simulation requiring dimensional stability and smooth surfaces
  • A family of Rigid Opaque materials (Vero family) in a variety of colors including white, gray, blue and black
  • Polypropylene-like material (DurusWhite) for snap fit applications

Composite digital materials include:

  • Digital ABS (RGD5160-DM fabricated from RGD515 and RGD535) simulates ABS engineering plastics by combining high-temperature resistance with toughness. Digital ABS2 matches those properties and provides superior rigidity and toughness in walls thinner than 1.2 mm (.047 in.).
  • High Temperature material for advanced functional testing, hot air and water flow, static applications and exhibition modeling
  • Transparent shades and patterns
  • Rigid opaque shades
  • Different shore value rubber-like materials
  • Polypropylene with improved thermal resistance

Features

Multi-material models - eliminating the need to design, print and glue separate model elements together
Different parts. Different materials. Same tray - saves time and serves multiple requirements simultaneously
Outstanding 16-micron, high-resolution print layer accuracy
600 DPI X & Y resolution
Thin walls down to 0.6mm (0.024")
High throughput - Up to 20mm per hour per strip
Reliability and robustness - at least 72 hours of non-stop build capacity
High speed - simultaneously print multiple items of different materials; models cure while printing; models can be handled immediately after print
Easy-to-remove support material enabling complex geometries

Applications

Overmolding is a molding process in which two or more materials are combined to produce a single part. Typically the part seamlessly binds a rigid plastic with a rubber-like elastomer. The result is a soft-touch, non-slip surface common on power tools, toothbrushes, razors, consumer electronics, medical devices and more.

Soft Touch Coating In recent years, thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) based multi-material molded products have found widespread use in various industries and in daily life. The soft touch surface provides a non-slip grip and ergonomic comfort. Many industries use soft touch coating during their product design to validate future products. For example, the automotive industry uses soft touch in the design and development of interior products such as knobs, pulls and handles.

Living Hinges A living hinge is a thin flexible hinge (flexure bearing) made from plastic, as opposed to cloth, leather, or some other substance, that joins two rigid plastic parts. The hinge allows the plastic parts to bend along the line of the hinge. It is typically manufactured in an injection molding process that creates all three parts at one time as a single entity. A thinned section of the plastic part bends to allow movement.

Shock Absorption Shock/energy-absorbing components are often used as a safety measure to absorb runaway energy in case of a component or system failure. Practical examples of shock absorbing components include bumpers, isolators, fasteners, mounts, spacers and pads.

Impact Resistance Impact resistance, or toughness, is defined by the relative susceptibility of plastics to fracture under stresses applied at high speeds. In materials science and metallurgy, impact resistance is a material's resistance to fracture when stressed. It is defined as the amount of energy per volume that a material can absorb before rupturing.

Additional application details can be found at the Stratasys website

MSU Printer Information:

Available materials at MSU: VeroWhite, TangoBlack +, VeroClear, RGD515 and RG535.

Printer is currently configured with VeroWhite and TangoBlack+ material.
Model Request Form
Requires a Engineering user account
If non-engineering request please email STL model and the account number for billing to
System Manager

Research Publications Library

Latest Printed Parts Library

The Connex 350 was purchased as part of the Evolution Park project,
supported by National Science Foundation grant CNS-1059373

Please include the following acknowledgment in publications resulting from projects that use of the printer:
"This work was supported in part by National Science Foundation grant CNS-1059373."

Equipment is located in 3230 Engineering. Please email the system manager if you have any questions