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DSM INTRODUCES SOMOS® WATERSHED™
A UNIQUE PROTOTYPING RESIN WITH EXCEPTIONAL WATER AND HUMIDITY RESISTANCE
19 August 2002 - DSM Somos
| DSM Somos®, world leaders in innovative materials technology for the rapid prototyping industry, announces the availability of Somos® WaterShed™, a general purpose resin that exhibits phenomenal water and humidity resistance that is now available for most solid state and helium cadmium laser systems for stereolithography.
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Somos® WaterShed™ is a strong, rigid resin that retains properties over a variety of environmental conditions and also offers a similar aesthetic appeal of the Somos® WaterClear™ family of transparent resins. Many of the physical properties of WaterShed™ match those of extrusion grade Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT) and transparent grade Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), two common plastics used in manufacturing, making the new material very suitable for numerous automotive, electronic, medical, consumer and industrial applications. According to Dan Mickish, Ph.D, R&D Manager, DSM Somos®: 'Somos® WaterShed™ provides extremely low water absorption so that part dimensions and mechanical properties are unaffected by high humidity. That benefit was driven by marketplace demands for a stereolithography resin that keeps its strength in all weather conditions. Current commercial materials often lose strength and 'wilt' in hot humid conditions. Somos® WaterShed™ retains its strength and mechanical properties in a broad variety of environments. We regard WaterShed™ as a defining development in photopolymer progress.” Charlie Kaufmann, New Market Development Manager, also notes that Somos® WaterShed™ provides value attributes in terms of tensile strength. “WaterShed™ creates a stronger, stiffer material exhibiting excellent green strength while retaining impressive elongation properties. This is key to WaterShed™ performance because tensile and flexural properties usually decrease after being exposed to high humidity.” Among the many applications seen as ideal for Somos® WaterShed™ are brake system parts, distributor caps, fuel injection modules, grille opening panels, electronic connectors, switches, relays, TV tuners, motor housings, fuse cases, medical and specialty syringes, irrigation and wound drainage systems, check valves, catheter housings, industrial zippers, power tool housings, hair dryers, calculators and food processor blades. Somos® WaterShed™ resins are part of the ProtoFunctional® Materials family pioneered by DSM Somos®. ProtoFunctional® rapid prototyping resins replicate the performance parameters of production materials, from thermoplastic elastomers to polyethylene and polypropylene, saving both time and money in new product development.
http://www.dsmsomos.com
About: DSM Somos
DSM Somos is an unincorporated division of DSM Desotech—a world leader in the development of UV-curable materials—and a member of the global DSM family.
DSM Somos is currently the world's second largest materials supplier to the rapid prototyping industry, providing stereolithography liquids and
selective laser sintering powders used for the creation of three dimensional models and prototypes directly from digital data. Somos' patented ProtoFunctional materials are used by a variety of industries, including automotive, aerospace, medical and telecommunications. DSM Somos has developed a full line of rapid prototyping materials that replicate the performance parameters of production materials, saving both time and money in new product development. From thermoplastic elastomers to polyethylene and polypropylene, DSM Somos has stereolithography and selective laser sintering technologies. The Somos business has been actively involved in the development of rapid prototyping materials since the late 1980s, from the introduction of the first commercial Somos stereolithography resin in 1992. DSM Somos is part of DSM Desotech, a leading innovative formulator and manufacturer of high quality ultraviolet and electron beam (UV/EB) curable materials. DSM Desotech is a business unit of DSM - an international chemicals and materials group headquartered in The Netherlands, with annual sales of EUR 8.1 billion and a work force of approximately 22,000 employees at more than 200 sites worldwide. DSM is active worldwide in life science and nutritional products, performance materials and industrial chemicals. The company specializes in innovative products and services that help improve the quality of life and DSM products are currently used in a wide range of end markets and applications such as human and animal nutrition and health, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, automotive and transport, coatings, housing and electrics & electronics (E&E). The group has annual sales (pro forma including the recent acquisition - renamed DSM Nutritional Products) of approximately EUR 8 billion and employs about 26,000 people around the world. Ranking among the global leaders in many of its fields, DSM is headquartered in the Netherlands, with locations in Europe, Asia and the Americas. |
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