Carbon Releases SIL 30 Tear-Resistant Silicone Resin

Carbon is releasing Silicone (SIL 30), a soft, tear-resistant biocompatible resin, opening additive manufacturing (AM) applications for consumer products such as headphones, wristbands and other various attachments for wearables, in addition to medical applications. With this material, the company hopes to improve its offerings for the growing wearables market.

The company worked with NAMSA’s biocompatibility testing division to certify SIL 30 and six additional Carbon resins, including multiple resins that will be used in medical device manufacturing.

“Consumer goods and medical are two industries that show the most promise for using 3D printing for production at scale, which is why we’ve prioritized the development of novel materials like SIL 30,” says Carbon CEO and Co-founder Dr. Joseph DeSimone.

“We were investigating how to best create pediatric stents that can be easily switched out as a child grows,” says Dr. Robroy MacIver, cardiothoracic surgeon with University of Minnesota Health. “Carbon’s SIL 30 material offers an isotropic, smooth finish with the durability to withstand such action in the trachea, while its innovative Digital Light Synthesis technology allowed for the size, fine resolution and robust-build quality required for such small airways. As a result, we were able to develop a durable, flexible device that can support many different deployment techniques for pediatric stent placement.”

In addition to SIL 30, the company’s other resins that have been certified biocompatible include Cyanate Ester (CE220), a stiff, temperature-resistant material with dielectric properties; Rigid Polyurethane (RPU 61 and RPU 70), rigid materials for single-use surgical tools and industrial products, with RPU 70 possessing flame-resistant properties; Elastomeric Polyurethane (EPU 40), an elastic and tear-resistant material used in gaskets and seals; Epoxy (EPX 81), a temperature-resistant material comparable to glass-filled PBT; and Urethane Methacrylate (UMA 90), a rigid material for manufacturing jigs.