July 15, 2021

Delivering higher resilience, greater snapback and stronger tear resistance for additively manufactured industrial and consumer products

Nexa3D and Henkel launch xFLEX 475 photo-elastic material 

Düsseldorf, Germany, and Ventura, CA – Nexa3D, the maker of ultrafast polymer 3D printers, announced today in partnership with Henkel, the commercial availability of xFLEX 475, a category leading soft rubber material that is ideal for the production of additively manufactured industrial and consumer products. Within the high growth elastomers market, customers can now access this industrial strength material for applications that require resilience, snap back and tear resistance, such as pipes and manifolds, handles, and grips, seals, and gaskets or sportswear and footwear midsoles. This material also boasts an impressive up to 150 percent elongation at failure and an excellent energy return of up to 50 percent. The new xFLEX 475 material comes in two colors; black, and white and is immediately available through Nexa3D’s growing network of resellers. 

To learn more about xFLEX 475, check out this video, media kit or the Nexa3D materials page. Contact us to find a reseller near you, or to schedule your live 3D printing demo today via Zoom.

Nexa3D’s expanding collaboration with Henkel combines the proven capabilities of both companies to fast-track additive manufacturing towards mass production of functional parts across multiple industries, leveraging the productivity advantage of its ultrafast NXE 400 3D printer. No other manufacturing process offers as many possibilities for greater design agility and supply chain resiliency and ultrafast implementation at every phase of the product lifecycle. Combining Nexa3D’s productivity with Henkel’s rapidly expanding suite of functional polymers, makes it possible for customers to manufacture a wider range of parts such as protective gear, and grips, hoses, and pipes, gaskets, and seals footwear components and tooling for greater performance and functionality. 
  
“Productivity and performance for volume production applications can only be maximized when manufacturers have access to both ultrafast 3D printer technology and advanced polymers,” explained Kevin McAlea, Chief Operating Officer at Nexa3D. “Historically, during prototyping, manufacturers could 3D print aesthetically pleasing models, but they were not durable. Or they could create functional parts that did not match the aesthetic requirements of production parts. We don’t believe manufacturers should have to compromise any longer. Our close partnership with Henkel allows us to expand our suite of functional photoplastic and photoelastic materials, so customers can produce functional prototypes and volume production parts that have both an attractive surface finish and the durability they require.”

“Henkel’s portfolio of photoplastic and photoelastic materials are tailored to the high throughput of the NXE 400 ultrafast 3D printer, allowing design and manufacturing engineers to achieve the best results with both rapid prototyping and mass production,” explained Simon Mawson, Senior Vice President and Global Head of 3D Printing at Henkel. “We plan to further strengthen our collaboration with the Nexa3D team and quickly expand our materials portfolio to help make rapid prototyping and mass production of functional parts more accessible.”  

For more information on Nexa3D and its high performance 3D printing materials, visit Nexa3D.com  like on Facebook, or follow on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

To learn more about Henkel’s innovation in 3D printing visit LoctiteAM.com. To see how your organization can collaborate with Henkel’s Loctite 3D Printing, please email Loctite3DP@henkel.com.

About Henkel
Henkel operates globally with a well-balanced and diversified portfolio. The company holds leading positions with its three business units in both industrial and consumer businesses thanks to strong brands, innovations and technologies. Henkel Adhesive Technologies is the global leader in the adhesives market – across all industry segments worldwide. In its Laundry & Home Care and Beauty Care businesses, Henkel holds leading positions in many markets and categories around the world. Founded in 1876, Henkel looks back on more than 140 years of success. In 2020, Henkel reported sales of more than 19 billion euros and adjusted operating profit of about 2.6 billion euros. Henkel employs about 53,000 people globally – a passionate and highly diverse team, united by a strong company culture and shared values. As a recognized leader in sustainability, Henkel holds top positions in many international indices and rankings. Henkel’s preferred shares are listed in the German stock index DAX. For more information, please visit www.henkel.com.

About Nexa3D
Nexa3D is passionate about digitizing supply chain sustainably. The company makes ultrafast polymer 3D printers, that deliver 20X productivity advantage, affordable for professionals and businesses of all sizes. The company's photoplastic printers are powered by its proprietary Lubricant Sublayer Photo-curing (LSPc) and its thermoplastic printers are powered by Quantum Laser Sintering (QLS).  The company’s partnerships with world-class material suppliers unlocks the full potential of additively manufactured polymers for volume production. The company’s NexaX proprietary software platform optimizes the entire production cycle through process interplay algorithms to ensure part performance and production consistency, while minimizing material usage and waste, reducing energy and carbon footprints. For more information, please visit www.nexa3d.com.

Photo material is available at www.henkel.com/press

Contacts	Henkel	Nexa3D
	Sebastian Hinz	Leah Elston-Thompson / Martin Deakin
Phone	+49 211 797- 85 94	+44 (0) 1785 225416
Email	sebastian.hinz@henkel.com	leah@stonejunction.co.uk / martin@stonejunction.co.uk

Henkel AG & Co. KGaA

Nexa3D and Henkel launch xFLEX 475, a photo-elastic material delivering higher resilience, greater snapback and stronger tear resistance for additively manufactured industrial and consumer products.

The combination of Nexa3Ds and Henkel´s expertise enables the manufacturing of 3D printed parts such as protective gear, and grips, hoses, and pipes, gaskets, and seals footwear components and tooling for greater performance and functionality.