Discover a World Premiere – 3D Printing of Real Elastomers
Enabled by ACEO® Technology
The ACEO® technology is a system solution for 3D printing silicones comprising material, printer and software. The different components are optimally attuned to one another so that the highly viscous silicone can be manufactured additively. Prototypes, individual geometries, integration of functionalities or impossible designs which could not have been produced with any other technology are now available 3D printed with 100% silicone.
ACEO® Technology
Materials
Silicone chemists from WACKER developed ACEO® Silicones to match the specific needs of the 3D printing process enabling prototypes, small series or individualized and customized silicone products. The standard grade is available in different Shore hardness and colors. Part of the product portfolio is an environmentally friendly ACEO® Support Material which allows to 3D print undercuts or overhangs and can be washed out easily afterwards.
Printers
The ACEO® Imagine printers are empowered by advanced German engineering qualities. They work with an UV-curing system where single droplets are dosed on demand and cured layer by layer. This results in excellent mechanical properties of the printed part and outstanding isotropy achieving nearly the same values as parts from injection molding. After printing, the parts can be taken out of the printer immediately as they are fully cured and no further post-processing is needed.
Software
The ACEO® Studio is our proprietary development based on the very specific needs of processing a highly viscous material. It is an integral part of the printers and allows constant performance control of the print job. The selection of single parameters allows adapting the printing process to the specific geometry of the part resulting in high quality silicone products.
Certificates
The ACEO® Campus opened in summer 2016 and is one of the youngest sites of WACKER. At WACKER we strive to keep the same high standards of quality, safety and environmental protection at all our sites worldwide. Continuous improvements to our processes, products and services are an integral part of our daily work.
This philosophy is reflected in WACKER’s Integrated Management System (IMS). We pool all of our management processes regarding quality, safety, energy, health, and environmental protection within this system.
We take our responsibility to be in line with ethical and legal requirements very seriously. In order to achieve transparency and traceability we engage internationally recognized certification companies to provide an objective assessment. We fulfill the current and local requirements as well as ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 50001.