MHW Magazine News and stories from the Materials Handling Industry
Stratasys Inc., maker of 3D printers for prototyping and producing plastic parts, introduced a static dissipative ABS material for items sensitive to electrostatic charge.
ABS-ESD7 is a new material for use by Fortus additive manufacturing systems. The material has static dissipative properties for applications where a static charge can damage products, impair performance or cause an explosion.
Unlike most thermoplastics, ABS-ESD7 prevents a buildup of static electricity, so it can’t produce a static shock.
Besides eliminating static shock, the ESD material eliminates another common static electricity problem: the attraction and buildup of particulate, such as dust or powders, which can degrade product performance.
ABS-ESD7 is also beneficial when designing products that avoid attracting atomized liquid, such as medicine inhalers, which must deliver the entire drug dose to the patient and not leave mist clinging to inhaler’s internal surfaces.
The material will be most useful for manufacturers that wish to create assembly aids that hold, handle, or carry their electronics safely.
Primary applications include:
Carriers and organizers for electrical components
Fixtures for electronic component assembly
Production line and conveyor parts
Other applications include:
Product design and validation for:
Electronic product enclosures
Electronics packaging material
Powder or mist conveying or dispensing
"ABS-ESD7 was engineered in response to a strong demand from our additive manufacturing system owners," says Stratasys Business Development Director Fred Fischer. "In a survey, over 50 percent of owners expressed a need for ESD materials for creating assembly aids, prototypes, or production parts."
