Desktop 3D printer for prototyping and building production

Nexa3D is set to release its new resin XiP desktop printer, which features a 190- by 120- by 210-mm build envelope and prints at speeds up to 18 cm/hr. The open-material platform lets users build prototypes and production-grade components for engineering, dental, medical, education, and other industries.

The masked-SLA 3D printer is compatible with a range of general-purpose and elastomeric materials and polypropylene-like and PEEK-like resins.

What distinguishes the XiP from other resin desktop printers is its proprietary Lubricant Sublayer Photocuring technology, Nexa explains. LSPc is a type of masked-SLA technology and, as with traditional SLA printing, mSLA cures resin by exposing the material to UV light. But instead of tracing each layer with a laser beam, it uses a larger-area UV light source that is "masked" with an LCD screen. This allows the patterned light to expose the resin consistently and simultaneously across the curing plane. This makes mSLA much faster than traditional SLA.

And LSPc is faster still, claims Nexa.

LSPc uses a UV light array combined with the LCD mask to uniformly expose the entire build area, resulting in evenly detailed prints. The pitch of the 9.3-in. 4K LCD screen used in LSPc technology is 52 microns. At that size, an XiP pixel is already a fraction of the laser-spot size of other desktop SLA printers. As pixel sizes decrease further, surface quality improves.