Know Your Materials: Elastico

In 2021, Stratasys introduced a new flexible material to the PolyJet platform in two different colors. Elastico is the new elastomeric PolyJet material that has a base shore hardness of A 45 and boasts an impressive elongation at a break of up to 400%. Elastico possesses superior tear resistance of more than 7 kg/cm making it an ideal addition to the PolyJet family. Let’s take a closer look at this fantastic digital material.

Elastico comes in both black and clear and is prominently featured on both the Stratasys J55 Prime and the Stratasys J35 Pro 3D printers. As multi-material printing becomes quintessential in large manufacturing verticals including automotive, industrial, and consumer goods, the ability to simulate over-molding, living hinges, and gaskets or seals is essential in today’s manufacturing world. The ability to select ShoreA Values from 50-95 provides a wide range of use cases including applications that require different durometers.

On the Stratasys J35, Elastico Black and Elastico Clear can be mixed with Vero Ultra White, Vero Ultra Black, Vero Ultra Clear, and Digital ABS to achieve these durometers. They cannot be combined with Vero Draft Gray or Vero Contact Clear. On the Stratasys J55, Elastico can also be mixed with the VeroVivid colors such as cyan, yellow, and magenta.

The J35/J55 Elastico Sample Part in the image above displays, in great detail, the different digital materials that can be achieved on these platforms. The fifteen samples inside of the white and blue rectangles are blends that can be achieved only on the J35. The bottom two rows are only a fraction of the examples that can be achieved with the J55 Prime. It is important to note that these samples were printed on a J55, which has five material channels. This allows for a printer loadout consisting of Vero Pure White, Elastico Black, Elastico Clear, Vero Cyan Vivid, and Vero Magenta Vivid.

All of the material assignments, including preferences, can be easily applied in GrabCAD Print under the Model Settings tab in the right-hand toolbar. In the drop-down menu, select the DOWN arrow and choose  Digital Materials. Next, select 2+ materials, and you’ll notice the possible combinations appear below. See below for reference.

As the ability to rapid prototype these types of features becomes industry standard, it is increasingly more important for companies to bring the capability in-house. The small form factor of the J-Series 3D printers is the perfect vehicle to deliver it in. Thanks to the near-silent operation due to the circular build platen, pro aero odor-free environment and wide range of materials and capabilities, the J55 Prime and the J35 Pro allow users to fabricate the flexibility and create without compromise!