We just updated the Design Guidelines for B-HDA, to learn more click here.

Say hello to Black High Definition Acrylate, our newest material launching today! It’s a high detail material similar to Frosted Ultra Detail (FUD), but smoother and more durable.

Who is it for?

While anyone can use Black High Definition Acrylate [ak-ruh-leyt, -lit], it is perfect for those designing miniatures because it provides very high detail in even the smallest designs and the smooth surface takes to paint very well. A few examples:

Model trains

Miniature furniture

Figurines

Black High Definition Acrylate is also really great for phone cases and jewelry prototyping because of its beautiful finish.

What is it?

Black High Definition Acrylate is a UV sensitive acrylic polymer similar to Frosted Ultra Detail (FUD), but with slightly different material properties and printing processes. Unlike FUD, which is printed using a Multijet Modeling process, this new material is printed using Direct Light Projection (DLP) which provides excellent resolution and accuracy. It also provides a smoother finish which lends itself really well to painting. This material is more durable and flexible due to a combination of its strength and elongation properties, and is perfect for designers who want a more customizable material for miniatures and other high detail products.

How is it made?

Printed using DLP technology, the process uses visible spectrum light to cure the liquid resin one layer at a time. A resin bath sits above a high resolution projector which projects cross-sectional images of your model. The resin cures with exposure to visible light, curing an entire layer with a single pass. Since the entire layer is cured at once, build speed is generally faster than other technologies such as laser sintering or stereolithography which trace the slice of your model while sintering or curing at precise locations. After printing, models are removed from the build platform and are post-cured by a UV light.

Check out the video below to hear Blair, our Materials Project Manager, talk about this exciting new material:

For more information on how this material is made, be sure to check out this week’s Shapeways Live segment and ask any questions you may have in our forum!

Black High Definition Acrylate is being released first to the Shapeways maker community to test out the material and provide feedback. Once we’ve optimized the process, we’ll release the material to the entire community for printing.

What are you most excited to make in Black High Definition Acrylate?