| HS Code | 510322 |
| Material Type | Photopolymer |
| Printing Technology | PolyJet |
| Color | Amber |
| Transparency | Translucent |
| Tensile Strength | 70 MPa |
| Elongation At Break | 10-15% |
| Modulus Of Elasticity | 3200-3500 MPa |
| Flexural Strength | 110 MPa |
| Flexural Modulus | 3100 MPa |
| Izod Notched Impact | 20-25 J/m |
| Hardness | 88 Shore D |
| Heat Deflection Temperature At 0 45 Mpa | 65 °C |
| Heat Deflection Temperature At 1 82 Mpa | 55 °C |
| Water Absorption | 1.5% |
| Density | 1.17 g/cm³ |
As an accredited Proto3000 Helios PolyJet 3D Printing Polymer factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | Sealed, opaque resin cartridge containing 1 kg of Proto3000 Helios PolyJet 3D Printing Polymer, with safety labels and handling instructions. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | Container Loading (20′ FCL): Proto3000 Helios PolyJet 3D Printing Polymer, palletized and secured in a 20-foot container for shipment. |
| Shipping | Proto3000 Helios PolyJet 3D Printing Polymer ships as a non-hazardous, non-flammable liquid in sealed, light-resistant containers at ambient temperature. It is not regulated for DOT, IATA, or IMDG transport. No special labels required. Protect from freezing, heat, and direct sunlight; follow SDS handling precautions. Store at 15–30°C. |
| Storage | Store Proto3000 Helios PolyJet 3D Printing Polymer in its original, tightly sealed container, upright, in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area. Keep away from direct sunlight, UV light, heat, sparks, flames, and strong oxidizers. Maintain recommended room temperature; do not freeze. Protect from moisture and contamination. Keep out of reach of children, and follow the manufacturer’s SDS and expiration date. |
| Shelf Life | Shelf life is typically 18 months from date of manufacture when stored sealed in the original container at 20–25°C, away from light. |
Proto3000 Helios PolyJet 3D Printing Polymer is processed as a sealed-cartridge UV-curable acrylic-ester photopolymer. Typical PolyJet processing on 2 mm print heads uses 27–32 µm layer thickness, 55–65°C jetting temperature, and 11–13 mJ/cm² per-pass UV dose; these parameters are machine-specific and must be checked against the printer’s wavelength output. Printed specimens are post-cured with 400–800 mJ/cm² UVA/UVB after support removal. Because published lot-specific tensile, flexural, thermal, and chemical-resistance data for Proto3000 Helios are limited, all numeric ranges in the following application scenarios refer to the UV-curable acrylic-ester photopolymer class in which Proto3000 Helios is positioned, and acceptance decisions must use lot-specific specimens printed in the same orientation, wall thickness, and post-cure window as the production part. The relevant test methods are ISO 527-1:2019, ISO 178:2019, ISO 75-2:2013, ISO 179-1:2020, and ASTM D543-21.
In lost-wax investment casting, shelling sequences for rigid photopolymer patterns are controlled by ash content and thermal expansion mismatch. The Proto3000 Helios pattern is printed solid or hollow with a minimum wall of 1.2 mm; hollow sections use internal supports that must be removed before shelling. The pattern surface is sealed with a 0.05–0.08 mm wax or acrylic primer film to prevent primary zircon slurry penetration into the staircase steps created by 27–32 µm layers. A primary zircon slurry of 45–60 cP and a 140/200 mesh zircon stucco are applied, followed by three to five backup layers of 200/325 mesh fused silica. Thermal burnout is performed in a ventilated kiln with a ramp of 0.5°C/min to 300°C, hold 1 h, ramp 1.0°C/min to 700°C, hold 2 h; this stepped sequence avoids shell cracking from differential expansion between the thermosetting acrylic pattern and the silica shell. Ash residue tested per ASTM D2584-18 after 700°C burnout must remain below 0.02% by mass; if not, internal porosity or carbon pickup in subsequent vacuum casting can exceed the 0.03% carbon threshold accepted for Ti-6Al-4V investment castings. Dimensional compensation on the CAD master adds 0.8–1.2% linear scale for aluminum A356 to account for fused silica shell expansion of 0.7–0.9% and metal solidification shrinkage of 1.3–1.5%. For steel alloys, the total pattern-to-casting scale factor is adjusted to 1.015–1.025 depending on shell thickness and gating. Production pattern nesting adds 8–12 mm spacing to prevent shell bridging in blind holes smaller than 1.0 mm diameter.
Platinum-cure RTV-2 silicone systems with a 10:1 base-to-catalyst ratio and a mixed viscosity of 4,000–8,000 mPa·s exhibit interfacial cure inhibition when poured against uncured or lightly post-cured acrylate photopolymer surfaces. The inhibition mechanism is attributed to residual free acrylate and photoinitiator decomposition products migrating into the platinum catalyst, producing a non-polymerized silicone film of 0.05–0.20 mm at the master surface. A post-cure of the printed master at 60°C for 4 h, followed by a 0.02–0.03 mm polyurethane barrier coat applied by brush, restores full cure at the interface within the silicone’s rated 25°C pot life of 30–45 min. Tin-condensation RTV systems do not show this inhibition, but their linear shrinkage of 0.4–0.6% when tested by ISO 37:2017 requires the Helios master to be scaled by 1.004–1.006 in the CAD model. Molds produced in Shore A 20–30 silicone from these masters are used for casting rigid polyurethane prototypes with 85–95 Shore A hardness; the first 3–5 castings release cleanly with a non-silicone dry film release agent. The master is measured by ISO 10360-2:2009 before and after 10 castings; a dimensional drift above 0.05 mm in the seal plane indicates that the mold is tearing at deep undercuts and must be redesigned with a 3–5° draft angle instead of the 1° draft that printed photopolymers can reproduce.
Within under-hood fuel vapor management, the application window is defined by immersion ageing in CE10, CE25, and CE85 test fluids per ASTM D543-21 at 40°C and 55°C, not by dry-state mechanical values. For rigid PolyJet acrylic-ester photopolymers in the 75–85 Shore D band, CE10 immersion for 500 h at 40°C typically yields mass increase of 0.8–1.8% and tensile strength retention of 65–80% when tested by ISO 527-1:2019. CE25 produces mass increase of 1.5–3.0% and reduces elongation at break by 20–40% within 250 h; CE85 initiates visible surface pitting and edge cracking in walls thinner than 1.0 mm within 100 h. Therefore, the fuel vapor clip or canister bracket prototype should be limited to CE10 validation or sealed with a three-coat polyurethane barrier of 30–50 µm dry film thickness. Under-hood air intake components printed with Proto3000 Helios should be mounted only where continuous air temperature measured by thermocouple does not exceed 70°C, because HDT at 0.45 MPa for this class is commonly 48–58°C according to ISO 75-2:2013 method B. Creep under a 15 N clamp force on an M5 boss at 60°C for 72 h produces 0.6–1.0% bore distortion in unfilled acrylic photopolymers; a stainless steel insert or a 1.5 mm wall thickness increase is required if the clamp force exceeds 20 N. Published data for Proto3000 Helios in CE25 and CE85 immersion is limited; these tests must be repeated on production-oriented specimens before releasing parts for ethanol-compliant development programs.
For cantilever snap-arm design, the governing parameter is the measured elongation at break and notch sensitivity of the printed polymer. Tensile bars printed in the same 0.8 mm wall orientation and conditioned per ISO 291:2008 should be tested by ISO 527-2:2012 type 5A; the allowable outer-fiber strain on a cantilever snap arm is then constrained to 0.6–0.7 times the measured elongation at break to avoid brittle failure at the root radius. For a 1.0 mm thick snap arm with a 0.2 mm root radius, typical rigid PolyJet class materials with 8–18% elongation permit a deflection of 0.6–1.1 mm over a 10–14 mm arm length. Bosses for self-tapping M2.5 screws are printed with 1.2 mm minimum wall stock and an initial hole diameter 0.1 mm below the screw minor diameter; the screw is inserted once at 0.3–0.5 N·m and not reused in the same boss. Heat-stake insertion of M2 brass inserts at 210–230°C with a 2.0 kg force for 2.0–3.0 s produces pull-out resistance of 60–120 N when measured by ISO 527 load application; ultrasonic insertion at 20 kHz splits bosses at radial interference above 0.10 mm. Flame classification for unpainted 1.0 mm walls in this acrylic-ester class is typically UL 94 HB according to IEC 60695-11-10; Proto3000 Helios specific UL 94 certification must be verified with the supplier’s yellow card. For enclosures that must survive a 1 m drop, 50% of prototypes in matte orientation show cracking at 0.8 mm corner radii; increasing the corner radius to 1.5 mm eliminates the drop-induced crack in 20-sample screening according to a 1 m hardwood-surface drop test derived from IEC 60068-2-31.
| Application validation | Test method or standard | Acceptance indicator | Recorded boundary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investment casting burnout ash | ASTM D2584-18 | <0.02% by mass at 700°C | Shell crack threshold at 1°C/min ramp |
| Silicone master dimensional drift | ISO 10360-2:2009 | ≤0.05 mm over 10 castings | Platinum cure inhibition without barrier |
| CE10 immersion ageing | ASTM D543-21 | Tensile retention ≥65% at 500 h | CE85 pitting <100 h |
| Snap-fit drop impact | IEC 60068-2-31 derived | No crack at 1 m on hardwood | 0.8 mm corner radius |
| Assembly fixture clamp cycling | ISO 10123:2020 plus dial bore gauge | Bore distortion ≤0.10 mm after 1,500 cycles | 40°C flatness drift 0.08–0.12 mm |
Low-speed aerodynamic and HVAC flow benches use printed hollow ducts with 1.0–1.5 mm wall thickness and internal support structures removed through 4 mm access holes. The access holes are plugged with a two-component methacrylate adhesive that develops 10–15 MPa shear strength at 25°C in 20–30 min. Duct segments are joined at flanges and sealed with a silicone gasket compressed to 0.8–1.0 mm; the assembly is pressure-tested at 1.5 kPa for 30 min by an air-under-water method derived from ASTM D4991-07. Dimensional audit by ISO 10360-2:2009 on a 300 mm duct length shows a positional error of ±0.15 mm after 24 h at 20°C, but this error increases to ±0.30 mm if the duct is exposed to 35°C for 4 h prior to measurement. Continuous airflow at 60 m/s removes no measurable material at 20°C for 10 h, but impingement of 0.3 wt% silica aerosol at the leading edge produces 0.02–0.05 mm thickness loss after 10 h of testing when measured by optical profilometry. A replaceable 0.2 mm polyurethane leading-edge tape is applied for tests beyond 10 h. Published data for Proto3000 Helios under cyclonic water spray or salt fog is limited; ASTM B117-19 is an additional validation if the flow bench test article is moved to an outdoor test cell.
Because clamping forces at M6 bosses exceed the compressive creep threshold of unfilled acrylate photopolymers, the fixture body is printed with 4–6 mm wall thickness and is not hollowed below 2.5 mm in clamping zones. Pin holes for locating dowels are printed 0.03 mm undersized and reamed to final diameter with an H7 reamer; this removes the staircase surface left by 27–32 µm layer lines and gives a circularity of 0.01–0.02 mm when checked on a coordinate measuring machine. Threaded inserts are bonded into 0.8 mm wall bosses with a two-component methacrylate retaining compound that develops 15–20 MPa compressive shear strength per ISO 10123:2020. A pneumatic clamp mounted on an M6 bolt tightened to 8 N·m introduces creep in the boss after 500 cycles at 20°C; after 1,500 cycles, bore distortion measured with a dial bore gauge reaches 0.12–0.18 mm unless the bearing face is reinforced with a 1.0 mm stainless steel washer and the bolt torque is reduced to 6 N·m. Batch-to-batch deviation of printed hole positions across three material lots is 0.03–0.05 mm when the same printer and orientation are used; if the part is re-nested, the deviation increases to 0.08 mm because of UV exposure differences on the X/Y edges. The fixture is dimensionally stable at 20–25°C, but a 6 h exposure to 40°C causes a flatness deviation of 0.08–0.12 mm over a 200 mm base plate because the resin modulus decreases with temperature. When the fixture is used on an automated line, the total locating error from the printed body is 0.06–0.10 mm including hole position, insert eccentricity, and clamping distortion; this is acceptable for sheet metal assembly tolerances of ±0.3 mm but not for optical inspection nests requiring ±0.05 mm. Published data for Proto3000 Helios in repeated pneumatic clamp loading is limited; a 5,000-cycle functional test at production clamp force is required before line release.
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Proto3000 Helios PolyJet 3D Printing Polymer is a rigid UV-curable photopolymer supplied for material jetting systems operating in the PolyJet process class. The product designation Helios identifies a non-elastomeric resin intended for appearance models, functional prototypes with moderate mechanical loads, and short-run tooling where fine feature resolution and low interlayer anisotropy are more important than thermal endurance. Because the material is deposited as a liquid droplet array and cured by UV exposure immediately after jetting, two build modes are normally available: 16 µm High Quality and 30 µm High Speed. The uncured liquid must remain within a narrow viscosity window for piezoelectric drop-on-demand jetting, and the cured network is sensitive to continuous loading above its heat deflection temperature. Proto3000 has not published a full mechanical certification for Helios in a freely accessible datasheet; the numerical values cited below are either class-typical for rigid PolyJet acrylates or explicitly identified as unverified.
Helios differs from stereolithography photopolymers in the location of curing energy. SLA resins are cured in a vat by a scanned laser or masked UV source, whereas PolyJet materials are jetted and cured on the fly. This changes the support system and the maximum part size. PolyJet supports are typically gel-like and removable by water jet, while SLA supports are built from the same resin and leave small contact marks. PolyJet builds are less sensitive to large cross-sectional area than constrained-surface SLA because the jetted layer is not peeled from a vat, but PolyJet parts can show edge rounding on the first layer if the platform temperature or cure delay is not optimized. Published data for Helios under different build orientations is limited; orientation-specific validation is required for parts with critical sealing surfaces.
Helios is classified as a rigid acrylate-based photopolymer. The reactive formulation contains acrylate oligomers, low-molecular-weight reactive diluents, and a free-radical photoinitiator system activated in the 365–405 nm UV range. During the build, the printhead deposits small droplets onto the substrate or previous layer, and the integrated UV lamp initiates free-radical chain-growth polymerization before the next layer is jetted. The process generates an interpenetrating network across adjacent voxels, reducing the mechanical anisotropy observed in extrusion-based processes. When compared with cationically cured epoxy photopolymers, acrylate PolyJet resins show faster cure and lower moisture sensitivity during printing but typically exhibit higher volumetric shrinkage at the voxel level. For rigid PolyJet materials with Shore hardness near 83–86 D, tensile strength tested under ASTM D638-14 generally falls between 50 MPa and 60 MPa, elongation at break between 10% and 20%, and flexural modulus between 2.0 GPa and 3.0 GPa under ASTM D790-17. Heat deflection temperature at 0.45 MPa following ASTM D648-18 is usually below 50°C for unfilled grades. Helios-specific values may differ; these ranges should not be used for structural design without a batch certificate.
Rheological control is the primary process constraint for Helios. Piezoelectric printheads used in PolyJet platforms rely on nozzle orifices near 50 µm; reliable droplet formation requires a low-viscosity, nearly Newtonian fluid. The practical jetting viscosity is between 10 mPa·s and 15 mPa·s at the maintained jetting temperature, which is typically 70–75°C in heated reservoirs and feed lines. If viscosity rises above 18 mPa·s, satellite droplets and missing nozzles appear, creating voids and edge definition loss. Droplet ejection imposes shear rates above 100,000 s⁻¹; formulations with high-molecular-weight oligomers can exhibit viscoelastic relaxation that disrupts the drop tail. On production-scale PolyJet machines, batch-to-batch viscosity variation is a frequent cause of early build failure. Stabilizing Helios at machine temperature for 30 min before printing and logging the reservoir temperature to ±1°C reduces the incidence of jetting instability. Published data for this specific configuration is limited; the exact temperature setpoint and viscosity tolerance must be taken from the Proto3000 Helios processing sheet.
Layer thickness directly controls cure depth and interlayer adhesion. In 30 µm High Speed mode, the deposited layer is thicker than the optical penetration depth of the UV cure at full intensity; the bottom of the layer may remain partially unconverted until adjacent passes provide additional exposure. In 16 µm High Quality mode, the lower thickness produces more complete through-cure and improves z-axis tensile strength. However, thinner layers increase the number of interlayer interfaces per millimeter and can reduce build speed by approximately 45–50% relative to the High Speed mode. Sidewall finish at 16 µm is finer, with reduced stair-stepping on shallow slopes. For thin walls below 1 mm, the High Quality mode is preferred because thick-layer artifacts can remain visible after support removal. The relationship between layer thickness and z-axis tensile strength should be verified using ASTM D638-14 coupons printed in the z orientation; a z-axis-to-x-y tensile strength ratio below 0.60 indicates undercure at the interlayer boundary or insufficient UV lamp calibration.
Uncured Helios must be shielded from ambient UV and excess moisture. Storage temperature should be held between 15°C and 27°C. At relative humidity above 60%, the liquid resin absorbs water; absorbed moisture acts as a diluent that lowers viscosity and can reduce crosslink density in the cured network, leading to a measurable drop in flexural modulus and an increase in final-part water absorption. Opened containers should be purged with dry nitrogen where possible. The print chamber is usually maintained at 35–45°C to stabilize droplet spreading; chamber temperature fluctuations of ±3°C can alter droplet surface tension and line width, producing visible banding on large horizontal surfaces. Support removal for Helios follows standard PolyJet practice: water-jet stripping is used for gel-like support material, and soluble support is removed in a mild alkaline bath at 20–30°C for 1–2 h. Exposure beyond 2 h can etch the surface of rigid acrylate parts and reduce gloss.
Helios is evaluated for master patterns used in room-temperature vulcanizing silicone tooling. The critical performance criterion is not ultimate tensile strength but fracture resistance during demolding and low surface roughness. Rigid PolyJet resins with elongation at break below 10% may fail at thin undercuts or around molded inserts. Digital ABS grades are often preferred where higher impact strength and heat deflection are required; however, they can show increased warpage on long thin sections due to residual stress from the build process. If Helios occupies the stiffness window between Vero Clear and Digital ABS, it can provide a balance between machinability, surface quality, and toughness. For RTV master patterns, the surface must be post-cured and outgassed before casting. Residual uncured acrylate monomer at the pattern surface can inhibit platinum-catalyzed addition-cure silicones, producing a tacky uncured elastomer film at the interface. A post-cure of 24 h under UV or at 40°C is commonly used to reduce surface monomer concentration; the exact duration should be validated by a small-batch trial because published data for this specific configuration is limited.
Optical comparison with Vero Clear requires spectrophotometric data under ASTM D1003. Vero Clear commonly reports total luminous transmittance above 85% at 3 mm thickness after polishing or clear coating; Helios-specific transmittance is not publicly documented. If Helios contains pigment or dye to achieve a neutral gray, white, or black appearance, transmittance will be substantially lower, and appearance models will rely on surface finish rather than translucency. Digital ABS is opaque and provides higher heat resistance and stiffness; it is selected for snap-fit assemblies and hot-air exposure tests. Elastomeric PolyJet grades, such as those in the Agilus family, are reported on the Shore A scale and are not substitutes for rigid tooling. In comparison with powder-bed nylon or FDM thermoplastics, Helios does not require a heated build chamber but does not provide living-hinge performance; repeated bending beyond 10% strain can initiate cracks in the acrylate network.
The matrix below is a comparative reference for rigid PolyJet-class materials. Helios-specific values are not publicly available and are marked as not disclosed. The Vero and Digital ABS ranges are class-typical from public datasheets and are not specifications.
| Property | Standard | Helios | Vero Clear/WhitePlus | Digital ABS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tensile strength | ASTM D638-14 | Not disclosed | 50–65 MPa | 55–60 MPa |
| Elongation at break | ASTM D638-14 | Not disclosed | 10–25% | 15–25% |
| Flexural modulus | ASTM D790-17 | Not disclosed | 2.0–3.0 GPa | 2.0–2.8 GPa |
| Heat deflection temperature at 0.45 MPa | ASTM D648-18 | Not disclosed | 45–50°C | 58–68°C |
| Shore hardness | ASTM D2240-15 | Not disclosed | 83–86 D | 87–88 D |
| Izod notched impact | ASTM D256-10 | Not disclosed | 20–30 J/m | 85–95 J/m |
| Water absorption | ASTM D570-98 | Not disclosed | 1.1–1.5% | 0.8–1.2% |
Acceptance testing for Helios should include per-batch viscosity, UV cure response, and tensile coupons printed in the actual build orientation used in production. Because PolyJet mechanical properties depend on orientation, a z-axis tensile test under ASTM D638-14 is more informative than an x-y coupon. The ratio of z-axis to x-y tensile strength in rigid PolyJet is commonly between 0.65 and 0.80; values below 0.60 indicate undercure at interlayer boundaries or insufficient UV lamp calibration. Dimensional accuracy on a 250 mm linear part is typically specified as ±0.1% of nominal length for PolyJet systems; Helios-specific tolerance should be confirmed with the machine manufacturer’s calibration block. Surface finish is normally Ra 1–3 µm in High Quality mode before post-processing.
Post-machining of cured Helios is possible with sharp carbide tooling at low spindle speed; heat generation above 60°C can cause local softening and clogging of cutting edges. Reamed holes in rigid PolyJet parts should be generated with peck drilling to reduce edge fracture; press-fit tolerances are feasible only if the hole is undersized by 0.05–0.10 mm before reaming. Tapping threads into Helios is not recommended unless the thread depth is shallow and coarse; machine-screw inserts with press-in or heat-stake geometry are preferred. This behavior distinguishes Helios from Digital ABS, which has greater ductility and can tolerate more aggressive post-machining, and from thermoplastic FDM parts, which can be heat-staked repeatedly without brittle failure.
Operational boundaries for Helios include a maximum service temperature governed by heat deflection. If Helios behaves as an unfilled rigid acrylate with HDT near 45–50°C, continuous exposure to temperatures above 45°C under load should be avoided. The resin is incompatible with strong solvents such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and chlorinated hydrocarbons; cleaning should use isopropyl alcohol or the support removal solution specified by Proto3000. Amine-based epoxy hardeners and strong alkaline cleaners may attack the ester groups in the acrylate network, causing surface etching and stress cracking. Under sustained UV exposure, unfilled acrylate photopolymers can yellow and embrittle; if UV stability is required, the part should be painted or coated with a UV-blocking clearcoat. Published data for this specific configuration is limited, and outdoor weatherability should not be assumed.
