Proto3000 Objet Digital Materials™ DM_8310 Rigid Opaque Prototyping Polymer is a UV-curable, acrylate-based photopolymer supplied in sealed PolyJet cartridges for material jetting systems. The resin is processed by piezoelectric printheads that deposit 16 μm or 30 μm layers, after which a roller levels each layer and a UV lamp initiates free-radical crosslinking. DM_8310 is classified as a rigid opaque digital material, meaning the cured polymer is formulated to reproduce the surface appearance and dimensional behavior of opaque engineering thermoplastics rather than elastomers or transparent grades. Because the uncured resin is temperature-sensitive, storage must be maintained between 18 °C and 25 °C, and cartridges require equilibration in the printer bay before loading. Open exposure to relative humidity greater than 60 % RH or direct sunlight can alter jettability and raise the risk of nozzle-plate residue. In production environments, failure to purge the printhead after interruptions longer than 72 hours is associated with missing raster lines in thin walls below 0.8 mm. DM_8310 is not a filled resin; it does not require powder-bed sintering, filament extrusion, or thermal post-annealing to achieve its rigid properties. Published data for this specific configuration is limited; material performance should therefore be verified on the target PolyJet platform using the vendor process parameter library and lot-specific certificates.

What Fluid and Jetting Parameters Constrain DM_8310 Processing?

Jetting stability of DM_8310 depends on the dynamic viscosity at the printhead temperature. PolyJet systems with 600 dpi X/Y addressability and native 16 μm layer mode require low-viscosity fluids that can be jetted through piezoelectric nozzles without satellite droplets. At 25 °C the uncured resin typically falls within the class range of 10–20 cP; if cartridges are loaded at temperatures below 18 °C, the viscosity rise may exceed the meniscus stability window and produce drop trajectory errors. The ultraviolet curing system uses a UV-A lamp with dominant emission near 365 nm. The degree of crosslinking per pass is a function of lamp irradiance, layer thickness, and printhead speed. In 30 μm layer mode, the same irradiance may produce lower crosslink density unless the printer firmware compensates by reducing traverse speed or increasing lamp power. Manual override of lamp settings without reviewing the machine-specific exposure table is not recommended because undercured layers are a primary cause of interlayer delamination in parts with abrupt cross-section changes.

Material handling conflicts arise when the printer shares a production cell with solvent-based post-processing. Acrylates in DM_8310 are susceptible to stress crazing when exposed to isopropyl alcohol above 70 % concentration or to acetone vapors. The recommended cleaning protocol for cured parts is detergent in warm water at 35–40 °C, followed by forced air at no more than 30 °C. Uncured resin removal from internal channels below 3 mm diameter should be performed immediately after build; delayed cleaning allows partially cured resin to gel and obstruct flow paths. In high-humidity environments above 60 % RH, cartridges should be kept sealed until loading, and open material should not be returned to the cartridge. DM_8310 should not be blended with amine-based additives or stored near amine-cured epoxy containers because residual amines inhibit free-radical acrylate polymerization and can cause tacky undercured surfaces. Batch-to-batch viscosity differences are controlled by the supplier through lot certificates, but field data from production lines indicate that pigment settling can occur if a cartridge remains static for more than 14 days; rolling the cartridge for 5 minutes before loading is part of the pre-load procedure.

Support material compatibility is mandatory. DM_8310 is jetted alongside a gel-like support material that is removed by water pressure. If the support bath temperature exceeds 45 °C, thin sections with wall thickness below 1 mm may soften and release residual stress, causing chord-height deviation in long ribs. The support removal station should be set to the manufacturer-specified pressure range for the machine model; hydro-jetting at pressures normally used for digital ABS can erode sharp edges on DM_8310 when the nozzle is held closer than 10 mm.

Mechanical qualification of DM_8310 follows specimen conditioning at 23 ± 2 °C and 50 ± 5 % RH for 40 hours, then testing in the X-Y build plane. The table below summarizes the rigid opaque PolyJet digital material family envelope; certified lot values for DM_8310 must be taken from the supplier certificate because published data for this specific formulation is limited. Tensile specimens are tested with a 50 mm gauge length and 5 mm/min crosshead speed according to ASTM D638-14. Flexural data use a 16:1 support span-to-specimen thickness ratio under ASTM D790-17. Hardness is read with a Type D durometer after 15 seconds under ASTM D2240-15.

Use of these values for structural simulation requires derating for build orientation. Z-plane tensile strength may be 10–20 % lower than X-Y plane values due to interlayer crosslink gradients. Published data for the specific Z-plane strength of DM_8310 is limited; finite element assumptions should use a conservative isotropic knockdown factor of 0.8 unless a lot-specific Z tensile test is performed.

Dimensional Stability After UV Post-Curing and Humidity Exposure

Post-curing of DM_8310 is generally not required for fit-check and visual prototype applications, but a secondary UV flood exposure of 15–30 minutes at 365 nm can increase surface hardness and reduce residual tack. The thermal boundary is stringent: cured parts should not be exposed to temperatures above 45 °C for more than 1 hour before final dimensioning because creep in thin cross sections below 1 mm can alter flatness by more than 0.2 mm over a 100 mm span. Moisture uptake follows the class envelope of 1.1–1.5 % over 24 hours; at moisture contents above 1.5 %, the glass transition temperature may drop by 3–5 °C and elongation may rise slightly, which matters for snap-fit prototypes. Dimensional stability under alternating humidity should be verified according to ASTM D5229/D5229M-20 if the part is used as a calibration fixture in a non-condensing environment.

Opaque pigmentation is a defining variable. At wall thickness greater than 2 mm, visible-light transmission is below 1 % in the rigid opaque class, which distinguishes DM_8310 from VeroClear RGD810 and transparent digital materials. This characteristic is relevant when machine vision systems rely on backlit part location: DM_8310 eliminates stray light paths but may require alternative fiducial marking for edge detection. Color shift under indoor fluorescent lighting is typically low, but accelerated weathering under ASTM G154-16 for 500 hours should not be assumed to replicate outdoor UV stability; DM_8310 is not specified for prolonged exterior use without a UV-protective clear coat.

Support material removal can introduce dimensional bias. If support removal is delayed beyond 24 hours, partially cured support may bond to the part surface and require mechanical scraping, which changes local surface profile. Dimensional inspection of tight features should occur only after support removal and a stabilization period of 2 hours at 23 ± 2 °C. Batch-to-batch shrinkage variation in the X-Y plane is controlled by printer calibration, but residual stress remains an unavoidable process variable; thin ribs longer than 150 mm may bow upward by 0.1–0.3 mm after release from the build tray.

In jig and fixture validation, DM_8310 is commonly substituted for machined ABS or cast polyurethane in short-run assembly aids and contact-based inspection fixtures. The cured polymer has sufficient surface hardness for repeated CMM probing according to ISO 10360-2:2009; however, probe contact on features below 0.5 mm can leave visible indentations after 100 cycles, so sacrificial or capped probe tips are recommended. Compared to Digital ABS RGD515/RGD535, DM_8310 does not offer the same heat resistance or impact toughness, and should not be used for snap-fit prototypes that undergo repeated deflection above 10 % strain. Compared to VeroClear RGD810, DM_8310 trades optical transparency for opaque color and generally lower part cost in applications where light transmission through the fixture would interfere with vision systems. Compared to powder-bed nylon 12, DM_8310 provides lower as-built surface roughness and finer feature resolution in the 16 μm layer mode, but lower elongation and heat resistance. The material is appropriate for form, fit, and limited functional testing of rigid housings, brackets, and covers where thermal loads do not exceed 45 °C.

Production-scale equipment behavior shows that DM_8310 can be run in ordinary shop environments, but the cleaning and purge schedule is not optional. On mixed-material jobs, separating DM_8310 parts from flexible digital materials is necessary because residual droplets from a previous material can create localized soft spots if the purge cycle is too short. The printer material management system should be set to recognize the cartridge RFID and prevent cross-loading with non-identical digital materials. A failure mode observed on manufacturing lines involved a partially empty cartridge left in the machine for 14 days without movement, which developed pigment settling and caused color streaks in the first build layers; the lot was recovered by rolling the cartridge for 5 minutes before loading.

When Regulatory Documentation and Comparative Material Selection Intersect

RoHS and REACH documentation for DM_8310 must be requested from the supplier for each production batch. The resin is normally evaluated against RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU, Annex II restricted substances, but compliance is not automatic for every colorant lot. Under REACH Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006, Article 33, an importer must disclose substances of very high concern if present above 0.1 % w/w; end users should therefore retain the safety data sheet and technical data sheet revision. Material qualification should also include ISO 9001:2015 clause 8.4.2 documentation control for incoming resin if the printed part is used in controlled manufacturing.

Differences from other products from a regulatory perspective are material-specific. A material without a biocompatibility statement should not be used for skin contact above 30 days or mucosal contact; DM_8310 is not supplied with ISO 10993-5 or ISO 10993-10 certification by default. If a healthcare application requires cytocompatibility data, the requester must contract an accredited laboratory to test the specific DM_8310 formulation. The opaque colorant package may also influence extractables testing; class-level data from clear photopolymers cannot be transferred to opaque grades without experimental verification.