Stratasys Vero™ VEROCYAN RGD841 is a rigid, opaque cyan UV-curable photopolymer formulated for PolyJet 3D printing. The material is identified by the product code RGD841 and is supplied in sealed cartridges for use on Stratasys PolyJet systems configured with the appropriate cyan material channel. The current material compatibility matrix should be consulted for specific printer models, though the resin is commonly associated with J-series full-colour and multi-material platforms. In full-colour workflows, RGD841 is dispensed as a subtractive primary through a dedicated cyan channel and mixed in picolitre-volume droplets with magenta, yellow, black, white, or clear resins before UV curing. The cured thermoset network is unfilled, rigid, and visually opaque, with a surface finish that ranges from glossy on the exposed top surface to matte on supported areas. Primary uses include colour-critical appearance models, packaging prototypes, consumer product mock-ups, anatomical teaching models, and sacrificial master patterns where opaque cyan is required either as a solid body colour or as part of a CMYK digital material recipe. The resin is not intended as a high-strain elastomer, a high-temperature structural material, or an implantable photopolymer unless the final article is validated for the specific regulatory pathway.

Property profile and published mechanical data

Mechanical property data for unfilled rigid Vero photopolymers are generated on printed specimens according to the standards listed below. Build orientation, layer height, and colourant load influence the measured values; published values should not be treated as design allowables. For RGD841, the manufacturer places the material within the rigid Vero envelope, with tensile strength in the 50–60 MPa range, elongation at break between 10% and 25%, and flexural modulus between 2.2 GPa and 3.2 GPa when tested under standard laboratory conditions. The cyan grade is colour-stable in an as-printed state but may exhibit slight anisotropy in mechanical response between the X-Y plane and the Z build direction. The table below is a consolidated matrix of typical rigid Vero photopolymer values; RGD841-specific values should be confirmed against the current Stratasys material datasheet for the target printer model.

Data scatter in this class of material is influenced by residual support material, surface moisture, and specimen edge finish. For ISO 527-2 testing, specimens should be printed or machined to the preferred Type 1B dimension and conditioned at 23 °C and 50% RH for at least 48 h before testing. Conditioned specimens can show tensile strength reductions of up to 5–10% relative to dry-as-printed specimens because absorbed water plasticizes the outer surface. The glass transition temperature is typically reported near 52–54 °C; above 45 °C continuous load application should be avoided for dimensionally critical assemblies.

Jetting RGD841 on a production line places the highest demand on pigment dispersion stability and nozzle health. Unlike VeroClear or VeroPureWhite, the cyan formulation contains a pigment package that must remain dispersed under shear and over idle periods. Production-scale J-series systems with a six-material capacity route RGD841 to the cyan channel; the printer’s material profile locks the jetting temperature and UV dose after RFID cartridge authentication. Operators should not manually adjust the cyan UV power unless the service protocol requires it. When a CMY or CMYK build is paused for an extended period, the cyan channel can develop a concentration gradient at the meniscus; a purge cycle before resuming production restores droplet velocity and optical density. On high-resolution modes, layer thicknesses of 0.014 mm and 0.027 mm are used depending on build speed and surface-finish requirements; the thinner layer setting reduces visible planar banding on curved cyan surfaces. Support material is removed with a water-jet station or soluble support chemistry; unsupported overhangs below 45° from vertical require support and will exhibit a matte finish after removal. Thin walls below 1.0 mm should be supported with care because manual flexing during support removal can initiate edge cracks in the low-elongation thermoset.

What distinguishes RGD841 from clear and neutral Vero grades?

RGD841 shares the acrylate backbone of the rigid Vero thermoset family, so its tensile, flexural, and thermal properties overlap with those of VeroPureWhite RGD837, VeroClear RGD810, and VeroBlackPlus RGD875. The functional distinction is spectral. Cyan pigment absorbs in the red portion of the visible spectrum and also influences UV penetration during curing; this makes the material suitable as a subtractive primary in full-colour printing but less suitable as a light-transmitting or neutral white base. In a CMYK PolyJet workflow, RGD841 is not selected merely as a colour finish; it is metered by the printing software to create intermediate colours by controlled droplet blending. By contrast, VeroPureWhite is used to increase opacity and create lighter shades, VeroClear provides transparency or translucency, and VeroBlackPlus supplies contrast and low reflectance. Relative to filled composites such as Digital ABS or Rigur, RGD841 has lower heat deflection and impact resistance and is therefore restricted to non-structural, low-load, indoor applications. The table below summarises the material-selection contrast.

In full-colour printing, the concentration of RGD841 in a digital material varies with the colour recipe. Because the cyan channel contributes only a portion of the voxel in blended colours, the cured network may contain microdomains of different resins; the effective mechanical properties of a digital material are not simple arithmetic averages of the component datasheets. Users should test the exact colour recipe in the intended build orientation before committing to production quantities.

After support removal, finishing operations for RGD841 are constrained by its rigid thermoset character. Support removal is followed by a rinse in isopropanol or a mild ethanol/water blend; aromatic hydrocarbons, ketones, and chlorinated solvents can swell or stress-crack the cured network and should not be used. Sanding and clear coating improve surface gloss and colour depth, but a clear coat can shift cyan chromaticity and should be evaluated with a spectrophotometer using CIELAB coordinates under ISO 11664-4. The low elongation at break means that reworking bores, threads, or snap features requires sharp, low-feed cutting tools; heat generation from aggressive machining can smear the surface and produce localised whitening. If post-cure is desired to reduce residual tack, a broad-spectrum UV flood exposure of 10–20 min is generally sufficient for thin appearance models. Dimensional control after processing is sensitive to water absorption; parts held at 60% RH can absorb on the order of 1.1–1.5% moisture by mass within 24 h under ASTM D570, which can affect tight fits in assemblies. Final inspection of colour-critical parts should be performed under controlled lighting—typically a D65 illuminant in a light booth—rather than under variable factory fluorescent lighting.

When cyan pigmentation alters embrittlement and support-removal behaviour

Selective absorption by cyan pigment affects the through-cure margin of each jetted layer. The free-radical photopolymerisation that produces the green part is initiated by UV energy; if the same UV dose is applied as for a neutral resin, the cyan pigment can reduce the depth of through-cure in dense solid regions. The practical consequence is that heavily pigmented cyan solids may be more sensitive to edge fracture during support removal than corresponding white or clear parts. Production technicians often record lower water-jet pressure for cyan-only parts than for white parts on the same geometry. Thin vertical walls below 0.8 mm and fine text below 6 pt are common fracture points when a part is removed from the build tray immediately after printing; allowing the part to cool to ambient temperature before support removal reduces edge cracking. The manufacturer does not publish separate cyan-specific mechanical data for all build modes; published data for orientation-specific RGD841 performance is limited. The general Vero thermal boundary remains: heat deflection temperature under 0.45 MPa is reported near 45–50 °C, and continuous service above that range is not recommended. Long-term colour stability under UVA-340 or xenon-arc ageing is not fully characterised in the public datasheet; if outdoor exposure is required, accelerated weathering according to ASTM G154 or ISO 4892-2 is necessary. Moisture and solvent contact should be treated as design factors: water immersion can produce slight dimensional swelling, and alcohol wipes can dull glossy surfaces if used aggressively.

For storage and regulatory handling, the RGD841 safety data sheet is controlling. The liquid resin contains acrylate and methacrylate monomers; handling in an exhausted lab or production enclosure is required, and uncured resin contact with skin should be washed immediately. Cured parts are not automatically identical to the liquid raw material for regulatory purposes. Food-contact validation must be conducted under the applicable sections of FDA 21 CFR 175.300 or the relevant EU framework; medical-device testing falls under ISO 10993-1 when patient contact is intended. REACH Annex XVII obligations and RoHS risk assessments apply at article level, and XRF or ICP-OES verification of restricted substances is required for electrical and electronic equipment. Cartridges should remain sealed until use and should be stored at 15–27 °C; freezing and direct sunlight must be avoided. Beyond the manufacturer’s date code, increased viscosity can cause missing jets, poor droplet formation, and colour drift in the cyan channel. Waste uncured resin and contaminated isopropanol must be disposed of in accordance with local hazardous-waste regulations. No part should be placed into service until the precise application environment—temperature, humidity, solvent exposure, and UV exposure—has been tested against the constrained mechanical and colour stability of RGD841.