Quickparts Now Offers a USP Class VI Approved Stereolithography Material for Rapid Prototyping


Atlanta, GA - April 7, 2009 - Quickparts, (http://www.quickparts.com) the leading online provider of custom manufactured plastic and metal parts, announced today the availability of a material that has passed USP Class VI Testing and can be safely used in a variety of medical industry applications.

WaterShed® XC 11122 resin is a clear, water-resistant material that is already widely used in the medical device industry. The classification officially approves the resin for use in a wide range of biomedical or skin contact applications.

Developing advanced biocompatible stereolithography (SL) resins for the medical industry is becoming increasingly important. According to Wohler's Report 2008, the medical/dental industry is the third largest industry for additive manufacturing after consumer products/electronics and automotive, but growing at a faster rate than either.

"Due to its functional properties and high dimensional stability, WaterShed XC has already been widely used in the medical industry for prototyping clear medical device housings and fluid flow analysis models," says DSM Somos Product Manager Brian Bauman. "The new USP Class VI approval now opens up new applications, including prototypes to be used in clinical trials."

"As we continue to build our ever expanding line of rapid prototyping processes and materials, we are very excited to offer this newly classified material for rapid prototyping medical grade custom parts," said Patrick Hunter, VP Sales and Marketing at Quickparts. "In today's ever evolving world, we make sure we are at the pulse of our customers needs by ensuring the latest materials and processes are available to them," he continued.

About USP Class VI Materials:

United States Pharmacopeia (USP) XIX biological tests are designed to provide information on potential biological effects of polymer materials. One of six different classes (I-VI) are assigned to a material, depending on its performance in biological tests. The higher the material class, the more severe and stringent are the tests. WaterShed® XC 11122 has passed the most severe test requirements in order to be qualified as a USP XIX Class VI material. NOTE: Special cleaning procedures must be used for SL parts used in USP Class VI applications.

About Quickparts

Quickparts provides custom manufacturing services for engineers and designers who want to create plastic and metal parts from 3D CAD (computer-aided design) models. Using patented QuickQuote technology, Quickparts is able to provide product designers with an 'instant online quote' for the manufacturing of their custom parts from prototype to production.

Quickparts custom manufacturing services include: Rapid Prototypes (SLA, SLS, FDM, PolyJet), Cast Urethanes, Injection Mold Tooling and Parts, Sheet Metal Parts, and CNC Machined Parts.

For more information about Quickparts, visit www.quickparts.com or call 877.521.8683.

Contact:

Art Siegert

Quickparts - Director of Marketing

770.901.3200

asiegert@quickparts.com

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