Transparent
Transparent 3D printed parts enable insight into complex systems while maintaining strength and accuracy. Ideal for fluid analysis, lighting, and design validation–bringing clarity to both function and form.
Advantages
Smarter parts, fewer limits.
3D printing lets you create transparent parts with internal channels, complex lenses, and custom light guides that would be very difficult or impossible to machine or mold in low volumes. This is ideal for sight windows, fluid reservoirs, or indicator covers where both form and function are highly customized.
You can quickly prototype different wall thicknesses, surface finishes, and geometries in clear materials to tune light transmission, diffusion, and user visibility. This accelerates development of displays, covers, and inspection features without waiting for tooling changes.
Transparent covers, housings, and inspection windows can be produced economically in small batches or as one-offs, with each version tailored to a specific device or customer. This makes it practical to offer variants, late-stage design changes, or replacement parts without stocking large inventories.
Possibilities
3D printed transparent parts can shape and direct light, enabling custom light guides, indicator lenses, and diffusers. Use cases include tailored status LEDs for control panels, illuminated logos, or guided light paths inside handheld devices, where the geometry is adapted to the electronics and housing around it.
Transparent materials are well suited for covers that shield cameras, sensors, and small displays while preserving visibility and signal quality. Examples include protective domes for optical sensors, clear shields for barcode scanners, or custom display windows integrated directly into machine housings or operator interfaces.
3D printed transparent materials play an important role in medical and dental applications by enabling customized, patient-specific parts. They are used for clear surgical guides, splints, and dental trays that allow clinicians to see underlying tissue or teeth during procedures, improving precision and control.
Materials
Somos® WaterShed XC 11122 is a clear, water‑resistant stereolithography resin with ABS‑ and PBT‑like performance characteristics, offering a tensile strength of 50.4 MPa, a flexural modulus of 2,205 MPa, and 15.5% elongation at break. Its high clarity and water resistance make it ideal for detailed parts and fluid‑flow‑monitoring applications.
Combining Somos® WaterShed XC 11122 with the Stratasys® Neo®800+ produces transparent parts with exceptional clarity, water resistance, and impact strength – ideal for fluid flow visualization, lighting mockups, and wind tunnel models. The Neo®800+'s 4W 355 nm laser enables builds up to 50% faster than its predecessor, while its large-format SLA platform ensures high precision (±0.004 in. for dimensions under 3.94 in.) and smooth, injection molding-quality surface finishes for demanding 24/7 production workflows.
Materials
INFINAM® RG 2001L is a high-performance resin developed for industrial 3D printing applications where flame retardancy, mechanical stability, and precision are critical. Designed for use with DLP- and LCD-based additive manufacturing systems, it combines excellent printability with functional properties for end-use deployment — making it particularly well suited for demanding engineering environments. The material is formulated to meet stringent fire protection requirements, achieving classifications such as UL 94 V-0, which demonstrates rapid self-extinction and minimal dripping under flame exposure. With a heat deflection temperature typically in the range of approximately 80–100°C (depending on post-cure conditions), the resin performs reliably under elevated temperatures.
The combination of INFINAM® RG 2001L and the Nexa3D® XiP Pro is a compelling solution for fast, industrial resin printing. For flame-retardant applications, this pairing is particularly attractive, as the XiP Pro ecosystem is already established for high-performance, fire-safe resins and the machine is optimized for the rapid production of engineering-grade end-use parts. The XiP Pro utilizes Nexa3D®'s patented Lubricant Sublayer Photo-curing (LSPc) technology — an LCD-based vat photopolymerization process that enables very high print speeds while maintaining excellent dimensional accuracy and surface quality. It offers a large build volume of 292 × 163 × 410 mm (19.5 L), placing it among the highest-throughput systems in its class.
Materials
Printable with
Use Cases
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