LOCTITE® IND405 Clear: Durable Clear 3D Resin

LOCTITE® 3D IND405 Clear is a high-performance, semi-rigid photopolymer resin known for its exceptional toughness, high impact resistance, and clarity. Developed by Henkel and certified for use with Carbon Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) technology, this one-part resin offers a versatile solution for various industrial and medical applications. Its unique combination of properties makes it a compelling option for producing functional prototypes, manufacturing aids, and end-use parts that demand both durability and a transparent or translucent finish.

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What Are the Characteristics of LOCTITE® 3D IND405 Clear?

Exceptional Toughness and Impact Resistance

LOCTITE® 3D IND405 Clear is engineered for resilience, offering significant resistance to impact and stress. This makes it suitable for parts that need to withstand demanding operational conditions without fracturing. The material's inherent toughness allows for the creation of durable components that can absorb energy and resist cracking—a critical attribute in both industrial and medical device manufacturing. For manufacturers looking for additive manufacturing solutions that replicate traditional plastic toughness, this resin is a front-runner.

High Elongation

With a notable elongation at break, LOCTITE® 3D IND405 Clear can endure substantial deformation before fracturing. This flexibility, combined with its strength, allows for the design of parts that can bend and flex without failure, such as snap-fit enclosures or robust fixtures. This property is particularly beneficial for parts subjected to repeated loading or occasional over-stressing, a scenario common in DFM for medical devices and Design for Injection Molding (DfIM) workflows.

Clarity and Surface Finish

This resin produces parts with a frosted clear finish directly from the printer, which can be post-processed to achieve a high degree of optical clarity. This characteristic is invaluable for applications where visibility of internal components or fluid flow is necessary, such as in microfluidic devices or transparent housings. The material also provides an excellent surface finish, contributing to both the aesthetic and functional quality of the final part, especially useful for 3D Printed Prototypes and Medical Device Prototypes.

Biocompatibility

For the medical industry, a key feature of LOCTITE® 3D IND405 Clear is its biocompatibility. It has been tested to meet ISO 10993-5 and -23 standards for cytotoxicity and irritation, making it a suitable material for a range of non-implantable medical devices and components that may come into contact with the body. This opens up possibilities for Medical Injection Molding, FDA-Compliant Manufacturing, and Prototype Injection Molding of patient-specific devices or short-run diagnostic tools.

What is LOCTITE® 3D IND405 Clear Used For?

Medical Devices and Prototypes

Given its biocompatibility and clarity, LOCTITE® 3D IND405 Clear is well-suited for the medical field. It can be used to produce surgical guides, transparent anatomical models for pre-surgical planning, and housings for diagnostic equipment. Its durability also makes it a strong candidate for prototyping medical devices that will eventually be produced through custom injection molding solutions, allowing for functional testing of designs with injection molding quality control standards in mind.

Enclosures and Housings

The toughness and impact resistance of this material make it an ideal choice for creating protective enclosures and housings for electronic components and other sensitive assemblies. The potential for a clear finish allows for the inspection of internal parts without disassembly—an advantage in many design and manufacturing services, particularly in the consumer electronics and laboratory diagnostics industries.

Fluidics and Microfluidics

The clarity of LOCTITE® 3D IND405 Clear is particularly advantageous for applications involving fluid analysis. It can be used to manufacture microfluidic devices, manifolds, and fluid ducts that allow for the visualization of flow dynamics. These capabilities align with the needs of design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) and digital manufacturing solutions, especially in chemical and biological analysis platforms.

Jigs, Fixtures, and Manufacturing Aids

On the production floor, this resin can be used to create robust jigs, fixtures, and other manufacturing aids. Its durability ensures a long service life for these tools, even in demanding manufacturing environments. For those looking to bridge the gap between prototype and production, LOCTITE® 3D IND405 Clear offers a path via additive manufacturing tooling and low-volume injection molding support from an experienced design and manufacturing company.

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How Does LOCTITE® 3D IND405 Clear Compare to Traditional Injection Molding Materials?

LOCTITE® 3D IND405 Clear is often compared to unfilled polypropylene (PP) in terms of its mechanical behavior. Polypropylene is a widely used thermoplastic in the injection molding industry, valued for its chemical resistance, flexibility, and toughness. Like PP, LOCTITE® 3D IND405 Clear exhibits a good balance of stiffness and ductility, allowing it to be used in applications that require some flexibility without sacrificing strength. It shares a similar semi-rigid nature with PP, making it a suitable additive alternative for prototyping and Rapid Prototyping Services in DFM development services workflows.

When compared to other clear thermoplastics like polycarbonate (PC) and acrylic (PMMA), LOCTITE® 3D IND405 Clear offers a different balance of properties. While PC provides superior impact strength and PMMA offers excellent optical clarity and scratch resistance, both can be more brittle than this advanced resin. LOCTITE® 3D IND405 Clear provides a unique combination of toughness and flexibility that can be advantageous in applications where parts may be subjected to bending or rough handling. For companies familiar with plastic injection mold design services, this resin bridges the gap for creating complex or custom parts that are not feasible or cost-effective to produce with traditional tooling solutions.

What Are the Drawbacks of LOCTITE® 3D IND405 Clear?

Post-Processing for Optical Clarity

While the material is capable of producing clear parts, achieving optimal optical transparency requires post-processing steps such as sanding and polishing. This adds time and labor to the overall production process, which needs to be factored into the design for the manufacturing solutions workflow. For applications where a frosted finish is acceptable, this drawback is less of a concern.

Moderate Temperature Resistance

The heat deflection temperature of LOCTITE® 3D IND405 Clear is approximately 127°F (53°C). This limits its use in applications that will be exposed to elevated temperatures. For components that need to operate in hotter environments, alternative materials with higher thermal resistance would be more appropriate. This is a key consideration when transitioning from high-temperature injection molding, plastics often used in FDA Injection Molding and ISO 13485 Injection Molding projects.

Why Choose LOCTITE® 3D IND405 Clear?

Choosing LOCTITE® 3D IND405 Clear is ideal for projects that require a combination of toughness, clarity, and biocompatibility. Its performance characteristics—comparable to unfilled polypropylene—make it a strong contender for functional prototyping and end-use parts in the medical, industrial, and consumer goods sectors. The ability to produce complex, transparent components without the need for expensive and time-consuming tooling associated with traditional injection molding tooling allows for greater design freedom and faster iteration cycles.

For applications in medical injection molding, this material provides a valuable tool for creating custom, patient-specific devices and for validating designs before committing to mass production. The unique balance of properties offered by LOCTITE® 3D IND405 Clear empowers engineers and designers to create innovative solutions that are both durable and functional, especially when paired with Aprios’ precision manufacturing services, tooling company expertise, and secondary manufacturing processes that ensure quality and reliability.