Proto3000 lists Objet Digital Materials™ DM_9510 as a rubber-like prototyping polymer within the PolyJet photopolymer portfolio. The material is not supplied as a single pre-compounded resin; it is generated at the print head by combining a low-durometer elastomeric feedstock—typically TangoPlus FLX930—with a rigid photopolymer in proportions controlled by the printer’s digital material engine. The cured network carries a nominal Shore A value of 95 when tested under ASTM D2240. This places DM_9510 at the upper end of the Shore A scale, above most unreinforced PolyJet rubber materials and below the Shore D transition zone occupied by simulated polypropylene and ABS-like photopolymers. The product is intended for functional prototyping of seals, gaskets, flexible living hinges, bellows, vibration isolators, and overmolded grip geometries. Compared with neat TangoPlus FLX930, DM_9510 exhibits higher tensile strength and tear resistance, but lower ultimate elongation and reduced elastic recovery.

What Is the Role of the Rigid Fraction in Shifting DM_9510 from TangoPlus Behaviour?

The performance envelope of DM_9510 is determined by the ratio of the elastomeric and rigid photopolymer streams. The elastomeric component contributes low glass transition temperature and high chain mobility; the rigid component introduces higher crosslink density and restricts viscoelastic flow. Manufacturer-published values for rubber-like digital materials in this class place tensile strength in the range of 3.0–4.5 MPa under ASTM D638-14, with elongation at break between 60% and 90%. Tear strength tested under ASTM D624 is commonly reported at 12–15 kg/cm, compared with 2–4 kg/cm for neat TangoPlus FLX930. The Shore A hardness is nominal 95; this is an indentation hardness value from a plaque printed and conditioned at 23 ± 2 °C and 50 ± 5% relative humidity, not a reading taken directly from a curved production part. The rigid fraction also raises the storage modulus and lowers compression set, making DM_9510 more suitable than TangoPlus for sealing applications that require sustained contact pressure. Full manufacturer datasheets should be consulted for production decisions, because published data for this specific configuration is limited to controlled laboratory coupons.

On Connex-class or equivalent multi-material PolyJet platforms, DM_9510 is printed with sacrificial support material—commonly SUP705 or SUP706—that is removed by water-jetting or manual stripping. Build orientation is not neutral. Tensile coupons printed in the Z axis fail at lower stress than XY-oriented coupons because interlayer fracture propagates along planar jetting boundaries. Sealing flanges, snap hooks, and living hinges should be aligned in the XY build plane whenever possible. The printer operates in digital material mode with a layer thickness of 30 µm for high-speed builds or 16 µm for high-quality surface definition; the finer layer mode reduces notch sensitivity in thin ribs but increases build time. Material cartridges should be allowed to equilibrate to an ambient range of 15 °C–27 °C before loading. No thermal post-cure is required, but residual moisture from support removal should be allowed to evaporate before dimensional verification. For parts with narrow slots below 3 mm, access holes or split lines should be designed to avoid unreachable support deposits.

When DM_9510 Is Specified Instead of Cast Urethane or Sintered Thermoplastic Polyurethane

The decision to substitute DM_9510 for cast urethane, machined rubber, or laser-sintered TPU depends on the failure criterion of the prototype. Cast urethanes in the Shore A 90–95 range commonly offer tensile strengths above 20 MPa and elongation above 300%. DM_9510 does not replicate those values; it is a prototyping polymer with lower ultimate elongation and lower tear propagation resistance than many production polyurethane elastomers. Its technical advantage is geometric freedom and digital process repeatability. Parts can contain undercuts, internal channels, variable Shore A zones, and thin membranes without tooling. Compared with laser-sintered TPU, DM_9510 yields smoother as-built surfaces and eliminates powder-bed thermal distortion, but it is typically more brittle and more sensitive to UV and solvent exposure. The table below summarises representative comparative values for the PolyJet material class. The values are drawn from manufacturer-published ranges for TangoPlus FLX930, DM_9510-class digital materials, and VeroWhitePlus; current lot-specific certificates should be requested for qualification builds.

Because DM_9510 is blended during printing, components can be designed with graded Shore A values across a single build. A sealing lip can be printed with a Shore A 95 gasket body while the adjacent compression limiter is printed as a rigid VeroWhitePlus surface. This digital grading capability is not available in cast urethane or machined sheet stock. The transition zone between different digital materials is a mixing boundary, not a discrete chemical interface. Peel adhesion across the transition should be tested under ASTM D6862 or equivalent bond-testing protocols if the interface is structural. Process variability between batch runs depends on print head condition. Nozzle dropout, uneven roller surface, or degraded UV lamp output can produce local soft regions that are not visible on the exterior of an opaque part. First-article builds should include internal test coupons or sacrificial witness geometries in the same tray.

Shore A 95 does not imply production elastomer performance. Two batches can have the same Shore A durometer and different secant moduli at 100% elongation. Designers should request the 100% modulus and 300% modulus if finite element analysis is planned. The stress-strain behaviour of DM_9510 is non-linear and strain-rate dependent. Tensile tests at 50 mm/min and 500 mm/min produce different ultimate stress values because the rigid acrylic fraction undergoes brittle microyielding at higher strain rates. Published data for this specific configuration is limited at high strain rates; instrumented puncture or tensile impact testing should be used for dynamic simulations rather than quasi-static tensile data. Poisson’s ratio for rubber-like digital materials is not constant and should not be set to an incompressible value of 0.5 in all structural simulations. For thin-wall parts below 2 mm, plane stress assumptions can under-predict peak strain in fillet radii.

Solvent Interaction, Thermal Deflection, and UV Oxidation Boundaries

DM_9510 is a cured acrylate-based photopolymer network; it is not a thermoplastic elastomer and should not be treated as a replacement for EPDM, nitrile, or silicone production elastomers. Polar solvents such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and aggressive brake cleaning fluids cause surface softening, swelling, and dimensional drift. Aromatic and chlorinated hydrocarbons are more damaging. Short-term exposure to motor oil, mineral oil, and silicone grease may be acceptable for fit testing, but application-specific fluid compatibility should be validated under the actual service temperature. The heat deflection temperature of rubber-like PolyJet digital materials is generally below 60 °C at 0.45 MPa when tested under ASTM D648. Continuous service above 50 °C in a clamped gasket can produce stress relaxation and loss of sealing force. UV exposure causes surface oxidation and colour shift; outdoor weathering builds should be coated with a UV-blocking lacquer or painted to extend endurance. The material should not be assumed food-contact compliant unless the base-resin supplier provides a current regulatory statement under FDA 21 CFR 177.2600 or EC 1935/2004 for the exact digital mix.

Tear Strength and Compression Set Are the Governing Failure Metrics in DM_9510 Gasket Geometries

In gasket prototypes, tear resistance and compression set dominate service life. Tear resistance measured under ASTM D624 Die C is relevant for flanges with sharp radii, bolt-hole interruptions, and bead terminations. DM_9510’s higher rigid fraction raises tear propagation resistance compared with TangoPlus, but the material remains notch-sensitive when support removal creates edge microtears. High-pressure water-jetting should be limited to the minimum pressure that removes SUP705 or SUP706 from narrow recesses. Compression set should be evaluated under ASTM D395 Method B at 25% constant deflection for 24 h, 70 h, and 168 h at both 23 °C and 70 °C. The lower compression set of DM_9510 relative to TangoPlus reduces torque loss in bolted sealing joints, but it does not eliminate stress relaxation at elevated temperature. A clamped flange printed in DM_9510 may require periodic re-torquing if the prototype is exposed to thermal cycling. For pressure-containing prototypes, hydrostatic testing should be conducted at 1.5× the intended service pressure with a hold time of at least 30 min. Published data for this specific configuration is limited; validation on production hardware is required before using DM_9510 prototypes as temporary service parts.

The as-built surface of DM_9510 is matte and slightly textured due to droplet coalescence. Static coefficient of friction against dry steel is commonly in the 0.4–0.8 range, but surface roughness and residual support can shift this value. For sealing lips that slide against a mating surface, surface finishing with 600-grit wet sanding or vapour smoothing can reduce stick-slip. The coefficient of friction should be measured under ASTM D1894 if assembly insertion force is a design requirement. Dimensional metrology should be performed after conditioning at 23 ± 2 °C and 50 ± 5% relative humidity for a minimum of 24 h. Water uptake during support removal can expand thin walls by a measurable amount, and release of residual stresses after unconstrained resting can alter flatness. For features under 50 mm, typical PolyJet digital material tolerances are approximately ±0.1 mm; features over 100 mm may require ±0.2 mm or greater. Tray location and print head calibration affect these values, so first-article verification should include a full build tray rather than an isolated coupon. If the part is to be bonded into a larger assembly, cyanoacrylate adhesives and two-part acrylic adhesives are commonly used with surface preparation by sanding or chemical etching, but bond strength should be tested under ASTM D3163 or ISO 4587 for lap-shear joints.

Material safety and regulatory status for DM_9510 should be confirmed through the supplier’s Safety Data Sheet and regulatory bulletin. The supplier provides product-specific SDS documentation prepared in accordance with REACH Annex II as amended by Regulation (EU) 2020/878. RoHS compliance under Directive 2011/65/EU as amended by Directive (EU) 2015/863 may require substance-level testing for the exact digital material blend. The product is not marketed as a medical-grade material; biocompatibility claims would require evaluation under ISO 10993-1 on the finished printed device because the digital mixing ratio and post-print handling affect the final surface.

DM_9510 is not suitable for continuous load-bearing applications where creep is a dominant design criterion. The polymer network is not crosslinked to production thermoset elastomer levels; it retains thermoplastic-like creep and stress relaxation characteristics at elevated temperatures. For prototypes that will be exposed to dynamic fatigue, cyclic tensile or flexural testing should be performed on printed specimens that match the final build orientation and layer thickness. Opened resin cartridges should be capped immediately after removal from the printer and stored away from direct UV and heat sources. Field data for DM_9510 on production-scale assembly lines is not publicly available; qualification runs on the target printer and assembly line are required.