Proto3000 Objet Digital Materials™ DM_9895/9795 is a rubber-like prototyping polymer supplied for PolyJet additive manufacturing platforms operating with two model-material channels. The material is positioned in the Shore A 95 durometer band, meaning cured plaques normally fall near a Type A reading of 95 when conditioned and measured under controlled conditions. The “digital” designation is not a marketing label; it indicates that the final network is formed by proportional jetting of two base photopolymer streams from adjacent print heads, followed by ultraviolet polymerization of the deposited layer. The cured network is used to fabricate soft-touch grips, compression seals, gasket mock-ups, overmolded handle prototypes, and elastomeric bellows where a semi-rigid rubber response is required. Because the formulation is generated in the machine rather than in a premixed cartridge, a single build can contain discrete Shore A zones, provided the machine control software supports grayscale digital material mapping.

Specification documents for DM_9895/9795 should be separated from those of single-material elastomers. In a conventional PolyJet rubber-like material, the print head jets one prepackaged formulation and the cured hardness is fixed. In DM_9895/9795, the machine controls the volumetric ratio of two model materials. This arrangement changes procurement, storage, and validation logic. The paired cartridge set must be loaded in the correct channels, the machine must pass the pattern calibration test before the digital material is first used, and incoming inspection should sample the cured result from a known print mode because test results are mode-dependent. Published data for this specific Proto3000 cartridge configuration is limited; therefore, a batch certificate of analysis that reports actual measured durometer and tensile values from the receiving laboratory is the preferred control document.

How Does In Situ Jetting of Two Base Resins Change the Cured Network Morphology?

The print process deposits consecutive layers at the machine’s selected resolution. In high-quality mode, the layer thickness is typically 16 µm; in high-speed mode, the layer thickness is commonly 30 µm. The inkjet heads fire nanoliter-scale droplets of the two base resins in a pattern that approximates the digital material ratio. A roller levels each layer after deposition, and ultraviolet lamps initiate free-radical crosslinking within the layer. Because polymerization occurs after the two streams are combined on the build tray or within the previously deposited layer, the final morphology is not a homogeneous bulk network. It contains alternating domains or gradient regions of the two base polymers, the size and distribution of which depend on jetting alignment, print head health, and the digital material ratio.

This morphological architecture differentiates DM_9895/9795 from a blended resin that is mixed in bulk before packaging. Bulk blending allows de-gassing and steady-state viscosity control before jetting; in situ digital blending transfers those controls to the machine. The practical consequences include tighter demand on nozzle maintenance, more stringent ambient temperature control, and a greater effect of print orientation on mechanical data. When the two resin streams are misaligned because of a blocked jet, the cured part may exhibit visible drop-out channels that become apparent only after support removal. On a production-floor Objet Connex platform, such defects are commonly traced to a single degraded head within a 96-head block; replacing or recalibrating that head usually restores the expected durometer response.

The material’s Shore A 95 envelope is therefore an outcome of both chemistry and machine state. A cartridge set may be within specification in one machine and out of specification in another if the head calibration is incorrect. The material is not a one-to-one replacement for Agilus30 or TangoPlus when those single-component materials are specified. In single-component elastomers, the cured hardness is stable across a wider range of jetting conditions because no second resin stream participates in the network. With DM_9895/9795, the receiving laboratory should verify the Shore A 95 target on each new machine configuration and after every print head replacement.

Where incoming inspection is performed, specimens should be printed with the part orientation specified in the project. The commonly specified test geometry is a 6.0 mm thick plaque with a flat skin layer, printed in the XY plane. Hardness is measured according to ASTM D2240-15e1 using a Type A durometer after conditioning for 24 h at 23 ± 2 °C and 50 ± 5 % relative humidity. A dead-weight or motorized test stand should be used because handheld durometer readings on thin rubber-like polymers are sensitive to operator rate and pressure. The 15-s dwell value is normally reported; an instantaneous reading without dwell can overstate hardness by several points for this material class.

Tensile measurements are conducted on Type IV specimens under ASTM D638-14. The crosshead speed is commonly set at 25 mm/min for comparative assessments, although the rate should be fixed in the project protocol. Because the material is a low-to-moderate stiffness elastomer, grip slippage is controlled with rubber-faced jaws or pneumatic grips at a modest clamping pressure. Self-tightening roller grips may produce premature specimen damage at the jaw face; such failures invalidate the test. Tear resistance is characteristically reported under ASTM D624-12 die C. The reported tear value should be accompanied by the specimen orientation because a die cut perpendicular to the print direction can yield a different tearing path than one cut parallel to the raster lines.

DM_9895/9795 should not be compared directly to cast polyurethane rubbers of the same durometer. A millable or cast urethane with a Shore A 95 reading typically exhibits higher tear resistance and greater tensile strength because its elastomeric response arises from a different polymerization and chain-extension mechanism. In the photopolymer network, cross-linking density and the distribution of digital material domains govern recovery. Prototypes made from DM_9895/9795 may show viscoelastic setting after sustained compression; a gasket prototype that has been clamped for several hours can retain a surface indentation longer than a comparable polyurethane. This is not necessarily a material defect but a design input for functional testing.

For sealing applications, flatness of the printed flange and the presence of scalloped sidewalls from support removal are often more important than the durometer reading alone. A water-jet support removal process may create local surface roughness on the underside. If a gasket face is built in the Z direction, the compressed surface must be inspected for drop-out channels before compression testing. A more reliable sealing prototype is obtained by orienting the gasket flat in the XY plane and accepting a slightly longer build time for the larger horizontal cross-section.

Build Orientation and Support Removal Are Linked Through the Green-State Modulus

The cured polymer is not in a fully hardened state immediately after removal from the machine. PolyJet rubber-like materials retain a green-state modulus that is lower than the plateau value measured after several hours of dark conditioning. This transient response governs how aggressively support material can be removed. In water-jet cleaning stations used on production lines, a high-pressure stream directed at thin unsupported walls can peel interlayer boundaries. The effect is most pronounced when a part built in the vertical axis contains knife-edge features or thin sealing lips. The water pressure, nozzle standoff, and sweep rate should be set to low values for this material class and then increased only after the support has begun to fragment.

Support removal should not be accelerated with aggressive solvent immersion. The digital photopolymer network can absorb solvent and swell, producing temporary Shore A drift and dimensional expansion. A short water rinse is generally sufficient for the support material used on most PolyJet platforms, but any extended exposure to alcohol or ketone cleaning fluids should be avoided unless the manufacturer’s technical bulletin explicitly approves the solvent for this cartridge pair. When a support-free surface is needed, the part can be built in an orientation that places the cosmetic surface up, but the orientation decision must account for the anisotropy described below.

When a Prototype Gasket Is Built in the Z Orientation, Tensile Anisotropy Becomes the Critical Parameter

Because the digital material is formed in layers, mechanical response is not isotropic. A tensile bar printed flat in the XY plane generally exhibits higher elongation at break than the same bar printed standing in the Z axis. The difference arises from interlayer boundary lines and from the degree of conversion at the layer surface. Under ASTM D638-14, a Z-oriented Type IV specimen may fail at the interlayer boundary rather than in the bulk network. The measured tensile stress at break in the Z orientation is therefore treated as a lower-bound property. For gasket and diaphragm prototypes that will be deflected along the build axis, this lower-bound value is the design-limiting input.

Users who validate functional prototypes by compression force deflection per ASTM D575 or by compression set per ASTM D395-18 should build test coupons in the same orientation and with the same support strategy as the production-intent prototype. A compression set specimen built flat and tested with the skin layer intact can produce a more favorable recovery result than a specimen built with the bulk digital-material cross-section. The project protocol should therefore identify whether the skin layer is retained or machined away. Unless the test report states both the print mode and the skin condition, the compression set value has limited comparative value.

Continuous service at elevated temperature is another boundary condition. Published data for the long-term thermal aging of DM_9895/9795 under load is limited. The prototype material should not be treated as a production elastomer for hot-zone sealing. If the intended validation test involves cyclic compression at more than 30 % strain over multiple hours, the test plan should include a Shore A re-check after the test because viscoelastic softening may occur. The re-check is conducted under the same ASTM D2240-15e1 conditions and recorded as a post-test shift rather than as a pass/fail single point.

Shelf Storage, Humidity Tolerance, and Cartridge Changeover

Material handling follows standard PolyJet photopolymer practice, but the two-cartridge digital material configuration adds a specific constraint: both cartridges must be installed together and must be within the permitted temperature window before initial jetting. Cartridges stored below the recommended range may require several hours inside the print chamber to reach thermal equilibrium. Attempting to start a build with a cold resin stream usually produces jetting inconsistencies and can trigger machine fault codes for head voltage. The material should be kept away from direct sunlight and high-humidity storage. Once a cartridge is opened, the shelf life is governed by the manufacturer’s label and the machine’s onboard consumption tracking.

The build chamber should run within the temperature and airflow conditions specified by the printer manufacturer for digital material mode. Changes in ambient relative humidity can alter the surface tack of the cured polymer immediately after removal. When parts are printed in an environment above 60 % relative humidity, the surface may remain tacky for a longer post-build interval. This condition usually resolves after dark conditioning, but tack-sensitive applications such as lens seals or cosmetic housing covers should not be handled or bagged immediately after print.

The product finds use in functional prototypes where a Shore A 95 response is needed without the iteration delay associated with cast urethane tooling. Typical builds include soft-touch housings, gaskets for automotive lamp modules, overmolded grips on consumer power tools, and anatomical models where a semi-rigid rubber texture must be retained during cutting and suturing demonstrations. In each case, the prototype is qualified through dimensional inspection, durometer verification, and visual inspection for drop-out channels. The material is not intended for production use, and no claim of compliance with food-contact or long-term implantation standards should be inferred from its ability to simulate rubber-like tactile response.

Relative to fused-filament TPU with a Shore A 95 rating, DM_9895/9795 provides a smoother sidewall appearance and a finer surface resolution because the PolyJet process deposits 16 µm or 30 µm layers without a visible extrusion weld line. However, the tensile and tear performance of an injection-grade TPU or a high-performance millable rubber is generally higher. A polyether-based TPU rated at Shore A 95 may show tensile strength values exceeding 20 MPa under ASTM D638-14, while the PolyJet digital rubber is a prototyping material with lower strength. The comparison is orientation-dependent and should be made only when the PolyJet specimen is printed in the same orientation and at the same layer thickness used for the prototype.

Compared with Agilus30 and TangoPlus, DM_9895/9795 is positioned at the stiffer end of the rubber-like PolyJet portfolio. The higher Shore A value reduces the extreme hyperelastic recovery seen in the softer single-material elastomers, but also reduces elongation at break. This trade-off makes the material suitable for prototypes requiring a more rigid rubber seal or a tactile surface closer to a commercial overmolded grip. The exact quantitative difference should be drawn from side-by-side tensile and durometer testing performed in the same machine, because machine-level effects in digital material jetting are too large to allow cross-site comparison without controlled coupons.

Post-processing coatings should be screened before production use. Solvent-borne paints with aggressive ester or ketone carrier fluids may soften the cured photopolymer and shift durometer response. If a coating is required, the printed surface should be tested for softening and swelling under the project’s exposure conditions. Silicone-based mold release agents are generally lower risk than amine-containing epoxy coatings, but the interaction with DM_9895/9795 has not been fully characterized in public literature.