Specifics about printing material

I would like to find a print material that is compatible with my requirements and therefore looking for specifics of the material you use. While searching the net for Shapeways, I did find your New York office uses the 3DSystems ProJet 3500. Also, the description of the "Frosted Detail" specifies the Flexural Strength is 26.6 MPa and is the exact sale as the VisiJet M3 Proplast material.
Without getting into the calculations for Flexural Strength, which some data sheets do not even list anymore for plastics, are there real world examples of stiffness, or resistance to bending?

1) Is this the printer Shapeways uses for the Frosted Detail and Frosted Ultra Detail the ProJet 3500? If so, which model do you have? SD, HD, etc.

If so, the ProJet 3500 uses the VisiJet M3 material.
2) What is this the material you use for the Frosted Detail?
Which of the VisiJet M3 materials are available?

3) Which of the M3 materials is the stiffest?

Basically, I need to make sure that a printed piece 55mm long, 16mm wide, and 5mm thick would have the rigidity to press 2000 grams at end A, pressing down at location B (centered between A and C) with a hinge at location C without bending.
Ok, it is obvious it will bend <some>, but the bend can not be more than .05mm
If this is not possible to press down 2Kg, would this be possible at 1Kg?




Thank you.

Check the materials page for frosted detail /frosted ultra detail - on the "Material info" tab you will find the MDS and MSDS , while the former has a few specifications, the latter names the material as Visijet SR 200. The only chemically similar (acrylic) material, black and white "detail plastic" are Objet
products, I think it was Verowhite/Veroblack. If you do not see a material listed on the Materials pages, it is not available through shapeways - as they rely on efficient, quasi mass production of parts they will not simply swap materials for a single print job like a more conventional rapid prototyping firm would.

I do not think you will get an exact answer to your question here - for one, shapeways' official stance is that the models they produce are suitable for decorative purposes only, also much will depend on geometry of the individual part. (Basically you would have to be lucky to find someone here who already did something very similar and can share his experience.) In the end, you may have to try for yourself. Much will probably depend on whether yours is a static or a dynamic load case (fatigue/cracking). Note that the acrylics are described as a bit brittle. Any specific reason why you homed in on the visijet material ? It could be that the "strong&flexible" (laser-sintered PA2200 nylon) material is more appropriate for the task (given enough thickness
it can be quite stiff - besides, it is significantly cheaper so might be simplest to order a specimen for testing)