Big Win: eSUN’s FlexOne Named ”Best 3D Printing Resin of the Year” at 3Dzyk 2025!

At the “3Dzyk 2025 · China 3D Printing Industry Annual Awards,” organized by 3D Printing Resource Library, FlexOne single-component elastic resin launched by eSUN’s subsidiary iSUN3D was awarded “Best 3D Printing Resin Material.”

Organizer’s comment: “The FlexOne single-component elastic resin series breaks the barrier of two-component systems, significantly reducing mixing and consistency risks, and works synergistically with high-speed photopolymer platforms toward a ‘full-shoe-level’ high-efficiency manufacturing path. It balances ease of use and productivity, demonstrating strong industrialization potential.”

1. Why Focus on Single-Component Systems? 

For a long time, material stability has been a major barrier to scaling flexible photopolymer 3D printing. While conventional two-component materials offer excellent mechanical properties, they require manual mixing, have short pot life, and low material utilization, making them unsuitable for continuous production.

“When materials become simpler and more stable, flexible 3D printing applications can truly be replicated at scale.” Based on this insight, eSUN focused its R&D on single-component elastic resins, aiming to overcome short pot life and high operational requirements, removing the final barrier to scalable flexible manufacturing.

2. Taking the Hardest Path to Achieve the Simplest Outcome

In 2023, the single-component elastic resin project was officially launched. At that time, two-component systems were mature and widely accepted, while single-component systems implied higher R&D difficulty and significant uncertainty.

At that time, the flexible 3D printing market was still in its early stage, and there was no full internal consensus on whether the project was worth the investment.

However, eSUN’s judgment was clear: for flexible 3D printing to scale, materials must become easier to use.

Based on this, the project was given high priority.

The R&D process proved far more difficult than expected. At one point, when the project nearly stalled, the team made a practical adjustment: first developing a high-performance two-component elastic resin. From a project management perspective, this could have been considered a successful conclusion. However, the team knew it did not address the fundamental industry pain point, as the structural limitations of two-component systems remained.

So they started over. Guided by the principle of “leaving complexity to R&D and simplicity to users,” the team re-entered the challenges of single-component systems. This persistence in pursuing the optimal solution led to the breakthrough launch of FlexOne single-component elastic resin.

3. Leveraging 20 Years of Expertise to Overcome the Final Challenge

Leveraging over 20 years of expertise in polymer synthesis and modification, the team relaunched systematic R&D efforts.

In July 2025, the team successfully completed feasibility validation of the single-component elastic resin, with performance exceeding expectations and significant improvements in stability. Over the following two months, formulation and process optimization continued. By September 2025, the resin passed commercialization validation, achieving breakthroughs in both mechanical and printing performance:

• Extended Pot Life: Significantly longer usable time and reusability, greatly lowering the barrier to use;
• Exceptional Stability: High consistency, perfectly suited for industrial-scale production;
• Wide Compatibility: Compatible with mainstream LCD and DLP equipment, expanding application possibilities.

At this point, flexible 3D printing gained a practical material foundation for scalable replication.

4. Better Materials Enable Broader Applications

The project R&D manager stated: “Single-component elastic resins have broad prospects. From an application perspective, the endpoint of two-component systems is ultimately single-component materials.”

Currently, eSUN has established a leading position, with a full series of single-component elastic resins covering different hardness levels and foaming ratios to meet diverse application needs.

In the future, eSUN will continue to drive the adoption of 3D printing through material innovation, providing high-quality material solutions for makers, designers, educational institutions, and manufacturing enterprises worldwide.