About our Expiration dates

Expiration dates, shelf life, storage, and handling

Photopolymer resins and functional material systems may undergo chemical, physical, rheological, or performance changes over time depending on their formulation, storage conditions, handling history, and environmental exposure.

For this reason, 3Dresyns® Products are supplied with Product-specific expiration or shelf-life information intended to define the period during which the Product should be used under the applicable storage and handling conditions.

The expiration date stated on the supplied Product label and the Product-specific documentation applicable to that version take precedence over any general shelf-life information provided on this page.

Made-to-order manufacturing and nominal expiration dates

Many 3Dresyns Products are manufactured or prepared on a made-to-order basis and are supplied fresh.

For many standard Products, the nominal shelf-life period is 12 months. Where the applicable Product uses the order or invoice date as the reference date, the nominal calculation may be expressed as:

Nominal expiration date = applicable order or invoice reference date + 12 months

This is a general framework only. The actual expiration date indicated on the Product label or Product-specific documentation governs the supplied material.

Some Products may have shorter or different shelf-life periods because of their formulation, functionality, reactivity, or storage requirements.

Meaning of the expiration date

The expiration date defines the period during which the Product is intended to remain within its applicable storage and use framework when stored, handled, and maintained according to the relevant Product documentation.

The expiration date should not be interpreted as meaning that the Product necessarily undergoes an immediate physical or chemical change on the following day. Rather, after the stated expiration date, the Company no longer represents the Product as being within its normal in-date use period unless the Company expressly confirms otherwise.

After expiration, changes may occur in characteristics such as:

• cure response;
• printability;
• viscosity or rheology;
• color or appearance;
• dispersion or suspension behavior;
• functional performance;
• stability;
• processing window; or
• properties of the final printed or cured material.

The type and extent of any change depend on the specific Product and its storage and handling history.

Expiration date versus final-part properties

An in-date Product does not mean that final printed-part properties are independent of the customer's manufacturing workflow.

Mechanical, physical, thermal, optical, dimensional, electrical, dielectric, conductive, and other properties measured on printed or cured parts may still depend on:

• printer make and model;
• printing technology;
• wavelength and irradiance;
• exposure conditions;
• printer calibration;
• layer thickness;
• resin temperature;
• material preparation and homogenization;
• part geometry and orientation;
• cleaning procedure;
• cleaning time;
• drying;
• post-processing;
• post-curing equipment;
• post-curing wavelength, irradiance, time, and temperature;
• conditioning;
• specimen preparation; and
• testing methodology.

Accordingly, the expiration date relates to the supplied Product and its shelf-life framework. It does not guarantee identical final-part properties under different printing, post-processing, post-curing, conditioning, or testing conditions.

Further information is available in the Company's Guarantee of properties policy.

Storage conditions

Customers must follow the storage conditions stated on the Product label, Safety Data Sheet (SDS), Instructions for Use (IFU), Technical Data Sheet (TDS), or other Product-specific documentation where applicable.

Depending on the Product, appropriate storage precautions may include protection from:

• light;
• direct sunlight or ultraviolet exposure;
• excessive heat;
• moisture or humidity where relevant;
• contamination;
• inappropriate temperature conditions; and
• other environmental conditions identified in the applicable Product documentation.

Where a general storage temperature is provided on a Product page or other documentation, the Product should be stored within that stated range.

For Products for which no more restrictive Product-specific condition is stated, general recommendations such as storage protected from light and excessive heat may apply. Product-specific instructions always prevail over general recommendations.

Product-specific temperature requirements

Some specialty Products may be more sensitive to temperature than standard photopolymer systems.

These may include, depending on the specific formulation:

• certain conductive resins;
• certain high-reactivity or ultra-fast resins;
• certain functional additives;
• certain dispersions or suspension-based materials; and
• other temperature-sensitive systems.

Where refrigerated or controlled-temperature storage is required or recommended, the applicable temperature range will be stated in the relevant Product documentation or label.

Where a Product-specific recommendation states storage between 5 °C and 20 °C, that recommendation should be followed to reduce the risk of premature reaction, degradation, instability, or loss of intended performance.

This temperature range should not be assumed to apply to every 3Dresyns Product.

Conductive resins and shorter shelf-life periods

Certain conductive resin Products may have shorter expiration periods than standard grades.

Where applicable, expiration periods may typically be in the range of 3 to 6 months, depending on the specific formulation and Product configuration.

The expiration date printed on the supplied label and the Product-specific storage instructions always prevail over this general indication.

Functional additives and other Products should not automatically be assumed to have the same shelf-life period as conductive resins merely because they are used in conductive formulations.

Multiphase, filled, and functional materials

Conductive, filled, pigmented, composite, dispersion-based, suspension-based, nanomaterial-containing, and other multiphase Products may exhibit changes during storage such as:

• sedimentation;
• settling;
• floating;
• phase separation;
• agglomeration;
• flocculation;
• viscosity changes;
• rheological changes;
• gel-like structures;
• color variation; or
• changes in functional response.

The presence of one of these phenomena does not, by itself, establish that the Product has expired or is defective.

The relevant assessment depends on the Product, its age, storage history, applicable documentation, whether the phenomenon is expected or reversible using the prescribed preparation procedure, and whether the Product remains within its applicable specification or intended functional framework.

Homogenization and preparation before use

Some Products may require shaking, stirring, mixing, homogenization, re-dispersion, temperature equilibration, degassing, or another preparation procedure before use.

The need for such preparation does not, by itself, mean that the Product has deteriorated or reached the end of its shelf life where that preparation forms part of the normal documented Product workflow.

Customers should follow the relevant Product-specific preparation instructions before assessing printability, viscosity, dispersion state, conductivity, color, or other properties.

Opened and partially used containers

The stated expiration date assumes storage and handling consistent with the applicable Product documentation.

Opening and repeated use of a container may introduce additional variables including exposure to light, air, moisture, contaminants, temperature fluctuations, foreign materials, previously used tools, or other environmental conditions.

Customers should therefore:

• keep containers appropriately closed when not in use;
• avoid unnecessary exposure to light or heat;
• prevent contamination;
• use clean and suitable handling tools;
• avoid returning contaminated or processed material to the original container unless expressly permitted; and
• follow any Product-specific handling instructions.

The original expiration date does not constitute a guarantee that a container exposed to inappropriate handling, contamination, or storage conditions will retain the same performance until that date.

Transportation and temporary temperature exposure

Transportation conditions may differ from controlled long-term storage conditions.

A temporary temperature excursion during transport does not, by itself, establish Product deterioration or non-conformity. The significance of any excursion depends on the Product, temperature reached, duration, packaging, subsequent condition of the material, and other relevant circumstances.

Conversely, this provision does not mean that every transport condition is acceptable. Where evidence indicates that transportation or delivery conditions materially affected Product conformity, the issue should be evaluated according to the applicable Product requirements, transport terms, evidence, and mandatory law.

Use after the expiration date

The Company recommends using Products within the expiration period indicated on the applicable Product label.

A Product may in some cases remain physically usable after its expiration date, but continued usability cannot be inferred solely from appearance and should not be treated as an extension of the stated shelf life.

Where a customer chooses to evaluate an expired Product, the customer should perform appropriate testing and revalidation before relying on the Product for printing, manufacturing, research, production, regulated applications, or other critical purposes.

The Company does not represent that a Product will retain the same printability, processing window, or performance indefinitely beyond its stated expiration date unless the Company has expressly provided a written extension or other Product-specific confirmation.

No automatic extension to 2 or 3 years

The fact that certain photopolymer systems may remain usable beyond their labelled expiration date does not create a general 2-year, 3-year, or other extended shelf-life guarantee for 3Dresyns Products.

Any shelf-life period longer than the labelled expiration period must be supported by the Product-specific documentation or expressly confirmed by the Company for the relevant Product, version, batch, and circumstances.

Expiration dates and Product claims

A Product complaint made before the stated expiration date should be evaluated according to the applicable Product specification, storage and handling requirements, processing history, evidence, contractual terms, and mandatory law.

The fact that a Product is still within its expiration period does not, by itself, establish a manufacturing defect where the reported issue results from printer configuration, processing, contamination, storage contrary to instructions, post-processing, post-curing, or another external variable.

Similarly, the Company will not reject a valid Product claim solely because a material is close to its expiration date if the reported non-conformity is otherwise demonstrated under the applicable terms and law.

Claims involving expired Products

Where a Product is used after its stated expiration date, changes attributable to ageing or use outside the stated shelf-life period will not normally constitute evidence of manufacturing non-conformity.

However, expiration of the Product does not retroactively eliminate a valid claim concerning a non-conformity that existed before expiration or another right that cannot lawfully be excluded.

Lot numbers and Product versions

Expiration information should be considered together with the Product version, SKU, and lot number of the material supplied.

Different versions or configurations of the same Product system may have different stability characteristics, storage requirements, or expiration periods.

A shelf-life statement applicable to one Product version should not automatically be assumed to apply to another version unless the applicable documentation states that it does.

Further information is available in Product versions and SKUs and Lot numbers.

Safety Data Sheets and storage information

Where an applicable Safety Data Sheet (SDS) specifies precautions for safe handling, storage conditions, incompatibilities, temperature considerations, or other safety-related storage information, those instructions must be taken into account together with the Product-specific technical documentation.

Technical shelf-life information and regulatory safety information serve different purposes and should both be followed where applicable.

Intended use and customer responsibility

3Dresyns Products are principally supplied for professional, industrial, research, development, and technical use.

Customers are responsible for storing, handling, preparing, processing, and using Products according to the applicable Product documentation and for validating suitability for their intended application, except to the extent that the Company has expressly undertaken a specific responsibility in writing.

Improper storage, contamination, inappropriate handling, processing outside the documented framework, or use of an expired Product may affect Product performance and may be relevant when evaluating the cause of a reported issue.

This responsibility does not eliminate an express Product specification, contractual commitment, or mandatory statutory right.

Consumers and statutory conformity rights

Where a Buyer legally qualifies as a Consumer, the Product expiration date or stated shelf-life period does not replace, shorten, or exclude mandatory statutory conformity rights.

The technical shelf life of a chemical Product and the legal period during which a Consumer may exercise statutory remedies for a qualifying lack of conformity are different concepts.

A Consumer claim must therefore be assessed according to the nature of the Product, the applicable shelf-life and storage information, the alleged lack of conformity, the circumstances of use, and the mandatory rules governing conformity and burden of proof.

Future changes to shelf-life information

The Company may revise shelf-life periods, storage recommendations, packaging, Product versions, or related documentation for future production where supported by technical development, stability information, safety considerations, regulatory requirements, raw-material changes, packaging changes, or other legitimate reasons.

Such changes do not retroactively alter the expiration date or contractual information applicable to a Product already supplied unless expressly agreed or required by law.

Governing principle

The Product-specific expiration date defines the applicable in-date use period for the supplied material under the stated storage and handling conditions. The label and Product-specific documentation prevail over general shelf-life guidance. Final printed or cured properties remain dependent on the complete printing, processing, post-processing, post-curing, conditioning, and testing workflow.

Relationship with other Legal Terms

This policy must be read together with the Company's applicable Product documentation, Safety Data Sheet (SDS), Instructions for Use (IFU), Lot numbers, Product versions and SKUs, Guarantee of properties, Terms & Conditions, and Legal Terms.

Mandatory rights

Nothing in this policy excludes, restricts, or modifies an express shelf-life commitment, Product specification, statutory conformity right, Consumer right, or other obligation that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.