ProJet MJP 5600 Materials Guide

Direct answer: the current 3D Systems material finder returns six records for the ProJet MJP 5600. Five are named base materials—rigid VisiJet CR-BK, CR-WT 200 and CR-CL 200, plus elastomeric CE-NT and CE-BK—and the sixth is the controlled VisiJet multi-material composite route. The 5600 can print a released base by itself or mix two released bases in manufacturer-defined ratios. It is not an open-vat resin printer, and a custom mixture is not supported merely because its ingredients cure or look similar.

The useful buying distinction is not simply “rigid versus flexible.” Compatibility includes the exact material products and lots, a current ProJet MJP 5600 profile in 3D Sprint, a permitted base pair and ratio, build mode, support material, automated cleaning route, handling controls and qualification of the finished geometry. Choose this machine when controlled multi-material behavior within one part matters; choose a different process when the job requires an open chemistry, a named thermoplastic, a certified elastomer, production resin, wax, powder or metal.

ProJet MJP 5600 material compatibility at a glance

Current exact-finder lane	Materials	Decision boundary
Rigid bases	CR-BK, CR-WT 200, CR-CL 200	Black rigid, white general-purpose and clear/translucent routes are separate released products; color and marketing analogies do not make them property-equivalent.
Elastomeric bases	CE-NT and CE-BK	Natural translucent and black rubber-like routes support prototyping; neither name proves silicone, TPU, EPDM, seal life, fluid compatibility or regulated contact approval.
Multi-material composites	Released mixtures of two base materials	The manufacturer describes up to twelve composite ratios and region-specific assignment. Use only combinations exposed by the current exact-machine software and documentation.
Other VisiJet or legacy products	Written exact-machine confirmation required	A shared brand, CR or CE prefix, old brochure entry or compatible-looking property does not establish a current profile, supply or service route.
Third-party resin, filament, wax, pellets, powder, metal, ceramic, silicone or paste	Unsupported or poor fit by default	The closed MJP material and jetting system needs a current exact-machine release; plausible viscosity, cure response or temperature does not prove compatibility.

The current public portfolio is five bases plus the composite route

The current ProJet MJP 5600 product page says the machine prints and blends flexible and rigid VisiJet photopolymers layer by layer at the voxel level. The material finder filtered to the exact model currently resolves that statement into six records. Use that live exact-machine facet as the portfolio owner. The dated technical sheet remains useful for process context, but it should not silently add a discontinued grade or remove a current replacement.

Record the exact commercial material name and lot. CR-BK, CR-WT 200, CR-CL 200, CE-NT and CE-BK are not generic bottles of “hard” and “soft” resin. Each has its own manufacturer page, intended role and measured-property context. If the current 3D Sprint installation does not expose the exact material, pair and ratio for the connected 5600, stop and verify software, firmware, machine service and supply status with 3D Systems.

The sixth finder record is not another cartridge. It is the controlled capability to combine released base materials. That distinction matters for purchasing and qualification: the result depends on both input materials, the authorized ratio, spatial assignment, print mode, support and post-processing. A user-created recipe, third-party refill or undocumented ratio is outside this public support boundary.

Choose among CR-BK, CR-WT 200 and CR-CL 200 by the requirement

CR-BK is positioned as a rigid opaque black plastic; CR-WT 200 as an opaque white general-purpose material; and CR-CL 200 as a clear or translucent rigid material with moderate flex. Those descriptions help route a prototype, but they are manufacturer positioning rather than proof that a printed part behaves exactly like injection-molded ABS, polycarbonate or urethane. Compare the exact current data, test method, conditioning and build process with the real duty.

Use CR-BK or CR-WT 200 where opaque appearance, rigidity and handling fit the decision, then qualify local features such as bosses, snap arms, holes, press fits and thin walls. A favorable bulk tensile value cannot by itself predict a notched latch, a fastener held under preload or a housing left under load. Creep, impact, fatigue, chemicals, heat, weather and support contacts may dominate.

Use CR-CL 200 where seeing internal flow, assembly or anatomy is valuable, but do not promise optical clarity from the material name. Wall thickness, curvature, build orientation, support contacts, cleaning, coating, surface texture and aging affect transmission and appearance. Clear also does not mean UV-stable, food-safe, flame-rated or approved for a pressure path.

CE-NT and CE-BK are prototype elastomers, not generic rubber

CE-NT is the translucent natural-color elastomeric base, while CE-BK is the opaque black base. The manufacturer positions both around rubber-like functional prototyping and reports elastomeric properties. Select the exact base and composite ratio from required hardness or compliance, strain, tear behavior, rebound, compression set, wall thickness, temperature, surface and cycle count—not from color alone.

A soft printed part can be useful for an ergonomic surface, overmold concept, compliant feature, anatomical model or bounded gasket prototype while remaining a poor production seal. “Rubber-like” does not establish equivalence to silicone, EPDM, nitrile, TPU or another named elastomer. It also does not prove fluid resistance, sterilization compatibility, skin-contact approval, long-term compression set or outdoor life.

Qualify the actual feature and constraint. A free strip, thick pad, thin membrane, captured gasket and locally rigid-flex transition can fail differently. Include support-contact surfaces and cleaned internal regions in inspection. Where failure can release pressure, fluid, electrical energy or a load, the responsible engineer must define material, geometry, process, inspection and compliance evidence.

Composite mixing is the distinctive capability—and a controlled one

The current multi-material composite page says the 5600 can mix two base materials pixel by pixel in up to twelve composite ratios, and can assign different combinations to regions of one object. This makes graded stiffness, clear-to-colored transitions, rigid housings with compliant features and assembly-like prototypes possible in one build. Treat those as scoped manufacturer capability claims, not independent testing or a guarantee for every geometry.

Start with the released pair and ratio exposed by the current exact-machine software. Do not extrapolate a property linearly between the two pure bases. A nominal midpoint mixture need not deliver the midpoint of tensile strength, elongation, tear behavior, hardness, optical response, aging or chemical resistance. The interface between regions also deserves qualification; a digitally assigned transition is not automatically equivalent to a molded overmold bond.

Preserve the digital material assignment with the job record. Document software version, machine profile, base product and lot, ratio, spatial region, orientation, build mode, support strategy and post-processing. Requalify when a base, lot, software release, machine repair, printhead service, support procedure or critical geometry changes. The value of composite printing is repeatable controlled behavior, not unlimited mixing.

3D Sprint, support removal and cleaning are part of compatibility

The current product route and manufacturer technical sheet place 3D Sprint, support material and post-processing inside the system. Compatibility therefore means more than jetting build material. A part must retain its intended geometry and material regions through support generation, build, removal, cleaning, handling and any coating or finishing.

Review narrow passages, undercuts, enclosed cavities, thin flexible regions, clear surfaces and transitions where support can be hard to remove or inspection can be weak. The manufacturer promotes automated cleaning and support removal; treat speed and completeness statements as having defined equipment, geometry and operating scope. Establish acceptance criteria for the shop's actual parts rather than converting a marketing comparison into a guaranteed cycle time.

Capacity planning belongs to the complete cell. Build nesting, selected mode, material changeover, support removal, cleaning, inspection, maintenance, rejected parts and operator work affect delivered output. This page does not provide throughput, yield, tolerance, labor, consumable cost, service coverage or financial-return estimates.

Biocompatible-capable does not mean every printed part is approved

The current finder labels some CR grades biocompatible-capable, and manufacturer pages refer to Class VI capability for specified material and process conditions. That is not blanket medical approval. Confirm the exact current material, lot, printer, build parameters, support and cleaning route, specimen preparation, test standard, contact category, duration, sterilization or disinfection method, traceability and jurisdiction.

Do not transfer a resin-level statement to a composite automatically. Mixing a rigid and elastomeric base, changing the ratio, adding a coating, leaving support residue or using a different cleaning process may change the evidence needed. Medical models, guides, devices, skin-contact parts and implantable uses have different regulatory and quality requirements. The manufacturer, responsible quality system and applicable authority define those boundaries.

For nonmedical parts, the same discipline still helps. A material page can guide initial selection, but the finished part must be evaluated for its geometry, environment, life and consequence of failure. Mechanical, optical, chemical and thermal claims should remain tied to the exact documented test scope.

Resin, chemical, ventilation, fire and waste boundaries

This page is a material-routing guide, not the final safety authority. Review the current printer manual, safety data sheets, 3D Systems material and cleaning instructions, facility risk assessment and local environmental rules. The NIOSH additive-manufacturing guidance supports enclosure, source control, ventilation, housekeeping and exposure assessment rather than relying on odor or the label “photopolymer.”

Control uncured resin and support material, skin and eye exposure, contaminated surfaces, spills, cleaning fluids, hot components, moving equipment, pinch points and electrical energy. Use compatible gloves and eye protection defined by current safety information, suitable ventilation, guarded equipment, documented service isolation and appropriate fire protection. Do not improvise solvent, wash temperature, scraping or waste practices from another printer family.

Segregate and label unused material, purge, support residue, contaminated wipes, cleaning fluid and failed parts. Keep them out of drains unless an authorized procedure explicitly permits disposal. The vendor defines machine and material instructions; the responsible facility defines engineering controls, PPE program, electrical and fire plan, waste route, emergency response and operator training.

Unsupported and poor-fit requests

Treat any material outside the current exact-model facet as unsupported unless 3D Systems publishes an exact ProJet MJP 5600 route. That includes other VisiJet families, legacy names without a current replacement statement, third-party resin, filament, pellets, wax, powder, metal, ceramic, silicone, paste and reclaimed feedstock. Temperature, viscosity, UV cure response or brand similarity alone cannot establish printhead, cartridge, support, software, service or safety compatibility.

The 5600 is also a poor fit when the delivered part must be a known production thermoplastic or elastomer rather than a photopolymer analogue; when long-term weather, chemical, fatigue or compression-set evidence is central; when open-material experimentation is the goal; or when the team cannot operate the complete resin, support, cleaning and waste cell. A compelling prototype capability does not automatically become a production-material qualification.

For intermittent work, uncertain demand or a part still moving through material selection, outsourcing can preserve the decision without buying the cell. Confirm exact available material and process with the provider; do not assume that every service bureau owns the same machine, software release, base portfolio or composite options.

Buyer and owner decision

Choose the ProJet MJP 5600 when large-format, detailed prototypes need controlled rigid, elastomeric and spatially assigned composite behavior within one build.
Do not choose it for open materials. The public support boundary is the current exact-machine VisiJet set and released software combinations, not arbitrary resin blending.
Choose the base pair and ratio from the requirement. Define stiffness, compliance, transparency, color, strain, interface behavior, environment, life and consequence of failure before selecting a digital material.
Use the MJP 2500 Plus route when its broader single-material rigid, thermal, elastomeric and casting portfolio fits better than in-part composite mixing.
Consider Figure 4 Standalone or ProJet 7000 HD when an exact released vat-photopolymer workflow owns the requirement, or the SLS 380 route when powder thermoplastic parts are the real need.
Outsource first when utilization is uncertain or the team does not want to own resin storage, composite job control, support removal, ventilation, chemical handling, maintenance, waste, inspection and traceability.

For a defined part, use the material-selection checklist, review the custom-printing service FAQ, request a GoodPrints quote, or use the JC Print Farm route when external production is the better fit.

Bottom line

The current ProJet MJP 5600 finder contains five named base materials plus the controlled multi-material composite route. Keep every job tied to the exact current base products, released two-base pair and ratio, 3D Sprint profile, support and cleaning process. Treat anything outside that system as unsupported until 3D Systems publishes an exact-machine route, and qualify the finished geometry rather than relying on a family name or marketing analogy.