Best 3d printing stock

Composites

Finally, composite threads, although not essentially a single material, can be extremely strong. Composites are threads with certain additives that affect the properties of the material, including to increase strength. The names of these threads usually have the words "pro", "reinforced" (reinforced) or "infused" (infused), since they are usually a mixture of different materials.

For this reason, it is impossible to assess where the composite fibers are compared to the two previous materials. Some composites, such as Carbonyte, can compete with nylon threads for strength, while some composites are less durable.

It all depends on what the composite thread consists of. Durable is usually a high strength material such as nylon impregnated with another high strength material such as carbon fiber or glass.

Speaking of carbon fiber, this is also a very strong filament that is sometimes used for 3D printed bicycles. However, some composite fibers are stronger than many pure carbon fibers, so they are not in the top three, but deserve special mention as composite fibers.

Some numbers

We will use carbon fiber nylon and glass fiber nylon threads as examples. MatterHackers has determined that hooks printed on these materials can hold an average of 349and 268 pounds respectively.

Rigid.Ink gave the fiberglass nylon filament four out of five ratings for strength and five for durability. They also gave the carbon fiber nylon a five out of five rating for both strength and durability. In comparison, PLA and ABS were in the top three for strength.

3D printing with composites

Composites vary in the way they are 3D printed, but they are generally relatively similar to their base material. Durable composite fibers are usually made from nylon, so you'll have to print at fairly high temperatures. These threads are also quite expensive.

Advantages of composites : This is a combination of several materials to achieve the best possible properties, durable.

Cons of composites: Expensive, requires high 3D printing temperatures.

Selection of materials for 3D printing. Part 1.

Hello fellow printers!

In touch 3DMindex.

I am a frequent user of the portal 3DToday.ru , and every time I see another article called “another technological plastic” I get a slight shiver. Between 2019Until 2020, so many materials have been released that it will be very difficult for even an experienced user to figure out why and for what this or that material is needed.

In my article tetralogy, I decided to make a detailed review of the materials presented by various manufacturers, excluding those that do not deserve special attention. I will make my own rating, according to which I will recommend this or that material from key manufacturers for purchase, and I will tell you about the experience of using them on various 3D printers. The following material manufacturers were chosen by me: Filamentarno, REC, PrintProduct, BestFilament and FD Plast Raise N2 , VolgoBot A4 PRO version, and others.

I searched for information bit by bit from different sites, and seasoned them with a little touch of subjective opinion, and also tried to combine everything in my (several) articles.

Let's start:

In this article I will talk about the most famous materials from which everyone begins to get acquainted with the 3D industry. I’ll tell you what to expect and what to fear when working with this or that material, indirectly go through the print parameters, talk about the technical characteristics, application, touch on the economic component when working with a certain material, list some features and sum up my “TOP manufacturers” for production materials and printers( in the high price category ) when working with these materials.

ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, ABS) impact resistant technical thermoplastic resin. In 3D printing is the most one of the most popular material.

Print options:

• Extrusion temperature - 210-245°C
• Table temperature - 90-120°C
• Intercoat Cohesion - Medium
• Table adhesion - medium

This is one of those materials that must be printed in a closed chamber. Fortunately, all modern manufacturers equip printers with a closed case (with the exception of Magnum 'a). In this regard, the printing becomes less toxic, and also (which is no less important) there is a better sintering of the layers (cohesion). For the better, I can note the company Volgobot , they developed an active thermostatic chamber in the PRO version on their printer. In other words, in addition to a heated table (up to 150°C), they have a heating element with a convection fan, thanks to which a single temperature is maintained throughout the entire print volume. According to the manufacturer, the temperature difference in the chamber varies by ± 2°C at 100°C. With this thermal chamber, new frontiers can be opened for use ABS plastic. For example, you can put a model with 100% infill on the entire print area, and their print area is about 297/210/200mm. How does Picaso behave when printing? So in terms of print quality ABS ’om ( as well as other materials), they are objectively the first in Russia in this parameter, but the issue of stable operation is acute for them. I know that they are very worried about this, and this is their key merit, but my friends and I who work with this printer have malfunctions, in general, the issue of malfunctions can be attributed to any technique, but once it happened like this that Picaso did not start working out of the box yet ( this happens sometimes in case of careless transportation, and applies to all manufacturers of 3D printers ), but fast ( like-nowhere ) and qualified ( especially ) technical support helped to solve this and not only problems, thanks to them for that. As for other manufacturers, some print “good”, and some “satisfactory”, the question is more about how much manufacturers sell their goods for, and which goods are worth their money and which are not.

Specifications:

• Melting point - 175-210°C
• Softening point - 100°C
• Operating temperature -40+80°C
• Hardness (Rockwell) - R105-R110
• Elongation at break - 6%
• Bending strength - 41 MPa
• Tensile strength - 22 MPa
• Tensile modulus - 1.6 GPa
• Flexural modulus - 2.1 GPa
• Density - 1.1 g/cm³
• Shrinkage in the manufacture of products - up to 0.8%
• Moisture absorption - 0.45%

Application:

This material is found everywhere in our lives. It is widely used in industry, large car parts (dashboards, radiator grilles), cases of large household appliances, sports equipment, plumbing products are made from it. In 3D printing, it was the first polymer used. Unfortunately, in this area it is not as easy to handle as we would like. Due to the specifics of the technology, it is difficult to make large objects from it due to shrinkage, detachment and delamination of the model occur. A closed print chamber partially solves this problem, in order to almost completely get rid of it, it is necessary to have a thermostatic chamber.

Pros:

• Good combination of strength and resilience makes it suitable for mechanical applications.
• A wide range of temperatures used allows the use of products from it for technical purposes.
• Ease of machining, combined with chemical smoothing of the surface with inexpensive solvents such as acetone, allows you to make decorative items or cases with a high surface quality.

Cons:

• Does not tolerate UV radiation well, turns yellow in sunlight, which limits the use of unpainted surfaces outdoors
• Does not like drafts when printing, which limits the use of cheap printers with an open case.
• Due to relatively high shrinkage, it is prone to delamination (separation), requires a heated bed, without it there are problems with the first layer sticking to the bed.
• An unpleasant odor may form during printing, it is better to print in a ventilated room, or equip the printer with a special exhaust ventilation system, with output outside the apartment.

Economic component:

Here is a table with manufacturers, with current prices for January 21. Since manufacturers sell coils in different weights, I decided to find the cost of the material per gram of the product by the ratio of price to weight. The result is presented in column “ ₽/M ”. The column “ Quality ” is absolutely subjective, because I gave points in it absolutely arbitrarily, based on the experience of working with material from one or another representative, but in general, the quality of the current mastodons of production is ± on the same level, and the problems that I have with printing can be associated with the storage conditions of materials. Column “ Recommendation ” - is the ratio of “ Quality ” to “ ₽/M ”, it is needed in order to reduce these values ​​to a common denominator, the higher the score in it, the more I recommend the material from this manufacturer.

What is the result?

1st place - FD Plast (Recommended for test printing)

2nd place - Filamentarno (I highly recommend)

3rd place - PrintProduct

4th place - Bestfilament

5th place - REC

To my surprise, FD Plast has the first place in this championship, and REC is outsiders. What are the reasons? Of course in price. About 5 years ago, REC was the top quality with corresponding prices, but over the past couple of years, other manufacturers have pulled up in this parameter, but the prices are kept lower than REC, hence the connection. Maybe after this article, REC will stop slightly jacking up prices for their material, and will be more accessible to ordinary buyers.

As for FD Plast, in my opinion, their material is suitable for test or home printing, but if you have a serious large-scale project and tight deadlines, then it is better to contact trusted manufacturers. It will turn out more expensive, but spend less time and nerves in case the seal fails.

It is also worth noting that there are many brands and composites based on ABS, and therefore the prices for the material can vary so much, unfortunately, the manufacturer does not offer a technological map for the material, which is why it is impossible to fully find the answer to Question: Why is it so expensive?

If you order 3D printing from various companies, then on average in the provinces the price for printing with this plastic is from 10 to 30 rubles per gram, if you order from top3Dshop, then the price for ABS is 45 rubles per gram.

In general, the use of this plastic is quite profitable if you are going to fulfill orders for 3D printing.

Top ABS 3D Printer:

1 Place - Picaso

2 Place - Hercules (slightly not up to Picaso in quality, I think the price tag for equipment is too high, I took it myself solely from the recommendations of comrades and a large (high) print area. )

3rd place - Volgobot (the quality is comparable to Hercules strong, but the price tag is lower, I put it in 3rd place due to the fact that the company is not as large as direct competitors, although it has its own development vector, and their thermal chamber works wonders with ABS, however this is not their only worthy development, they have a configurator with a large list of options in which you can assemble a printer for your tasks, however, you should contact the manufacturer for all the details. but the guys try and keep in touch with all their customers.)

All other printers have approximately the same level of printing with ABS, since for 5-8 years of the existence of companies, all ± have learned to work with this material.

Worth mentioning: Ultimaker / Raise Pro 2 I am not satisfied, and the price tag is also not small)

#2 PLA

PLA plastic (polylactide, PLA) is a biodegradable thermoplastic aliphatic polyester, the structural unit of which is lactic acid. PLA is made from corn, sugar cane, potato or corn starch, and cellulose. It is one of the most popular materials for 3D printing. Due to its natural raw materials in the composition of the polymer, it can be used for various purposes without a threat to humans.

Print options:

• Extrusion temperature - 190-230°C
• Table temperature - 20-60°C
• Interlayer cohesion - good
• Table adhesion - good
• It is essential to dry the filament spool before use for more stable printing.

Specifications:

• Melting point - 175-180°C
• Softening point - 50°C
• Product operating temperature -20+40°C
• Hardness (Rockwell) - R70-R90
• Elongation at break - 3.8%
• Flexural strength - 55.3 MPa
• Tensile strength - 57.8 MPa
• Tensile modulus - 3.3 GPa
• Flexural modulus - 2.3 GPa
• Density - 1. 23-1.25 g/cm³
• Manufacturing shrinkage - no
• Moisture absorption - 0.2-0.4%

Application:

PLA-plastic shows itself excellently in mock-up workshops and in creating master models that are not designed to bear long-term mechanical loads. With it, models with careful detail are obtained, and are also used when working with children.

Pros:

• Does not shrink during printing, which allows you to get an exact match of the dimensions of the printed product to the simulated one.
• Does not require a heated bed and is not afraid of drafts when printing, which means it can be used for printing on the cheapest Chinese printer with an open case.
• Non-toxic. During printing, it smells pleasant and slightly, which allows you to print it in an apartment without using a special hood.
• Hard, durable and slippery, wide range of applications.
• Produced from natural ingredients, can be used in food contact.
• Biodegradable, this plastic does not harm the environment when disposed of.

Cons:

• Exposure to air and ultraviolet light, like any natural material, becomes more brittle over time, and therefore not recommended for long-term use under high physical exertion or use without a protective coating outdoors.
• Low softening point (50°C) - in the inside of a car left in the sun on a hot day, easily softens and loses its shape.
• Narrow temperature range (-20 to +40°C).
• The high hardness of the plastic makes it difficult to machine.
• Due to the high content of residual monomers, plastics from some manufacturers are prone to plugging in all-metal hot ends.

Economic component:

PLA prices are slightly higher, and therefore our TOP has shifted slightly:

1st place - Filamentarno (Recommended)

2 Place - FD Plast (Worth a try for a test print)

3rd place - PrintProduct

4th place - REC

5th place - BestFilament

PLA is a material that absorbs a lot of moisture, due to which its performance drops dramatically, and an already fragile material becomes almost glassy. FD Plast once again takes its price, bypassing its competitors by 1.5, or even almost 2 times, but I suffered a lot with it, it draws moisture from the air, probably as much as silica gel from shoes.

If you order 3D printing from various companies, then on average in the provinces the price for printing with this plastic is from 10 to 20 rubles per gram, if you order from top3Dshop, then the price for PLA is 35 rubles per gram.

Based on the issue of profit, the use of this plastic brings less money per 1 gram of material, but due to its features, there are much fewer problems in printing with this plastic than with the same ABS.

Top PLA 3D printers:

1st place - Picaso (In the past they had problems with printing these materials, the extruder often clogged, now as far as I know this problem has been fixed)

2nd place - All remaining manufacturers. (As of January 21, all manufacturers have learned to produce approximately the same print quality for PLA, in principle, this is one of the easiest materials to work with, and I don’t see much point in crucifying, put more airflow and print on health)

Worthy of mention: Raise PRO 2 (this is perhaps one of the worst printers for PLA printing, I tried to print on it in one CMIT, and from the stuffy room the extruders clogged literally on every print, in general, it also depends on the material manufacturer, but one and the same coil on different printers showed itself in completely different ways, and therefore I highly do not recommend printing with PLA plastic on this printer)

#3 PET-G

PETG (polyethylene tereflatate glycol, PETG) is a highly impact-resistant plastic that does not crystallize due to glycol modification, making deep drawing thermoforming more possible. At the moment, plastic is actively gaining popularity, all because it combines the positive qualities of many other polymers.

For some manufacturers you will not find such material as PET in the catalog, this is due to the fact that marketers probably decided to rename this material, and therefore Filamentarno has Prototyper as an analogue of PET, and RELAX for REC.

Print options:

• Extrusion temperature - 215-245°C
• Table temperature - 20-80°C
• Interlayer cohesion - very high
• Table Adhesion - Medium

Specifications:

• Extrusion temperature - 215-245°C
• Table temperature - 20-80°C
• Interlayer cohesion - very high
• Table Adhesion - Medium
• Specifications
• Melting point - 222-225°C
• Softening point - 80°C
• Operating temperature -40+70°C
• Hardness (Rockwell) - R106
• Elongation at break - 50%
• Flexural strength - 76. 1 MPa
• Tensile strength - 36.5 MPa
• Tensile modulus - 2.6 GPa
• Flexural Modulus - 1.12 GPa
• Density - 1.3 g/cm³
• Manufacturing shrinkage - no
• Moisture absorption - 0.12%

Application:

PET is commonly used to make plastic bottles; due to its chemical neutrality, it is used in the food industry. By itself, PET-G is similar to PET material. In 3D printing, it has proven itself as a versatile material that can be used both in technical parts bearing low loads and in prototyping.

Pros:

• Odorless Printing - Allows you to print at home without the need for an optional exhaust fan.
• No shrinkage ensures high dimensional accuracy of prints.
• Very strong sintering between layers - can print thin-walled products with high strength.
• UV resistant - printed models can be used outdoors.
• Wide operating temperature range.
• Printing does not require a closed chamber.
• Good slip and impact resistance - can print gears, bushings and other machine parts.
• Non-toxic, products intended for contact with food can be printed.

Cons:

• High fluidity requires careful adjustment of the retracts.
• High printing temperature quickly disables the fluoroplastic insert in the hot end and makes you think about switching to all-metal thermal barriers.
• Lower strength and softening point than ABS.
• A fairly versatile material, good print behavior but not outstanding performance.

Economic component:

1st place - FD Plast

2nd place - Filamentarno

3rd place - BestFilament

4th place - PrintProduct

5th place - REC

Surprisingly, the PET-G rating is, in my opinion, the most honest one. Due to the fact that PET is more stable in terms of storage and printing material, there was a large increase in points in the “Quality” column. REC is again an outsider, once again I repeat that this is due to the high cost of the material, and it hurts me to see this company at the end of the top.

If you order 3D printing from various companies, then on average in the provinces the price for printing with this plastic is from 15 to 35 rubles per gram, if you order from top3Dshop, then the price for PET-G is about 40 rubles per gram (I did not find the exact price ).

Based on the issue of profit, the use of this plastic brings less money per 1 gram of material, but due to its features, there are much fewer problems in using this plastic than with the same ABS.

Top 3D printers for PET-G:

NOT top by PLA)

#4 HIPS

HIPS (High Strength Polystyrene) is a fairly soft plastic designed to be used with ABS to support dual extruder 3D printing. This was facilitated by its following properties: the same extrusion temperature as ABS, low sintering with ABS, the presence of a solvent (D-Limonene), which dissolves HIPS and does not dissolve ABS. Some manufacturers do not have this material in their catalog, in fact, I do not see its widespread use at the present time, and therefore it is not a pity.

Print options:

• Extrusion temperature - 210-245°C
• Table temperature - 90-120°C
• Intercoat Cohesion - Medium
• Table Adhesion - Medium

Do not start work without drying the coil!

Specifications:

• Extrusion temperature - 210-245°C
• Table temperature - 90-120°C
• Intercoat Cohesion - Medium
• Table Adhesion - Medium
• Do not start work without drying the coil!
• Specifications:
• Melting point - 175-210°C
• Softening point - 97°C
• Operating temperature -40+70°C
• Hardness (Rockwell) - L79
• Elongation at break - 64%
• Bending strength - 37.6 MPa
• Tensile strength - 16. 4 MPa
• Tensile modulus - 0.93 GPa
• Flexural Modulus - 1.35 GPa
• Density - 1.05 g/cm³
• Manufacturing shrinkage - 0.4%
• Moisture absorption - 1%

Pros:

• Less shrinkage than ABS, making it suitable for precision printing.
• Lighter density than PLA, allowing for prints where lightness is required.
• Softness of the surface that guarantees ease of machining.
• A matte finish that gives a smooth effect to garments.
• Almost same softening point as ABS, making it suitable for outdoor use.

Cons:

• Like ABS, requires a heated platform and is prone to delamination, albeit to a lesser extent.
• Lower bending strength than ABS and, as a result, more brittle products.
• Poor UV resistance, which limits the use of products in sunlight.
• All this makes it possible to use this plastic for the production of furniture decor and interior decorations.

Application: once this material appeared it was used to print supports on 2 extruder printers, the supports themselves were dissolved in limonene. To date, this is no longer so relevant, due to the appearance of such material as PVA, the material itself is completely unnecessary today. The material itself is quite stable, although it requires careful drying.

Economic component:

1st place - FD Plast

2nd place - Bestfilament

3rd place - REC

As far as buying recommendations, it can be safely replaced with PVA, in general I consider HIPS already out of fashion, so I doubt that anyone spends it in large quantities.

Top HIPS 3D printers:

1 Place - Hercules / Volgobot

2nd place - Picaso (Picaso dropped to second place due to the fact that slippage occurs when printing with HIPS, it is quite possible that they got rid of this problem on new printers, but in 2019 it was like that)

No. 5 SBS

SBS (styrene butadiene styrene) is another relatively new player in the 3D printing plastics market. It is characterized by low toxicity and shrinkage, as well as high strength. Its main advantage is its transparency. Products printed with this plastic and treated with a solvent acquire the transparency of colored glass.

This material has different names for different manufacturers, for example, for BestFilament it is called WATSON, and for some manufacturers it is not presented at all.

Print options:

• Extrusion temperature - 220-240°C
• Table temperature - 70-90°C
• Interlayer cohesion - low
• Table Adhesion - Medium

Specifications:

• Melting point - 190-210°C
• Softening point - 76°C
• Operating temperature -80+65°C
• Hardness (Rockwell) - R118
• Elongation at break - 250%
• Bending strength - 36 MPa
• Tensile strength - 34 MPa
• Tensile modulus - 1. 35 GPa
• Flexural Modulus - 1.45 GPa
• Density - 1.01 g/cm³
• Shrinkage in the manufacture of products - 0.2
• Moisture absorption - 0.07%

Pros:

• Relatively low shrinkage, allowing printing in open case printers.
• High adhesion to the table.
• Potential for food contact.
• Impact resistant.
• Beautiful colors for creating unique decor items.
• Transparency after processing, can be used in luminaires.
• Wide operating temperature range, frost resistance.
• Easy post-processing by both chemical and mechanical methods.

Cons:

• Poor intercoat cohesion, requires large orifice nozzles or 100% coverage.
• Relatively high print temperature, similar to PETG.
• Applications: Most often used in decorative elements and creating custom lamps.

Economic component:

1 Place - FD Plast

2nd place - Filamentarno

3rd place - BestFilament

Top 3D printers for SBS:

1 seat - Picaso

2nd place - VolgoBot

3rd place - Hercules

Conclusion:

As for the article: it turned out to be shorter than I planned, this category of materials did not include materials such as Flex (various modifications), Nylon and other

4

4 PC At the time of the final editing of the article, I realized that not all printers are capable of printing with these materials, Flex’a needs special extruders capable of printing rubber-like materials, for a PC, the presence of a closed case does not mean success in work, and the material loves temperature very much. Therefore, if the article receives some response, I will talk about “engineering plastics”, composites created on their basis, and also talk about materials that are at the forefront of progress, so my dear reader, adequate criticism is welcome.

As for material manufacturers, a few words about each:

FD Plast : wins in public domain although I don't agree with it because I think their policy of dumping the market is wrong, but the company has many followers who prefer goods from the “cheap and cheerful” category.

Filamentarno: for me personally is the best manufacturer with an adequate price, not a small list of products, and with a constant quality that has never let me down.

Print Product: before switching to Filamentary, he mainly used the products of this company, in the past the company had a colossal list of products, but in the last year they decided to change the vector of development, and relied on materials whose quality can be sufficiently ensured .

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