3D printing companies commonly use a wide variety of materials to cater to different applications and industries. The selection of materials depends on factors such as the type of 3D printing technology used, the desired properties of the final object, and the specific requirements of the application. Some of the commonly used 3D printing materials include:
Thermoplastics:
Thermoplastics are widely used in Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing. Common thermoplastics include PLA (Polylactic Acid), ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), PETG (Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol), and TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane). They are popular for their ease of use, affordability, and a wide range of available colors.
Photopolymers:
Photopolymers are used in Stereolithography (SLA) and Digital Light Processing (DLP) 3D printing. They are liquid resins that solidify when exposed to UV light. Photopolymers come in various formulations, including standard, tough, flexible, and high-temperature resins.
Powder-Based Materials:
Powder-based materials are used in Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) 3D printing. Common powder materials include nylon (polyamide), polypropylene, and metals such as aluminum, titanium, and stainless steel.
Metal Alloys:
Metal 3D printing is used for producing end-use parts and functional prototypes in various industries, including aerospace and automotive. Common metal alloys used in metal 3D printing include stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, Inconel, and cobalt-chrome.
Ceramics:
Ceramic materials, such as porcelain and zirconia, are used in 3D printing for applications requiring high heat resistance, electrical insulation, and biocompatibility.
Composites:
Composite materials combine two or more materials to create components with specific properties. For example, carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastics are used for lightweight, high-strength parts in aerospace and automotive industries.
Biocompatible Materials:
3D printing materials are also available for biomedical applications, such as medical-grade resins and biocompatible metals suitable for surgical guides, implants, and prosthetics.
Rubbers and Elastomers:
Flexible and rubber-like materials, such as TPU and silicone-like resins, are used for applications requiring elasticity and impact resistance.
Wood-Filled Filaments:
3D printing materials can incorporate wood fibers, allowing for the production of objects that have a wooden appearance and texture.
Graphene-Enhanced Materials:
Graphene, a lightweight and highly conductive material, can be incorporated into 3D printing materials to enhance their mechanical and electrical properties.
It is important to note that the availability of 3D printing materials may vary depending on the 3D printing technology used and the specific 3D printing company or manufacturer. Additionally, the field of 3D printing is continuously evolving, and new materials are constantly being developed and introduced to cater to emerging applications and industry demands.
Many people may not know much about 3D printers, but they probably know that they can print all kinds of items. In fact, the technology of 3D printing and the printing materials used are very knowledgeable. According to different printing technologies, it can be divided into 3DP, DLP, LOM, SLS, SLA, FDM and other technologies. The printing materials of each printing technology are different. For example, the common printing materials of SLS are metal powder, while sla usually uses photosensitive resin, and FDM adopts a wide range of materials, such as ABS plastic, PLA plastic and so on.
According to incomplete statistics, at present, there are more than 200 kinds of 3D printing materials, but in practical application, more than 200 kinds of printing materials are still very limited, because there are many products in reality, and the production materials and combinations are also extremely complex. However, we can divide them into biological products, petrochemical products, metals, lime coagulation and other categories for classification and introduction. The following small series will introduce these types of materials and their application scope…
1、 Metal materials (stainless steel, gold, silver, titanium, etc.) 1 Stainless steel is hard and has strong firmness. The stainless steel powder adopts SLS technology for 3D sintering, and the colors of silver, bronze and white can be selected. Stainless steel can make models, modern works of art and many functional and decorative items.
- Metal materials such as gold, silver and titanium are SLS
Powder sintering, gold and silver can print jewelry, while titanium is often used in high-end 3D printers to print components on aircraft.
2、 ABS plastics
ABS is the most common printing material of FDM printing technology, with many color options. It can print and make all kinds of creative household accessories, or interesting toys such as LEGO. It is one of the most favorite printing consumables for consumer 3D printer users. Under normal circumstances, ABS materials are coiled in filaments, which are heated and melted by 3D printer nozzle. The heating temperature is generally 1 ℃ to 2 ℃ higher than the melting point of ABS materials, which solidifies rapidly after being ejected from the nozzle. However, due to the different melting points of ABS materials and the printer nozzle can not adjust the temperature, it is best to buy Printing Materials in the original factory to avoid various problems during printing.
3、 PLA plastic fuse PLA plastic fuse is a very common printing material, especially for consumer 3D printers. PLA can be degraded and is an environmentally friendly material. PLA generally does not need a heating bed, which is unlike ABS, so PLA is easy to use and more suitable for low-end 3D printers. PLA has multiple colors to choose from, and there are translucent red, blue, green and fully transparent materials. For the same reason as ABS, the versatility of PLA needs to be improved.
4、 Ceramic powder ceramic powder materials are sintered by SLS technology. Glazed ceramic products can be used to hold food. Many people use ceramics to print personalized cups. Of course, 3D printing can not complete the high-temperature firing of ceramics. It is necessary to carry out high-temperature firing after printing.
5、 The resin material is a transparent liver model resin with photopolymerization resin as raw material. The 3D printed transparent liver model resin is an important raw material of SLA light curing molding technology. The resin has a wide variety of changes, transparent and semi-solid. It can be used to make intermediate design process models, and the molding accuracy is higher than that of FDM technology. It can be used to make biological models or medical models.
6、 Graphene material graphene is a new favorite in the material industry. It is the lightest and hardest new nano material in the world. Scientists combine it with 3D printing technology to fill in new things for 3D printing materials. Scientists believe that 3D printing graphene material is a magical material and will change the world forever.
Of course, there are far more kinds of 3D printing materials. Other printing materials include cement, rock, paper, and even salt. At present, there have been a small amount of research and application. For example: use concrete to print houses, wood or paper to print furniture, etc. With the continuous development of 3D printing materials and the continuous improvement of 3D printing technology, more possibilities will be created for our lives in the future
