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Additive manufacturing materials – a comprehensive guide to plastics
The first 3D printing systems that were commercialized in the 1980’s used plastic polymer materials and plastic remains one of the most common and versatile types of materials used in 3D printing. Plastics can be used with most 3D printing and additive manufacturing processes – Sheet Lamination, Material Extrusion (for example, FDM or FFF), Material Jetting, Binder Jetting, Vat Photopolymerization, and Powder Bed Fusion.
However, the format and final application of the plastic may be different depending on the technology or process. For example, Material extrusion 3D printing technologies use plastic filaments to create prototypes, while manufacturers are also turning to Powder Bed Fusion technologies that use plastic powder materials such as HP Multi Jet Fusion, which delivers enhanced manufacturing predictability, accuracy, strength, and part quality.
In filament or powder form, the plastic melts, or fuses to form the object that is being 3D printed layer by layer, and then solidifies. Each plastic will require different 3D printing parameters during the build process and will deliver parts with varying mechanical properties.
In this article, we will answer the question, “what plastic is used in 3D printing?” and walk you through some of the most common 3D printing plastic materials, but let’s take a quick look at the plastics available in HP’s 3D printing materials portfolio.
Thermoplastics for HP 3D Printing
HP is growing its portfolio of thermoplastic materials. Engineered for HP Multi Jet Fusion technology, these 3D printing materials test the limits of functional part creation, optimizing cost and part quality, while also delivering high2 and, in many cases, industry-leading reusability3 at a low cost per part.4 Aside from PA 11, PA 12, PA 12 GB - the latest addition to the HP 3D Printing materials portfolio, HP 3D High Reusability Polypropylene (PP) enabled by BASF,5 is HPs best value 3D printing material that delivers consistent performance with up to 100% surplus powder reuse.6 HP also offers elastomers such as HP 3D High Reusability TPA enabled by Evonik7 that produces flexible and lightweight8 parts with enhanced rebound resilience and high part uniformity.
Air duct printed with HP 3D High Reusability PP enabled by BASF
Data courtesy9
Other plastics used in Additive manufacturing include:
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) in 3D Printing
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) is a thermoplastic commonly used in (its easier-to-use) filament form. It can also be found in powder form for powder bed processes such as SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) and is one of the more accessible and cost-effective materials for 3D printing. Its popularity mainly stems from the fact that it was already widely used in traditional manufacturing, just as additive manufacturing innovation and development started.
ABS is a reusable material, available in a wide range of colors, that can produce durable, tough parts that can withstand high temperatures and that can be welded with chemical processes. However, it is not biodegradable, and as it can give off strong fumes during the 3D printing process, requires a closed 3D build chamber during the 3D printing process. ABS parts may be subject to warping if the 3D printer bed or print platform is not heated during the 3D printing process. It typically lends itself better to smaller parts used in cars and electrical appliances.
Polylactic Acid (PLA) in 3D Printing
PLA has a number of benefits, but its main USP is that it is biodegradable, unlike ABS. That’s because PLA is manufactured using renewable raw materials such as corn starch. It is commonly used in desktop 3D printing as it is easy to use as a 3D printing material, though it does have a tendency to shrink slightly. It doesn’t require a heated platform unlike ABS, and prints at a lower temperature than ABS, between 190ºC to 230ºC.
It’s commonly used to make food packaging and biodegradable medical devices and implants. PLA is great for 3D printing because it’s easy to work with, made using renewable raw materials, available in a variety of colors, and can be used as either a resin or filament.
That being said, PLA is more difficult to manipulate because it has a high cooling and solidification speed. It’s also less suitable applications exposed to sunlight and can be prone to deterioration when it comes in contact with water.
Acrylic Styrene Acrylonitrile (ASA) in 3D Printing
ASA is a material that has similar properties to ABS, but has a greater resistance to UV rays, as well as good temperature and impact resistance. As with ABS, it’s advised to print the material with a heated bed platform to prevent warping. When printing with ASA, similar print settings are used to ABS, but it’s important to take an extra level of care to always print with a closed chamber because of potentially harmful styrene emissions.
Polyamides/Nylon in 3D Printing
Polyamides, or nylon materials are available in fine, white powder format (used for Powder Bed Fusion technologies), and also in filaments that are used in fused deposition modeling (FDM).
Consisting of semi crystalline structures, polyamides have a good balance of chemical and mechanical characteristics — characteristics that provide durability, toughness, and impact resistance as well as flexibility. These properties mean that polyamide materials have many applications across a variety of sectors — including industrial, robotics, aerospace, automotive, and medical. HP Multi Jet Fusion technology uses a variety of polyamides — that offer the additional advantage of industry-leading reusability2.
End of arm printed with HP 3D High Reusability PA 12
Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET/PETG) in 3D Printing
Like Nylon, PET, or Polyethylene terephthalate is another frequently used plastic. It is used in thermoforming processes and can also be combined with other materials – such as glass fiber — to create engineering resins.
PETG, a modified version of PET where the G stands for “glycol-modified” is used in 3D Printing. PETG filament is used in FDM or FFF technologies, and is typically less brittle, clearer, and easier to use than PET.
It is commonly used to manufacture water bottles thanks to its smooth surface finish, and water resistance. To obtain the best results, it’s imperative to 3D print between 75 – 90ºC with PET. Commonly marketed as a translucent filament – with variants such as PETE, and PETT – another plus is that it hardly releases any odors during the 3D printing process.
Polycarbonate (PC) in 3D printing
Polycarbonate (PC) is a high strength material designed with engineering in mind. The material has good temperature resistance, able to resist any physical deformation up to around 150ºC. But it’s worth remembering that PC is prone to absorbing moisture from its environment, which can significantly affect its performance and resistance when printing. That’s why PC has to be stored in airtight containers.
It’s a material that's highly valued for its strength and transparency, and as it has a much lower density than glass, it's particularly good for designing optical parts, protective screens, or decorative objects.
High-performance polymers for 3D printing
High performance polymer filaments with mechanical characteristics similar to those of metals in some cases, are part of 3D printing’s evolution.
Extensive research work on 3D printing materials has enabled the development of a whole range of high-performance polymers such as PEEK, PEKK or ULTEM, which are classified into families, like polyaryletherketones (PAEK) or polyetherimides (PEI).
When it comes to mechanical and thermal resistance, high performance polymers are up there with the very best. They are very strong but with the added benefit of being much lighter than metals. For this reason, it’s no surprise that HPP’s are very popular with the aerospace, automotive, and medical sectors.
Today, about 65% of such materials are printed with FDM technology, but they also come in powder form, which is compatible with SLS technology. Due to their particular set of characteristics, high performance polymers can’t be printed on all 3D printers – only ones that have a heating plate capable of reaching at least 230°C, an extrusion of 350°C and a closed chamber.
High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) in 3D Printing
High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) is a type of plastic filament used to support structures in FDM printers – not too dissimilar to ABS. The only difference is its ability to dissolve, with HIPS being completely soluble to a liquid hydrocarbon called limonene.
It has good machinability and can be used to make complex structures. It’s also very smooth and lightweight, is water resistant and impact resistant and doesn't cost the earth.
In contrast though it does produce strong fumes, so can only be used in areas with good ventilation. It also needs a constant flow of heat too, otherwise it would clog up nozzles and delivery tubes during printing.
Polypropylene (PP) in 3D Printing
Polypropylene (PP) is another thermoplastic widely used in the automotive sector, professional textiles sector, and in the manufacturing of hundreds of everyday objects. PP is well known to be resistant to abrasion and has good shock absorption, as well as relatively impressive rigidity and flexibility.
The downsides? PP has low temperature resistance and is sensitive to UV rays and when this happens it will expand. To try and get around this problem, several manufacturers have developed alternative types of PP, simili-propilenos, that are stronger both physically and mechanically.
HP recently launched a genuine 3D printing polypropylene material - HP 3D High Reusability PP - for Multi Jet Fusion technology that offers the same properties as many PP materials used with traditional manufacturing methods.
Composites/Fiber Reinforced Materials (FRM) in 3D Printing
Composites are extremely beneficial when it comes to the task of making super lightweight but very strong parts. The fibers add strength without adding to the weight, which is why Composites are also sometimes referred to as Fiber Reinforced Materials (FRM).
There are two types – short fiber or continuous fiber. In short fiber composites, chopped fibers of less than 1mm in length are mixed into traditional 3D printing plastics to increase stiffness and some of the strength of the components. These short fibers can then be mixed with thermoplastics such as nylon, ABS, or PLA to create the finished material.
Another way is to add the fibers to the thermoplastics continuously to arrive at a stronger part. The main fiber used in the 3D printing sector is carbon fiber, but other fibers like glass fiber or Kevlar can be used too.
Which soluble materials are used in 3D Printing?
Soluble materials are materials printed with the intention of being dissolved at a future stage of the manufacturing process. The two most common soluble filament materials are HIPS and PVA . HIPS is associated with ABS, and can be dissolved with limonene, while PVA is associated with PLA and can be dissolved just with water.
There are also butene-diol vinyl alcohol copolymer (BVOH) filaments, which are becoming increasingly popular, especially in dual extruder printers. This is because the material is soluble in water and has a higher solubility than PVA.
Can you use Polyvinyl Alcohol Plastic (PVA) in 3D Printing?
A water-soluble plastic, PVA is most commonly used as a glue, thickener, or packaging film. But when it comes to 3D printing, PVA isn’t usually used to make the final product, but rather to create a support structure for specific parts of a product that may otherwise warp or collapse.
In printers with two or more extruders, you can use the extruders to create a support structure of PVA while the others work to create the actual product out of the other materials. When printing is complete, the finished product can be soaked in water to dissolve the PVA-based support structure.
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Footnotes and disclaimers
- Data courtesy of Vestas
- Based on using recommended packing densities, offers high reusability of surplus powder. Liters refers to the materials container size and not the actual materials volume. Materials are measured in kilograms.
- Industry-leading surplus powder reusability based on using HP 3D High Reusability PA 11, PA 12, and CB PA 12 at recommended packing densities and compared to selective laser sintering (SLS) technology, offers excellent reusability without sacrificing mechanical performance. Tested according to ASTM D638, ASTM D256, ASTM D790, and ASTM D648 and using a 3D scanner. Testing monitored using statistical process controls.
- Based on internal testing and public data for solutions on market as of April, 2016. Cost analysis based on: standard solution configuration price, supplies price, and maintenance costs recommended by manufacturer. Cost criteria: printing 1.4 full build chambers of parts per day/5 days per week over 1 year of 30 cm3 parts at 10% packing density on Fast print mode using HP 3D High Reusability PA 12 material, and the powder reusability ratio recommended by manufacturer, and printing under certain build conditions and part geometries.
- Available for HP Jet Fusion 5200 Series 3D Printing Solutions.
- Based on internal HP testing, May 2020. HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing Solutions using HP 3D High Reusability PP enabled by BASF provide up to 100% powder reusability ratio, producing functional parts batch after batch. For testing, material is aged in real printing conditions and reclaimed powder is tracked by generations (worst case for reusability). Parts are then made from each subsequent generation and tested for mechanical properties and accuracy showing no degradation of properties up to three generations of use.
- Available for HP Jet Fusion 4200 Series 3D Printing Solutions.
- Based on published specifications as of September, 2020. HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing Solutions using HP 3D High Reusability TPA enabled by Evonik provide up to 17% lower printed part weight when compared to common powder-based thermoplastic elastomers printed under similar conditions.
- Data courtesy of Oechsler AG