The application of FDM technology is very common, so which material should be selected for this technology? The answer must be thermoplastics! It can not only meet the urgent requirements for high stability and long-term performance of materials, but also be suitable for professional applications in many industries such as aerospace, medical, automotive, electronics and so on.

There are many types of thermoplastics, how should we choose in the process of use? The key is to understand the unique characteristics of each FDM material, you need to consider the following factors:

• Material characteristics

• Suitable FDM models

•Support material type

•colour

To choose the right material, it is necessary to find the best combination of these material characteristics and determine their priority. When checking the material options, you may find that the selection process is actually very simple due to some key performance criteria (such as chemical inertness) or personal preferences (such as non-touch post-processing).

Different FDM materials have their unique properties, including transparency, biocompatibility, FST certification, chemical resistance, heat resistance and strength. These properties make the task of material selection quite simple. Please see the following table for the characteristics of various materials:

Stratasys FDM series bill of materials

ABS material-the basis of FDM process

ABS is the most widely used in FDM machines and is suitable for the manufacture of models, prototypes, sample preparation, tools and end-use parts. Compared with FDM materials a few years ago, thermoplastics used in FDM machines today are 40% to 70% stronger, providing higher tensile, impact and flexural strength.

ABS-M30—Dedicated to Fortus series 3D printers

ABS-M30™ plastic formula is a commonly used plastic formula in FDM process, dedicated to Fortus™ series 3D printers. This material formula is also called ABSplus™ and is suitable for Dimension® series 3D printers. The characteristics of the material are also different when the processing and treatment methods are different.

Differences: The parts produced with ABS-M30 are stronger and tougher than ABSplus.

Common points: can produce stable, sturdy and durable parts; all have a series of colors, including white, black, red, blue, green, fluorescent yellow, etc.; all are easy to polish; all are removed by non-contact support materials, That is, soluble support materials are used, no manual labor is required; the surface is smooth.

ABS-ESD7——Stratasys' static dissipative materials

This material prevents the accumulation of static electricity, so it is suitable for applications where static charges may damage the product, impair performance, or cause an explosion. Such as electronic component brackets and containers, electronic assembly component fixing devices, production line and conveyor parts, electronic product housings, electronic packaging materials, etc.

ABS-ESD7 can also eliminate the attraction and accumulation of particles (such as dust or powder); it can also avoid the absorption of atomized liquid, so it helps to make a drug inhaler to ensure that the patient delivers a complete drug dose. And all its mechanical properties are within 5% of the ABS-M30 rating.

ABS-M30i——Biocompatible

This material complies with standards such as ISO 10993 and USP Class VI for medical, pharmaceutical and food processing equipment, and can be used for products that come in contact with skin, food and drugs. It not only has sufficient strength, but also has a sterilization function, and can use gamma radiation or ethylene oxide (Eta) sterilization methods to sterilize the ABS-M30i.

ABSi——Translucent material

ABSi™ not only has excellent mechanical properties, it is also very suitable for lighting applications. This material is widely used for functional evaluation of lenses in automotive lighting and other products. The colors available are red, amber and natural. It is also particularly suitable for monitoring material flow in applications for processing or transporting powdered or bulk solid materials.

ASA——General purpose thermoplastics

Compared with ABS, ASA has better mechanical properties and has an important difference: UV stability. ASA can construct UV-resistant parts that will not degrade due to long-term exposure to sunlight.

ASA is easy-to-use and reliable, making it an ideal choice for automotive parts, sporting goods, outdoor functional prototyping, and end-use parts for outdoor infrastructure and commercial uses such as electrical enclosures. ASA has excellent mechanical properties and aesthetics, which is very suitable for general prototyping. It also offers 10 colors for users to choose, more than any other FDM material.

PC——The most widely used industrial thermoplastic

PC can be used in all Fortus 3D production systems, and they are accurate, stable and extremely durable when the parts leave these machines.

PC has excellent mechanical properties and heat resistance. It has the second highest tensile strength of all FDM materials and a high heat distortion temperature of 280°F (138°C).

PC-ABS——Mixture of PC and ABS

It can provide the best performance of PC and ABS materials at the same time. It has the excellent mechanical properties and heat resistance of PC, and high impact strength. At the same time, it also has the excellent bending strength, characteristic details and beautiful appearance of ABS. Like all ABS versions suitable for FDM, PC-ABS also offers non-contact polishing options, as well as soluble support materials.

PC-ISO™——Biocompatible materials

Similar to ABS-M30i, PC-ISO is suitable as another alternative to FDM in the medical, pharmaceutical and food packaging industries. Gamma radiation or ethylene oxide (Eta) disinfection methods can also be used for disinfection.

The unique characteristic of PC-ISO is that it has higher tensile and bending strength, and higher heat distortion temperature. In these categories, its value is 33% to 59% higher than the corresponding value of ABSM30i.

PLA——Renewable plastic

PLA is a biodegradable, renewable plastic material and a low-cost option for the iteration of translucent or opaque "quick draft" parts. It has the characteristics of good tensile strength, high rigidity, low melting point and low HDT.

PLA is particularly suitable for rapid concept verification and design verification. Ideal applications include early conceptual modeling, rapid prototyping and metal part casting.

ULTEM™ 9085 resin-suitable for aviation

ULTEM 9085 resin is an FST certified material that can meet flame, smoke and toxicity standards. The FST characteristics of this material will not change when processed in the Fortus system. It can provide complete production traceability and meet strict aerospace certification requirements.

ULTEM 9085 resin has excellent strength, durability, heat resistance and chemical resistance, and is tough and can withstand shocks. Sales of materials used in FDM have grown the fastest.

ULTEM 9085 aviation grade printing filament

ULTEM 9085 also provides two aerospace grades for users to choose from to meet the material procurement requirements of many aerospace product manufacturers for production parts.

• General aerospace specifications: meet the general specifications required by most aerospace product manufacturers.

• Custom aerospace specifications: customized products used to meet the requirements of specifications jointly developed with a single customer.

ULTEM 1010 resin

ULTEM 1010 resin is another product of SABIC Innovative Plastics. It has high performance and low thermal expansion coefficient. It is suitable for industrial processing applications and the manufacture of parts that require a unique combination of strength and thermal stability. It can withstand high-pressure steam sterilization, has passed food contact (NSF 51) and biocompatibility (ISO 10993) certification, and is suitable for food production tools and custom medical equipment.

Among all FDM thermoplastics, it has the highest heat resistance, chemical resistance and tensile strength. It is very suitable for applications ranging from aerospace applications to deep automotive applications to composite material processing.

PPSF/PPSU polyphenylsulfone-not affected by heat and chemical attack

PPSF has excellent heat resistance (heat distortion temperature of 372°F/189°C) and chemical resistance, high mechanical properties, and resistance to grease, gasoline, chemicals and acids. Can be sterilized, such as high-pressure steam sterilization and plasma, chemical and radiation sterilization.

FDM Nylon 12  

FDM Nylon 12 has the advantages of strong toughness and clean and dust-free process. It also supports new applications that require repeated buckle matching tests, high fatigue resistance, strong chemical resistance, and pressing (friction) matching inserts, which are mainly used in the aerospace, automotive and consumer goods industries.

Compared to any other additive manufacturing technology, FDM Nylon 12 parts have 100 to 300% higher elongation at break and excellent fatigue resistance.

FDM NYLON 12CF

FDM Nylon 12™ is a carbon-filled thermoplastic with excellent structural properties. The material is composed of a blend of Nylon 12 resin and short carbon fiber, of which short carbon fiber accounts for 35% by weight. This combination can be one of the strongest thermoplastics in the FDM® material combination. It has the highest bending strength of any FDM thermoplastic, thereby achieving the highest stiffness-to-weight ratio.

FDM Nylon 6

This material has high strength and toughness. It is used in applications that require the use of sturdy custom parts and longer-lasting processing. It can withstand rigorous functional tests. Used in conjunction with Fortus 900mc™, it can produce durable parts with a smooth surface and high fracture resistance. Suitable for automotive, aerospace, consumer goods and industrial manufacturing industries.

ST-130——For composite material processing

ST-130 can make complex hollow structures in a seamless piece with sacrificial tools. It can also better control the internal precision and surface finish of the hollow composite parts, without the need for mold making, internal wrinkles for blister processing, additional bonding and polishing steps.

ST-130 model material and ST-130_S support material are very easy to dissolve, and can produce lightweight, high-strength, seamless composite parts with complex geometric shapes

summary

All FDM materials have many common characteristics. Each material is similar in terms of loading and construction parts, office compatibility, etc., and is safe enough to handle without the need for protective devices. In addition, the parts made of each material are dimensionally stable, strong and durable enough to meet a variety of demanding applications. Very suitable for modeling and small batch manufacturing in the office.