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3D Printing Materials

Gear made of Ultem™ 1010, Ultem™ 9085 and PA 12 | FFF process | Application: Research and development

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  • The selection of the right material is essential

    All available additive manufacturing processes can be combined with a wide range of materials. We are particularly specialized in producing serviceable components that can be subjected to mechanical and thermal loads and offer additional functional properties for special applications.

    Materials development in additive manufacturing is rapid, and new materials are continuously being added whose processing possibilities and process parameters are being researched in-house at our company.

    The selection of the right material is crucial and can be done optimally if we know the application criteria. Important parameters are e.g.:

    • mechanical load
    • thermal load
    • possible media contact
    • optical requirements
    • accuracy requirements
    • material-specific properties (conformities, conductivity, fire behavior, UV resistance)

    Our 3D printing materials

    All data given are average values and are based on the results of comprehensive tests carried out by our suppliers. They were carried out on standard test specimens and may therefore vary significantly from values determined by tests on finished parts. The customer must ensure by his own tests that the product is suitable for the intended use. Our recommendations are made to the best of our knowledge. However, they are non-binding and exclude any liability for damage of any kind.

    Performance categories

    We have divided the materials into 4 categories, classified the most important material groups depending on the performance and presented them in our competence pyramid.

    Material groups in 4 categories represented by competence pyramid

    Category Standard

    To this category we assign materials that are cost-effective and easy to process. They are suitable for prototypes, apparatuses, fixtures and illustrative samples.

    The materials in this category have limited mechanical and thermal load capacity, but are still a good choice for most applications.

    Category Technical

    This category includes materials that can withstand higher mechanical and thermal loads and are also antistatic and flame-retardant. The costs are somewhat higher, but high-quality, additively manufactured technical components can be realized with them.

    Some materials can be processed together in this category, making 2K-components possible. We also include elastic materials for seals in this category.

    Category High Performance

    We include special materials with glass or carbon fiber reinforcement and high-temperature properties in this category. Processing is more complex, costs are higher and additional post processes are sometimes necessary.

    These materials are suitable for technically demanding applications with high mechanical and thermal loads. When designing components from this high-performance category, it is particularly important to know the boundary conditions so that we can optimally adapt the design and processing parameters.

    Category Ultra Performance

    Additive manufacturing reaches its limits when processing these materials, but thanks to our many years of experience and a large machine park, we also have these materials under control.

    The optimal design of the components to be manufactured is crucial here, and collaboration is absolutely recommended right from the start of development.

    Material group 04 – 3D printing / additive manufacturing

    We compare the various generative manufacturing processes such as stereolithography, laser sintering, poly-jet modeling, fused layer modeling and digital light processing with the appropriate materials. In the additive manufacturing of plastic parts, the materials polyamides (PA), polystyrenes (PS), thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) and polyaryletherketone (PAEK) are used depending on the desired material requirements.