Hello, I had a CAP (like a beer bottle cap) printed in steel, the original CAP was 55 mm in diameter, the 3D printed CAP in steel was 54.9 mm in diameter., so shinkage was ~0.6 mm for this part, or ~1%. How reproducible is that shinkage if I order another CAP of similar dimensions?
The CAP needs to fit tight on a round tube. When I looked at steel is says shinkage is 2-3%, but for this part is was ~1%, is steel shinkage a part specific issue?
Metal cap, reproducability of shinkage?
Hello,
Talking about shrinkage in steel it is always recommended to foresee the 2-3% one, however a milder one may take place as well, what happened with your design.
Since our steel is not recommended for functional parts due to the nature of technology used and output peculiarities, it is not possible to have a constant reproducible shrinkage value.
We’d advise to use our high detail stainless steel in this case that shows better dimensional accuracy and feature output.
Ivan, Thank you for the detailed response. My part is 56 mm in diameter so it is too big for high detail stainless steel.
If I order the same part again in plain steel can I expect the same shrinkage of ~1%?
Hi there,
In prototyping, especially talking about bronze infused steel 3D production it is not possible to have a guaranteed precise consistency. Thus, smaller items may have less shrinkage effect, while bigger ones the opposite, and the value may differ slightly.
If the purpose of proper fit and accuracy is essential, your printed part may require secondary post-processing.