HP Multi Jet Fusion NEW
Besides Laser Sintering, Polyamide can also be produced through HP’s newest 3D printing technology: HP Multi Jet Fusion, a powder-based technology but does not use lasers. The powder bed is heated uniformly at the outset. A fusing agent is jetted where particles need to be selectively molten, and a detailing agent is jetted around the contours to improve part resolution. While lamps pass over the surface of the powder bed, the jetted material captures the heat and helps distribute it evenly.
Polyamide
- PA 12
- Large freedom of design
- Suitable for interlocking parts, moving parts, living hinges
- Used for complex models, functional models, end products, etc.
- Slightly porous but with higher density and lower porosity than laser sintered parts
Laser Sintering
Polyamide, Alumide and Rubber-like use one of the most versatile and frequently 3D printing technologies: Laser Sintering, a laser-based technology that uses solid powder materials. A computer-controlled laser beam selectively binds together particles in the powder bed, by raising the powder temperature above the glass transition point after which adjacent particles flow together. As the powder is self-supporting, no support structures are necessary.
Polyamide SLS
- PA 12
- Large freedom of design
- Slightly porous
- Suitable for interlocking parts, moving parts, living hinges
- Used for complex models, functional models, end products, etc.
- Wide range of post-processing possibilities
Rubber-like
- TPU Shore 90A
- Strong, high-flexible and durable material
- Fine granular looking surface
- Abrasive resistant
- Mainly used for fashion, gadgets, squeezable and functional models
Alumide
- Polyamide Aluminum-Filled
- Metallic-looking
- Resistant to high temperatures (130°C)
- Suitable for interlocking parts, moving parts, living hinges
- Used for complex models, functional models, end products, etc.
Stereolithography
Standard Resin, Mammoth Resin, Gray Resin and Transparent Resin use the veteran of 3D printing technologies: Stereolithography. It’s been around at Materialise since 1990, and continues to be one of the most widely-used 3D printing technologies for plastic models. Stereolithography is a laser-based technology that uses a UV-sensitive liquid resin. A UV laser beam scans the surface of the resin and selectively hardens the material corresponding to a cross section of the product, building the 3D part from the bottom to the top. The required supports for overhangs and cavities are automatically generated, and later manually removed.
Standard Resin
- Translucent
- Easy to paint
- Very smooth, quality surface
- Used for visual models with limited functionality
Mammoth Resin
- Easy to paint
- Medium mechanical resistance
- Smooth, quality surface
- Used for large visual models with limited functionality
- Can also be used as master for a mould
Gray Resin
- Easy to paint
- Medium mechanical resistance
- Very smooth, quality surface
- Used for visual models with limited functionality
Transparent Resin
- Transparent material with a slight blue tinge
- Water-resistant by nature
- Smooth, quality surface
- Used for prototypes
Fused Deposition Modeling
ABS uses what is probably the most adopted 3D printing technology around: Fused Deposition Modeling. It’s a filament-based technology where a temperature-controlled head extrudes a thermoplastic material layer by layer onto a build platform. A support structure is created where needed and built in a water-soluble material.
ABS
- Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene
- 80% of the strength of injected molded ABS
- High durability
- UV resistant
- Used for full functional models
PolyJet
High-detail resin uses a 3D printing technology called PolyJet. The technology works by jetting photopolymer materials in ultra-thin layers onto a build platform. Each photopolymer layer is cured by UV light immediately after it is jetted, producing fully cured models that can be handled and used immediately, without post-curing. The gel-like support material, designed to support complicated geometries, is subsequently removed by water jetting.
High-Detail Resin
- Objet VeroWhitePlus
- Rigid and opaque
- High accuracy
- High level of surface detail
- Mostly used for non-functional models
Photo Credits: Polyamide – iPhone 7 Plus Voronoi Case by THINGFUTURE | Rubber-like – Nefertiti's Dune Necklace by Cristian Marzoli | Alumide – Animation Figure by Dimitri Hens, courtesy of Digital Arts and Entertainment Howest Campus Kortrijk | Standard Resin – Dino Rider by Bert De Niel | Mammoth Resin – Tomato Paint Soup by Emanuele Niri | Gray Resin – Aislin by Yarrid Henrard | High-Detail Resin – Animation Figure by Hanne Maes, courtesy of Digital Arts and Entertainment Howest Campus Kortrijk
