Selecting the right materials with prominent parameters like good strength and cost-effectiveness can be a daunting task.
Traditional manufacturing processes may not provide enough design flexibility and even with the limited availability of designs, it takes an unlimited amount of time, which further increases the production cost ( plus labour cost and material wastes ).
These technological breakpoints gave rise to the new manufacturing – Additive manufacturing process a.k.a. 3D printing technologies.
In this section, we will focus on FDM 3D Printing because it is the most cost-effective way to create a strong prototype. Can I use this full scale 3D printing production? Here we recommend using MJF by HP full series production.
Statistics show that in the next 5 years, the Addictive manufacturing process is upcoming with 50% cheaper and 400% faster than the traditional manufacturing process. Other recent statistics tell that more than 5 billion dollars have been invested in the Additive manufacturing industry.
Before going into detail about the optimum 3D filaments in the Fused Deposition Modelling 3D printing process, knowing the answer to this question is important.
All these parameters play an important factor in strength.
Since you know this now, Let’s dive into the strong and cost-effective 3D filaments.
ABS is a thermoplastic made up of three monomers – acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene. ABS is widely used in industries due to its low-cost and superior mechanical properties to this date.
Holding up extra usage and wear becomes easier because of its good impact, wear resistance, and resilience capacity. Having ABS becomes a good selection for high-temperature applications.
PLA ( polylactic acid ) is a fully biodegradable thermoplastic polymer, made up of renewable raw materials. This is the default filament used in the addictive manufacturing process. PLA is one of the strongest and most cost-effective filaments available.
At the same cost, PLA has a better edge over ABS because it has better impact strength, stiffness, and resilience. Only in terms of toughness, ABS is tougher than PLA.
PLA filaments are very easy to print because it has good dimensional accuracy. Also, it has a good shell life.
Whenever the environmental conditions get far stronger, then the only solution is a fusion of polymers. It is no wonder they say “UNITY IS STRENGTH”. Tough PLA is a by-product of the properties of PLA filament and ABS filament. So, tough PLA is the best selection for printing functional prototypes and tooling at larger sizes.
Infusing popular 3d filaments (like PETG, Nylon, and polycarbide) in the base material( such as PLA or ABS) forms carbon fiber filled. This infusing combination makes the fibers extremely strong and increases strength & stiffness.
These filament combinations make carbon fiber filler a little more expensive than the above materials but, Still lie in the cost-efficiency zone.
The traditional manufacturing process still has some benefits like
But additive manufacturing is updating quicker than ever. Also, statistics are very clear in upcoming developments in additive manufacturing processes.
The material described above primarily used as jigs and fixtures for immediate deployment. Materials like PA12 or PA12GB, PEEK, PEKK, Kevlar, and similar alternatives are recommended for high performance. In addition to strength, these high performance materials have excellent wear, chemical, and temperature resistance, allowing them to withstand extreme functional conditions.
So, in this current era of technological evolution with an increasing amount of new innovations and products, it demands more customizations and designs. Thus, in these areas, 3D printing is significant.
