NoRights Podcast: S2E41 - 3D Printing

ABS and PLA plastic printing are the most common in home 3d printing. Constructed from a thermoplastic, ABS and PLA are very useful for functional applications because they match

80% of the properties of the real injected production material. ABS models are very accurate and have a intermediate level of printed details. You have a lot of freedom for the design of your

model. However, the surface quality of the models is rougher compared to other materials. A long plastic wire is fed by a spool to a nozzle where the material is liquefied and drawn on the

platform where it immediately hardens again. The nozzle moves to drop the material at the correct location, drawing your model line by line. When a layer is drawn, the platform lowers by

one layer thickness so the printer can start with the next layer. PLA is biodegradable plastic which can come in more colors than ABS. PLA also is smoother than ABS and can be more

detailed.

Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene

ABS

ABSPlus Industrial Plastic

3D Printing Materials

Polylactic Acid

The Difference Between ABS and PLA for 3D Printing

PLA vs ABS Plastic – The Pros and Cons

Compare 3D Printer PLA and ABS Filament
Polyamide (Nylon Plastic)

Usually white, but can be dyed and painted.

Constructed from a white, very fine, granular powder. The result is a strong, somewhat flexible material that can take small impacts and resist some pressure while being bent. The surface

has a sandy, granular look, and is slightly porous. The material is started with a bed of nylon plastic and is sintered layer by layer with a laser, solidifying each layer.

Polyamide

Polyamide (Nylon) Plastic

White Plastic

Strong & Flexible Plastics

i.Materialise – Polyamide

Polyamide White

Alumide (Nylon Plastic and Aluminum Powder)

Gray color with a slight sparkle. –

Alumide is nylon plastic filled with Aluminum dust. This dust gives Alumide the sparkle, but also makes the material more brittle than other nylon plastics. The material is started with a

bed of mixed Nylon Plastic and Aluminum powder, and is sintered layer by layer with a laser, solidifying each layer.

Alumide

Shapeways – Alumide

i.Materialise – Alumide

Sculpteo – Alumide
Resins – (Liquid Polymers)

Usually off white, but can be dyed and painted, can come in detailed and also transparent variations.

White or dyed resin, very close to standard plastic. Rigid, opaque, smooth surface, perfect for high detailed visualization. The model is printed layer by layer with a high-performance

compound, photo polymeric liquid. Each photopolymer layer is cured by UV light immediately after being jetted.

Frosted Detail Plastic

Nano Detail Amber Resin

White/Black Detail Resin

Spray-Painted Detail Resin
Multicolor (Fully Colored Sandstone)

Off-white/grayish material colored with ink, using the 3d model’s textures.

Constructed from a fine granular powder. Models are created by printing layer and layer of binder material and colored ink into a bed of gypsum-based powder. The products are then

finished with a glue sealant to ensure durability and vivid colors. The final product is a hard, slightly brittle material that is great for little figurines and models of your favorite video game

avatar, but not suited for structural parts under great load. Colors are printed with a resolution of 600 x 540 dpi.

Sandstone

Mutlicolor

Multi-color Sandstone

Sculpteo – Multicolor

How To? – Full Color Sandstone Printing

Multi-Color Composite With Rainbow Color Variety

Metal Printing

Common metal printing materials includes, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, Brass, Stainless Steel, Titanium, and Aluminum. The finishes for each material can be varied, using post

processing techniques such as polishing and plating. The methods using in printing the metals can also vary, depending on the desired metal. Some metals can be printed layer by layer

using a metal powder and glue. Some metals can use laser sintering to harden metal powder. Other metals use casting techniques, which prints a model out of wax, and creates a plaster

mold, from which the wax is melted out of. Liquid metal is then poured into the plaster mold, and broken free, when the metal hardens.