3D Printer Filaments, Accessories & Chemicals

3D printing What is 3D printing and how does it work? What are the different methods for 3D printing? What are the parts of an extrusion 3D printer? What MG Chemicals offer for 3D printing What are the print materials we offer? What are the accessories we offer? What are the chemicals we offer? FAQ

3D printing

What is 3D Printing and how does it work? If you slice a piece of fruit, each slice represents a cross sectional layer of the whole fruit If we could create each of these layers from a printable material and fuse them together you would end up with a full 3 dimensional piece of fruit. 3D printing is an additive form of manufacturing where layers are built up on top of each other to form a 3- dimensional object.

What is 3D Printing and how does it work? A virtual 3D image is created of an object. Special software takes this 3d image and digitally slices it into layers with specific thicknesses. Instructions are written in the form of a language called a g-code that tells the printer where to move and what to do throughout the print to form each layer. The 3D printer then takes these instructions and physically forms each layer. In the end you get a series of drawing, one on top of the last together to create a 3D object.

Extrusion – This method uses material that is, or can be made soft and malleable and is extruded through a nozzle with a small orifice. Each layer is built by a bead of material that is left behind as the printer moves around the instructed area. Photo polymerization – This method uses liquid resin that is curable by light. Each layer is built up on the built plate by applying the resin then using a controlled light system to cure a layer of the print. The steps are repeated for each layer. Selective fusion - This method uses granular material that is spread out on a build plate. The granules are fused together at each layer. More granular material is before proceeding to the next layer What are the different methods for 3D printing?

What are the basic parts of an extrusion 3D printer? Print headBuild plateFrame Head movement apparatus

What MG Chemicals offer for 3D printing

What are the print materials that we offer? PLA filaments – Polylactic acid* Print temperature:~ ̊ C No heated build plate required Biodegradable and made from renewable resources Easily manipulated with heat post print Resistant to UV degradation ABS Filaments - Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene* Print temperature: ~ ̊ C Bed temperature: ~ 110 ̊ C Can be welded and finished using acetone HIPS Filaments – High impact polystyrene* Print temperature: ~235 ̊ C Bed temperature: ~ 115 ̊ C Can be painted Soluble in d-limonene so can be used as support system in dual nozzle printers *All of our filaments are made from high purity pellets with low filament diameter variance. ABS and PLA come in 18 different colours

What are the accessories we offer? Masking tape High temperature resistant Good for printing PLA filament Low thickness variability Good bed and print adhesion Polyimide tape (Kaptan tape) Very high temperature resistant Good for printing ABS, HIPS, and other high temperature printing filaments Chemicals resistant Low thickness variability RoHS and REACH compliant

What are the chemicals we offer? Acetone High purity Can weld and dissolve ABS plastic High evaporation rate Can improve bed adhesion for printing VOC Exempt D-limonene High purity Can dissolve HIPS Excellent cleaner and degreaser Leaves pleasant orange odor

FAQ

Are your filaments compatible with my printer? Filament diameter - The most common sizes are 1.75mm and 3.00mm both of which we carry. It is recommended using the manufacturers compatible diameter for that specific model unless otherwise modified. Compatible material–The manufacturer of the printer will state which materials are compatible with their nozzle based on the heat resistance of the nozzle. For build plates if it is not heated then the recommended material is PLA, (small ABS prints may be done without a heated bed but adhesion to build plate and warping may occur). Spool holder – Different manufacturers have spool holders that hold spools of different inner diameters. A simple solution is to print a substitute spool holder (which can be found on STL sharing sites for a variety of printer models) to fit the spool you intend to use. Otherwise our 1kg spools have an inner diameter of 56mm and our 0.25kg and 0.5kg spools have an inner diameter of 30mm. Regardless of the situation we have a product that will fit almost everyone’s needs.

PLA vs. ABS, why choose one over the other? Other than compatibility there may be other reasons to choose one material over the other. PLA is more rigid, can be printed without a heated bed, is biodegradable, is good for printing finer details and less prone to warping, and can be easily manipulated and bent with some heat post print for finishing purposes. PLA however cannot be finished with acetone like ABS, cooling takes longer and expands much more than abs when heated so smaller prints may require slower print speeds. ABS is more flexible than PLA, it can be welded and smoothed out using acetone, and prints at similar temperatures to HIPS so can be used in conjunction on dual nozzle printers and is more temperature resistant. ABS however can produce a noticeable odor during printing, is more susceptible to warping due to shrinkage and may not give as good detail as PLA. It really depends on the application but if necessary our technical support team can aid in determining the best material to use.

What is the diameter variance of your filaments? Our filaments are quality control tested for diameter variance. Variance for both 1.75mm and 3.00mm is less than ± 0.1mm. Why is the clear filament more brittle than your other colours Because clear filaments have no pigment there is no additional binder to strengthen the PLA polymers, for this reason it is very common to find clear filaments to be more brittle. In order to maintain the strength of the filaments it is also highly recommended that they be stored in an air tight container or bag with the desiccant pack provided when ever it is not in use. If ABS filaments are accidently left in open air and become more brittle they can be revitalized by drying in an oven at a low temperature for a few hours or left in the container with desiccant for a few days.

Why am I having issues printing when I change to different coloured filaments? Pigments can affect the thermal properties of the plastics, therefore when different filaments are used print temperatures may need to be adjusted. For glow in the dark filaments print temperatures will likely need to be higher than normal, whereas printing black filaments may require lower than normal temperatures. If there are is warping or adhesion issues when switching colours adjusting the temperature in 5 degree increments until a good layer is produced should solve the problem.

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