Ultimaker is going to challenge itself by 3D printing with 7 types of filaments!
To make this challenge convincing and well-founded,
Let's explain Ultimaker's challenge rules!
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Models used: Ultimaker 3 3D Printer, Ultimaker 2+ 3D Printer
Filaments used: PLA, ABS, CPE, Nylon, PC, Carbon Fiber, Wood-like
Object printed: Bicycle bracket (connected to the pedal)
(Image source: http://colorfabb.com/)
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Let's look at the differences between these seven finished products!
And also the print test review~
①PLA
Ultimaker PLA 3D Printing Material (Polylactic Acid) is an environmentally friendly plastic material, one of the most widely used 3D printing materials, and also recommended for 3D printing beginners. PLA can be printed quickly and is very safe.
Features:
1. PLA is an environmentally friendly plastic, made from a blend of corn starch and sugarcane derivatives, completely natural ingredients, meeting food-grade and biodegradable standards.
2. PLA is usually transparent, and different color choices will change its original transparent color. It is suitable for printing toys and artworks. Because PLA comes in a variety of colors, it is often used for multi-color blending applications.
3. PLA plastic is widely used in various fields. Because it is odorless when printed (or has a faint sweet smell) and does not warp easily, a heated bed is not required.
4. The printed product is hard, insoluble in water, and not decomposed by UV, making it an excellent material for display items.
👉Print Quality Review: PLA can perfectly restore object details, with very high fineness. And as can be seen from the picture, the surface gloss (brightness) of objects printed with PLA is very high, but there will still be different degrees of change depending on the color.
②ABS
Ultimaker ABS 3D Printing Material (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is a polymer derived from petroleum.
Features:
1. High strength, high toughness
2. Shrinks more upon cooling than PLA, so a heated bed must be used.
3. Emits odor during printing, requires good ventilation.
4. Not UV resistant, avoid exposure to light.
👉Print Quality Review: ABS can present an extremely fine surface, suitable for printing engineering parts or detailed figurines and toy models. As can be seen from the image, the quality of ABS is even finer than PLA. However, in terms of surface brightness, PLA has a slight edge.
※【Comparison of PLA and ABS】※
As 3D printing consumables, PLA and ABS have always performed well because both materials can restore details with high precision. However, to elaborate, ABS and PLA differ slightly; ABS has varying degrees of transparency or translucency, while PLA has a shinier and brighter surface than ABS, and PLA is harder than ABS.
③CPE
Ultimaker CPE (Co-Polyester) 3D Printing Material is a chemical-resistant and relatively tough material, widely used for functional prototyping and modeling.
Features:
1. Good chemical resistance
2. Good toughness and dimensional stability
3. Good layer adhesion, especially when the printing environment is enclosed.
4. Low levels of UFP and volatile VOCs.
5. Very suitable for short-run manufacturing and functional parts.
👉Print Quality Review: Compared to PLA, CPE printed objects have a higher gloss. However, due to its extremely high gloss, if exposed to strong light, the layered texture on the surface will be more noticeable.
④Nylon
Taulman Nylon 3D Printing Material is widely used by manufacturers for 3D printing strong end-use parts and prototypes that require durability and wear resistance.
Features:
1. High strength, high ductility, high wear resistance, high toughness, very suitable for use as gears, snap-fit structural components, etc., for final products.
2. Regular nylon is highly hygroscopic; when not in use, please store it in a dry box or a sealed bag with desiccant to maintain the quality of the nylon filament. Although Ultimaker's nylon has relatively lower water absorption, it is still necessary to be aware of moisture issues.
3. Good adhesion to the heated bed.
👉Print Quality Review: Ultimaker Nylon can provide a seamless appearance for printed objects.
⑤PC
Polymaker PC (Polycarbonate) 3D Printing Material is currently the strongest and most durable 3D printing material on the market.
Features:
1. Excellent toughness, making it an excellent choice for engineering applications.
2. High heat resistance, withstands temperatures up to 110°C.
3. Excellent mechanical strength (higher mechanical strength than ABS, PLA).
4. Can be easily post-processed with sandpaper to achieve a smooth surface, and can also be painted.
👉Print Quality Review: After sandpaper treatment, it has extremely high gloss. Among all the bicycle bracket objects, this object exhibits the highest surface gloss.
⑥Carbon Fiber
ColorFabb Carbon Fiber 3D Printing Material is a new type of fiber material with high strength and high modulus, containing more than 95% carbon. It is made by stacking organic fibers such as flake graphite microcrystals along the fiber axis and then carbonizing and graphitizing them.
Features:
1. High hardness, low shrinkage, high heat resistance, and lightweight, making it a perfect 3D printing material. Therefore, it can be used to print parts for automobiles, aerospace, etc.
2. Easy to print. You can print carbon fiber remote control cars, aircraft, and product models with your desktop 3D printer.
3. A special consideration when using this filament is the abrasive nature of carbon fiber: carbon fiber will accelerate the wear of brass nozzles more than general wood-like materials. Therefore, we recommend using stainless steel nozzles to print carbon fiber materials.
👉Print Quality Review: For the same object, carbon fiber is lighter, possessing the characteristics of high strength and light weight.
⑦Wood-like
Features:
1. Color, smell, and texture are similar to real wood.
2. Excellent performance in areas requiring high precision.
3. Wood fibers are added to PLA, making this 3D printing filament as easy to print as PLA.
👉Print Quality Review: The printed object closely resembles real wood, exhibiting the high texture of a wooden art piece and emitting a woody scent. Like wood, it can be nailed, drilled, and carved, and even produces natural color variations due to different printing temperatures and speeds! This sample uses WoodFill Fine, which gives it the feel of fresh wood, with a slight reflection, and perfectly conceals the layered lines from printing. It's very suitable for printing unique customized wooden art pieces.