Common Heat-Resistant 3D Printing Plastics

Thermoplastics are already very common in 3D printing. In some application scenarios that require high temperature stability, high temperature resistant 3D printing plastics play an important role. This article will introduce several common heat-Resistant 3D printing plastic materials and their characteristics, and explore how to deal with overheating problems that may occur in the 3D printing plastic process.

Common Heat-Resistant 3D printing plastic materials

1. ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is a popular thermoplastic known for its durability and heat resistance, which can withstand temperatures up to 100°C. It is commonly used for functional prototypes, automotive parts and housings.

2.PETG (Polyethylene Terephthalate) combines flexibility and strength while providing heat resistance up to 70-80°C. It is commonly used in food safety applications, containers and mechanical parts.

3.PC (Polycarbonate) is known for its excellent strength and heat resistance, and can withstand temperatures up to 140°C or higher. It is widely used in the production of helmets, automotive headlight lenses and bulletproof glass.

4.PEEK (Polyetheretherketone) is a semi-crystalline thermoplastic with good corrosion resistance and high mechanical strength. It is used in demanding applications such as aerospace and medical implants. PEEK has a melting point of 343°C and can be used in an environment of 170°C. Therefore, it has high requirements for the printing environment and requires sufficient heat.

5.TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) is a flexible elastic material with a heat resistance of up to 80-100°C. It is ideal for producing flexible parts such as mobile phone cases and gaskets.

6.PP (Polypropylene) has outstanding chemical resistance, including resistance to alkalis, acids and organic solvents. With a heat resistance of up to 100°C, it is often used in food containers and other printed parts that come into contact with irritating chemicals.

How to deal with overheating of plastic printing

The temperature of plastic extruded from the extruder may be between 190 and 310 degrees Celsius. When the plastic is still hot, it is flexible and can be easily formed into different shapes. However, when it cools, it quickly hardens and retains its shape. You need to strike the right balance between temperature and cooling so that the plastic can flow freely through the nozzle but solidify quickly enough to maintain the exact dimensions of your 3D printed part.

Insufficient Cooling

The most common cause of overheating is not cooling the plastic quickly enough. When this happens, the hot plastic is free to change shape as it slowly cools. For many plastics, it's best to cool the layers quickly to prevent them from changing shape after printing. If your printer has a cooling fan, try increasing the fan power to cool the plastic faster.

Printing Too Hot

If the plastic is extruded at a lower temperature, it will be able to solidify faster and maintain its shape. Try lowering the print temperature by 5-10 degrees, but don't lower the temperature too much or the plastic may not be hot enough to squeeze out of the small opening in the nozzle.

Printing Too Fast

If you print each layer very quickly, there may not be enough time for the previous layer to cool properly before the next layer of hot plastic is deposited on top of it. This is especially important for very small parts where each layer only takes a few seconds to print. You can slow down the print speed of small layers to ensure they have enough time to cool and solidify before the next layer is printed.

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