3D PRINTING | INNOVATION
Styrenics major Ineos Styrolution has also been working on sustainability issues. Last year it announced the first results of the German govern- ment-funded PolySLS project, which is focused on developing a new energy-saving styrenics based material for selective laser sintering (SLS). It said the project has been able to show that significant overall energy savings of up to 67% have been achieved when taking the entire life cycle of a new styrenics polymer compound into account com- pared to using PA 12 often used in SLS. A direct energy saving of 25% was achieved
from the 3D printing equipment when using the new styrenics polymer, resulting from lower process temperatures and shorter heating and cooling phases. Processing times were 7.5% shorter than with PA 12. The coating of some 3D printed materials can be
rather tricky, as a good adhesion is sometimes difficult to
achieve.BASF Forward AM recently developed the Ultracur3D UV Adhesion Promoter. This is a single-component solvent-borne product, which the company says provides customers with more options to coat materials like PP and also improves the adhesion for rigid 3D printing materials. BASF envisages applications where the surface quality of the printed part is too rough or uneven. The adhesion promoter smooths the surface by being recoated multiple times with intermediate drying phases. “The coated surface is also compat- ible with a broad range of commercially available top coats and clear coats, making developments of new or replacing existing coating systems not a requirement for end-users,” it says. Ultracur3D can be applied by spray or dip coating. Compound and masterbatch specialist Grafe has been developing a matting agent for 3D printing via FFF. It has tested the product extensively with PETG material. “The trial phase has been completed, initial sampling is underway, and now commercialisation begins,” says Lars Schulze, Head of Color Develop- ment and Material Sciences, who is overseeing the project. Possible applications include living room elements such as lamps, covers, or switches, as well as other applications in the home. Subjective examinations using test specimens
and metrological analyses show a clear and verifiable reduction in gloss compared with a previous development, Schulze says. In tests at an angle of 60°, the measured value for black-co- loured PETG was reduced from 8.8 with the help of the old matting agent to 2.6 and even to 1.3. The matting agent can be metered at 15% and combined with any colour batch or compound, without any significant effect on the colour. The
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Above: This suspension bracket design study tested multiple iterations in Precise PLA before arriving at an optimised version printed in Onyx Reinforced with continuous carbon fibre. All parts were printed on a single Markforged Desktop Series printer
matting effect is created by diffuse light scattering on the surface of the part. “Customers benefit from a velvety feel with corresponding components,” says Schulze. “The undesirable visual layer build- up, which often occurs in 3D printing, is barely visible. The material almost looks like it was cast from a single mould.” The matting agent has already been tested for
PLA and PC, and trials are ongoing with other materials. PLA was one of the first polymers to be used for FFF technology. Markforged, creator of an integrat- ed metal and carbon fibre additive manufacturing platform, The Digital Forge, has now added Precise PLA to its portfolio of materials. “The Digital Forge platform is now able to address all stages of product design - from validation, which relies on more affordable materials like Precise PLA, to strong, end-use applications reliant on Markforged’s carbon fibre reinforced and metal-printed parts,” says the company. Precise PLA comes in eight colours: yellow, red, green, blue, orange, black, white, and grey. Zero Tolerance, an injection moulding and machine shop, used Precise PLA to bring an end-use motorcycle display adapter from concept to final product. “When using other 3D printers and PLA materials, the results were not as precise as required, even after multiple iterations,” says Steve Michon, Zero Tolerance President and CEO. “Printing parts to the size and quality we need, with the required functionality and at a great price point is critical for our business. Once design validation using Precise PLA is completed, we move to production with Markforged’s Onyx material for functional testing, followed by printing with continu- ous carbon fibre for added safety for the final part.” In addition to prototyping, Zero Tolerance also uses colour-coded inserts printed in Precise PLA in
June 2022 | INJECTION WORLD 35
IMAGE: MARKFORGED
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