Fused Filament Fabrication
Fused Filament Fabrication is the most common and most affordable additive manufacturing process in the world. It quickly adaptable to a wider range of materials than any other 3D printing technology and allows for the rapid production of small batch or prototype models.
About the Technology
Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), also known as FDM, is an additive manufacturing method that utilizes plastic filaments that are melted through a heated nozzle to create polymer parts. This technology is one of the most common types of additive manufacturing or as it is more commonly known – 3D printing. The versatility of FDM printing allows for a wide range of materials to be used; almost any thermoplastic can be printed when the correct system calibrations and tolerances are applied. Quick turnaround, single small batch production, advanced materials parts (carbon or glass-filled nylon, PEKK, PPS, Polycarb, etc.), and rapid prototyping are best suited to this manufacturing style.
WT3D has almost 2 decades of experience with this technology in R&D, printing, and equipment repair.
About the Materials
At West Texas 3D, we have experience printing in an wide variety of different thermoplastics. Everything from cheap PLA to high temp engineering grade PEEK and Ultem filaments. We primarily focus on the materials listed below but are more than willing to accommodate others upon customer request.
PETG
Polyethylene terephthalate glycol, commonly known as PETG, is a thermoplastic polyester that provides significant chemical resistance, durability, and prints well. The most common use is in water bottles and is fully recyclable. The polymer has a higher temperature, UV, and chemical resistance than PLA while still being more affordable than other engineering materials such as PC or Nylon.
We use PETG rather than PLA for its water resistance and higher glass transition temperature. It is widely available and has a wide range of colors to choose from. PETG is naturally translucent allowing for parts to be produced that would allow light to pass through or for parts to be opaque.
Filled and Unfilled Nylons
Nylon 6 blend is a strong polymer used in applications such as automotive, electrical, and tools. High thermal properties, toughness, and insulative properties allow for uses in multiple applications across multiple industries. One area that Nylon shines in is resistance to hydrocarbons such as diesel and motor oil.
We can print in unfilled Nylon, carbon fiber Nylon, and glass fiber Nylon. In general, we prefer glass fiber as it increases tensile and flexural strength but retains the insulative properties unlike carbon fiber. Additionally, fiber filled filaments have less shrinkage, are less likely to warp, and are generally easier to print with.
PPS-CF
PPS CF is an ultra-performance filament with a heat deflection temperature over 250°C, and chemical resistance to a wide range of acids, alkalines, fuels, and solvents. This material is also naturally flame retardant (V0 UL94) and incredibly strong with metal-matching stiffness. PPS-CF is dimensionally stable, insensitive to moisture, and has high printability.
We use PPS CF as an alternative to materials like PEEK and PEI (Ultem) due to cost and ease of printing. PPS CF is 15-30% the cost of PEEK while maintaining comparable heat deflection temperature. PPS CF performs similarly to PEI but without printability issues. PPS CF also carries the same V0 UL94 flammability rating that PEEK and PEI do.
TPU
Thermoplastic polyurethane or TPU is a flexible material used in everything from inflatable rafts to phone cases to gaskets. Flexibility, impact resistance, abrasion resistance, high elasticity, and resistance to oil and grease are the main factors to consider when using TPU.
We use TPU when we need something to flex, or we need to protect something from scratching. We stock 98A shore hardness but upon request we can print as soft as 70A.
