On August 26, 2019, in July of this year, the Swiss chemical giant Clariant introduced a new 3D printing material to high-impact 10% glass fiber reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) for industrial customers worldwide. It is reported that this material is named PLA-HI-GF10, which is not only sturdy and durable, but also has good printability, which can be applied to a variety of FDM 3D printers.
In addition to the PLA-HI-GF10 material, Clariant also provides ESD-safe wire for sensitive electronic components. Customers have also recently tested PET-G ESD on 3D printed production tools for high-precision drive systems and sensors (aerospace), semiconductors, powertrain and electronic components, and drive components (medical fields).
Clariant 3D Printing Business Senior Architect David McCann said, "Clariann has strong capabilities in providing tailor-made industrial 3D printer solutions. Unique solutions instead of traditional methods like CNC machining. Customers who use our high-impact 10% glass fiber reinforced PLAs have improved material performance and reduced costs when manufacturing auxiliary equipment. "
Clariant PLA-HI-GF10 has the following advantages:
● Higher strength than PLA
● High impact resistance (will not break when dropped in the production workshop)
● Provide multiple colors for color coding during production
Clariant has developed this wire because customers need to find materials that are tougher and easier to 3D print. Clariant's R & D team tested different material components and chose PLA and polyethylene terephthalate (PET-G) as the base polymers because they are tough, printable, and have minimal warpage. Glass fibers and impact modifiers are also used to further strengthen and modify PLA and PET-G.
Clariant's 3D printing engineer in Frankfurt, Germany, tested these materials using the Ultimaker S5 printer. They found that high-impact 10% glass fiber reinforced PLA is an ideal tooling material for manufacturing, because it prints very well and is very strong, with good stiffness, toughness, and high impact resistance.
Mark Burghoorn, an additive manufacturing consultant and Clariant distributor Cards PLM, shared some insights on the new product:
A. What applications do you think of PLA-HI-GF10?
Fixtures, fixtures, tools, and functional prototype parts that require high tensile strength and toughness but are easy to print should be the most popular applications.
Many industrial companies start using 3D printers with regular PLA materials. But shortly after, they realized that higher-performance engineering materials were needed to make parts. Many materials today meet functional needs, but finding (and testing) still takes time.
Clariant PLA-HI-GF10 is currently on the market and has been printed with a CC0.6 RED hardened nozzle on the Ultimaker S5. Compared to other materials, PLA-HI-GF10 does not require drying.
Clariant (material and print setup), Ultimaker (3D printer and Cura software) and us (sales, customer training and support, Siemens AM software NX CAD), a combination of the three, is very popular in the industrial world.
B. What types of customers are using 3D printed fixtures and fixtures?
Our target group includes manufacturing companies within the Benelux Economic Union, with a particular focus on the automotive and aerospace markets.
C. Why does the company turn to 3D printing of fixtures and fixtures?
The main business driver is the customer's desire to quickly adjust production and test facilities during the engineering (re) design process. Compared to outsourced milling or injection molding, 3D printing can be done almost immediately. Engineering time can be greatly reduced.
D. How does the cost of 3D printed jigs compare to the cost of traditionally manufactured jigs?
Reducing application time is critical, and saving money comes second. We have a case in the automotive industry where the cost per part of a traditional fixture is 3,000 Euros and the project time span is 60 days. With 3D printing, the cost per piece can be reduced to 187 Euros and completed in 6 days.
No matter what level of 3D printing you are doing, you are likely to become a part-time material scientist, because you may have already done a lot of testing on different 3D printed materials, and therefore cost a lot of time and money. And global specialty chemicals companies like Clariant have done the hard work for you.
Clariant's 3D printing business leader in China told Antarctica Bear that this high-performance material has also entered the Chinese market. Professional users in the industry are welcome to try it.