Materials

Polyether ether ketone, more commonly known as PEEK, is a semi-crystalline thermoplastic that is well known in the manufacturing industry for its mechanical properties. And for some years now, it has been a popular material in the additive manufacturing sector.…

Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) is an elastomer (synthetic plastic) that is characterized by its high flexibility and resistance during further processing and combines the properties of thermoplastics and elastomers. It can withstand much higher compressive and tensile forces than other common…

ABS or Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene is a thermoplastic polymer that is quite common for industrial applications. It is known especially for its high impact resistance at low temperatures and for creating lightweight parts. Adding to that, ABS plastic is also…

One of the biggest obstacles to widespread adoption of metal additive manufacturing is that we still have large gaps of understanding about what happens to the material during the process. More specifically, there are few tools which can show what…

PLA (polylactic acid) is one of the most widely used plastics in the additive manufacturing sector. Invented in 1930 by chemist Wallace Carothers, also the developer of nylon and neoprene, this material can be used in filament or pellet form…

BlueWeave Consulting, a strategic consulting and market research firm, has released a new study on the high-performance polymer 3D printing market, showing very positive results for this segment. Indeed, it is expected to reach a value of $184.5 million by…

With the world continuously warming and experts expressing fear that we may not meet the goals outlined in the Paris Agreements, sustainability is the topic of the hour in almost every industry. Additive manufacturing is certainly no exception. Though 3D…

We are always discovering new and interesting 3D printing materials. Just recently, we told you about how researchers are using bacteria to essentially grow strong and porous 3D printed composite materials. And today we have yet another one: eggshells! This…

Nylon, also called Polyamide (PA) is a widely used polymer in the additive manufacturing sector. This thermoplastic is available in powder or filament form for technologies such as SLS, Multi Jet Fusion or FDM.  These plastics are classified according to…

Depending on the intended application and the preferred 3D printing process, different materials can be used, only makes the selection more difficult for the user due to the wide range. Whether plastics, ceramics or even metals, the 3D printing material…

It is well known that 3D printing can be done with any numbers of unusual materials including cells, chocolate and more. But what about bacteria? Well, in a recent project, EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne AKA the Swiss Federal…

One of the benefits of FDM printing is the wide range of filaments that are available (depending on the printer used). Even so, it goes without saying that one of the most popular is PETG, being one of the most…