Speciality Materials

The most common materials used in 3D printing are plastics, which can range from high-performance engineering grade like PEEK, or basic like PLA.  Resin is another common material and it is used with SLA printers.  Composites are another category they are created by combining two materials to get the best properties of each.  The last big group of materials is metals which can only printed using industrial machines. The image below showing an assortment of parts manufactured with DMLS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering) process.

The most commonly used material in F1 is carbon filled PA.  There are several companies producing this under a variety of trade names. Most F1 teams have their own manufacturing facilities utilising this material to minimise production times.  Some teams even have 3D printing machines that they take to the race circuit to allow parts to be updated and fitted directly to the cars.

There are instances where more specialised materials are required.  The cockpit of an F1 car not only houses the driver, but many other components, including the driver drink system and mandatory fire extinguisher.  Because of the demanding physical nature of driving an F1 car, particularly in hot climates, the driver can lose several kilograms of fluid.

Therefore a drinking system is integrated to allow them to drink while driving (only water or an isotonic drink, of course!).  This involves a suitable fluid reservoir, pump and tubing to feed the drink to their helmet.  The space within the cockpit is very restricted, so the reservoir is often required to conform to the cockpit internal contours.  3D printing again allows a geometry to be created that can optimise the space available.  In this case, however, a food safe material is required and specialist manufacturers are used.

We help clients embrace and exploit new technologies, processes and materials.  If you require assistance in identifying the most appropriate material, technology or process in support of your next project then get in touch for a confidential discussion. Our Carbon SLS service (Datasheet here) provides a multitude of rapid prototype and end use component solutions in and out of the racecar.

Technical Data Sheet for the latest addition to our composite materials catalogue. Parts infiltration service with Dichtol also available to provide enhanced material properties including chemical resistance.

View whole sheet here

Since introducing PEEK 3D printing to our product range of materials earlier this year we have had many queries. This is typical of what is expected from any new ground-breaking process and technology. It has also been a steep learning curve to understand the limits of the machinery, the materials and the process.  The range for 3D printing geometries are quite narrow and as we learn more and the machine capability increases this will allow us to 3D print more and more complex geometries.

PEEK and PEEK filled variants stand at the very top of the engineering polymers tree in terms of advanced material properties (Please see previous insight for more on the properties and applications) . Material Technical Data Sheets for PEEK are available on request.

https://3d-consultancy.com/advanced-materials-peek/

At the bottom of this insight we have added some FAQ’s for some of the more common queries we have received. We are happy to answer any other’s you may have. Given the early stages of this new 3D printing process and the narrower range of building parts the best way to proceed with an enquiry is to provide us a STEP file with your requirements. This will enable us to fully interrogate the design and the ways we can set up the build to enable it to be built with PEEK. It may be that the design as provided will not build with any direction, or advanced set-up. Or we propose some design changes back to you to allow the part to be built e.g thicken walls or adjust angles to remove the need for supports. We can make those changes or you can revise the design yourself and send it back to us.

Here below is an example of a PEEK tooling block that is typical of the more basic geometries that we can provide. In similar applications previously we would have used ULTEM 1085 which is a material we offer and is used extensively in Aerospace.

PEEK offers further enhanced strength (86 MPa)  and stiffness (3.5 GPa) properties, with Carbon filled PEEK having a very high Heat Deflection Temperature of 280 degrees C. A PEEK tooling block, like this example would be useful for more extended production runs press moulding composite pre-preg, with a PEEK CF version suitable for very high temp moulding of composite parts where only laminated carbon fibre or aluminium tooling would typically be used.

PEEK 3D PRINTING FAQ’s

Are these products available now? – Yes

What is their lead time? – Typically 10-14 working days – to be confirmed at time of order, dependent on geometry and complexity of build.

Can you give me an idea of cost?– We will quote you if you send through drawings/specifications of what you are looking for. Preferred 3D files are .STP format, but we also accept .STL

Can I get samples? – Yes,  if you send through drawings/specifications of what you are looking for and how many we will arrange to get you a sample (there may be a charge for samples we will advise on this when we understand more clearly your requirements)

What is the print resolution for 3D printing these materials?– 50-200 Microns

What is the accuracy/tolerance for 3D printing these materials?– 50 Microns

What is the build envelope for 3D printing these materials?– 500mm x 500mm x 500mm

Are these materials porous, would they hold water?-  Yes, we use a 100% infill of the part and a post-processing annealing of the part which helps to close the residual porosity.

Do you have any CTI values for these materials?  This is important to us for high voltage design– The Comparative Tracking Index for PEEK is 150 V.

What are the material properties out of plane of the build direction?  The parts produced with this technology are anisotropic, the difference between xy and xz is small (some MPa if we talk about tensile strength). In the growth direction z there is a greater loss of mechanical properties due to the layered nature of the part. However, it is not a problem as it is possible to orient the part according to the mechanical stress conditions. In the xy and xz growth directions we can achieve almost the same values as an injection moulded PEEK.

For any other queries or enquiries relating to PEEK or any other advanced material 3d printing please contact us.