Hi guys,
I have just had a customer ask me if there is a FDM material that holds up to 120-200 degrees c.
The most I have got at the moment is abs but that only hold to about 105.
I can printing up to 255 extruder and 110 on bed.
Thanks
@jeri 120-200 is quite a high range , nevertheless I don’t imagine any filaments being resistant to 200 temperature without deforming.
I’d be very interested to be corrected.
I know I did think that seeing as most materials print at around that temperature. Maybe 120-150 then. Thanks for your response though.
MB3D
4
Polycarbonate is the material you’re looking for, if the temperature goes up to 130C, maybe 150C is OK too, but that’s VERY critical. For even higher temperature resistances you need to look for PEEK or PTFE. I only know that there is one source for PEEK filament (ptfe is impossible to print to my knowledge). The reseller that I’m talking about is e3d-online.com and since that material is sk special, it comes with a price tag of 160£/250g which translates to roundabout 800€/kg or 900$/kg. Aside from the price it’s also ridiculously difficult to print as it needs printing temperatures of 350C and more (as far as I know). So you’d also have to upgrade your printer most likely. Now imagine having a 12h failed print with this material… I would advise to go with PC (Polycarbonate) or, if higher temperature resistance is required, go for metal prints. Aluminum would be the Go-to as it’s the easiest to machine (-> shorter production time equals lower price) and the source material, meaning aluminum alloys aren’t that expensive compared to other metals, like steel or brass. Your customer should look for an industrial buisness and “just ask” if they’d produce the part for him. His design would have to be optimized for the machining processes and shouldn’t be complex at all. I could give you more advises if you could send me the 3d model via an enquiry on my hub. I’d take a look at the file during the upcoming weekend. Maybe your customer can tell you more about the purpose of the 3d print, maybe there’s another solution for his problem. Maybe a differently designed part could enable external cooling. I have the feeling, that the part is supposed to be used in a baking oven or similar (just my imagination) so be absolutely sure, that the printing material is food safe. Printing with a brass nozzle can make the 3d print non-foodsafe. Brass is an alloy that contains lead and theoretically small metal particles can be worn off and can get into the 3d print. Since lead is toxic this should be avoided! Don’t print with abrasive materials, like carbon fiber blends and in the best case you’d use a stainless steel nozzle, those are 100% food safe. Cheers, Marius
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Hi Marius,
I have told my customer to either get it cnc milled out of metal or to get it printed on a metal sintering machine. Like shape ways.
And yes I have look at PC and PEEK but for the price it is most likely cheaper for him to cnc it. Also there is hardly any hubs who can print in it. As well as this it has to stand up to a high psi the part so I think metal is the way to go.
The part is a fix for a model train boiler hence the temperature and pressure.
Do do you know of any places/ do you cnc mill in the uk for a reasonable price probably put of aluminium ?
Thanks for your in depth response.
George
p.s. I can imagine how bad s PEEK failed print would be. It’s bad enough with Pla or abs. 
Hi George,
PEEK is very expensive(close in price to titanium) so being able to use it in a FDM process is a huge development, since CNC machining results in a lot of wasted material. It’s you have the capabilities it actually makes PEEK practical for projects that would previously be cost prohibitive.
When you start getting into what I call the “functional materials” (nylons, polycarbonate, PEEK, iglide, etc…) the level of equipment and expertise required can be substantial. Materials with a high glass transition temperature(temp where they start to get soft) like polycarbonate or PEEK are especially difficult.
Assuming the equipment can get hot enough (without self destructing), challenges like warping, layer adhesion, and the tendency for many of these materials (especially polycarbonate) to absorb tiny amounts of water can require a lot of experience (and banning your head against the wall) to reliably overcome, especially to achieve the same detail/quality that is easy(relatively) with “hobby” materials like ABS and PLA. For me, this is where real 3d printing STARTS.
99% of my printing is prototyping or things made to function without compromise (like printing more printers for example). This means I print “functional materials” almost exclusively unless for mockup or sizing purposes.
If you need advice or are interested in subcontracting out parts of your client’s project let me know if I can help.
https://www.3dhubs.com/miami/hubs/mindfull
-Jesse
Ok thanks. He knows this post so if he is interested I’m sure he’ll get into touch,
Thanks
