We use a number of different plastics in our FFF process. Here you can find some basic information about them.
PLA Polylactic acid or polylactide (PLA) is a thermoplastic derived from renewable biomass, typically from fermented plant starch such as from corn, cassava, sugarcane or sugar beet pulp. PLA has the second highest consumption volume of any bioplastic of the world. PLA is environmentally friendly as it breaks down into harmless lactic acid over time. PLA is a great plastic to use for metal casting as the PLA can be burned from plaster leaving no residue – the lost PLA casting process.
ABS Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene is a common thermoplastic polymer. Its glass transition temperature is approximately 105 °C. The nitrile groups within the chains attract each other and bind the chains together, making ABS stronger than pure polystyrene. The styrene gives the plastic a shiny, impervious surface. The polybutadiene, a rubbery substance, provides toughness even at low temperatures. For the majority of applications, ABS can be used between −20 and 80 °C (−4 and 176 °F) as its mechanical properties vary with temperature.[3] The properties are created by rubber toughening, where fine particles of elastomer are distributed throughout the rigid matrix. ABS suffers from warping when used in 3D printers so size tolerance is often looser than other filaments. ABS is soluble in acetone, so acetone smoothing and welding is possible.
HIPS aaa
Specialist filaments aaa