Canadian startup Fortis3D is launching two new 3D printing materials for a range of industrial applications. With the launch of PA-GF20 and PK-GF20, Fortis3D conducted a detailed analysis of the material properties of these two filaments, allowing engineers to understand their advantages and suitable application scenarios.
Leveraging a background in polymer engineering, Fortis3D’s team of scientists and engineers created reinforced polyamide (PA), and polyketone (PK) 3D printing filaments that are stronger than other materials and contain less fiberglass.
Wayne, Business Manager at Fortis3D
“We found that most fiber-reinforced filaments on the market can produce relatively strong parts, but they are nowhere near as strong as traditional fiber-reinforced resins for injection molding,” Lam said. “We want to make high-strength fiber reinforced plastics available to more users.” materials, and not just those with expensive industrial machines. With these two goals in mind, we developed these two materials to be the strongest on the market, allowing even users of mid-range printers to create products with very High-strength parts.”,
Characteristics of PA-GF20and PK-GF20
Fortis3D’s PA-GF20 and PK-GF20 chopped glass fiber reinforcements can be used to 3D print high-performance functional parts. In addition to their exceptional mechanical strength, both materials are resistant to chemicals, temperatures, impact and abrasion, making them durable in harsh environments. Applications for these materials range from industrial end parts to fixtures.
Most other fiberglass reinforced filaments in the industry use very short (100-300µm) ground glass fibers mixed into various resins. Although they have good strength and printability, they can be very brittle. Cutting the glass fibers to longer lengths (3 mm) provides very high strength while retaining more of the toughness of the base plastic material, but is more challenging to mix. Both types of fibers typically break more during the compounding process, resulting in shorter fibers in the final product; therefore precautions must be taken during processing to minimize fiber breakage.
3DTechnical data of printing materials PA-GF20 and PK-GF20
Fortis3D’s development team optimized fiber loading and processing variables to produce the “strongest” in the field
“One of the fiber-reinforced polyamide filaments with a lower glass fiber content. The reduced glass fiber content enhances printing performance, reduces nozzle wear and increases surface finish. In order to still achieve a high tensile strength of 78MPa after adjustment In addition, a chemical coupling agent is used to strengthen the bond between the glass fiber and the polymer matrix.
It provides over 90% tensile strength retention compared to injection molding and is tougher than other leading brands of fiberglass and carbon fiber reinforced nylon materials. Compared to typical glass fiber reinforced PA6 filament, using SnapPrint with Fortis3D
When using nylon copolymers similar to PA, the moisture absorption rate is reduced by 30%. Compared with glass fiber reinforced PA6 filament, stringiness has been reduced to a minimum even when placed under ambient conditions.
Polyketone (PK) is a terpolymer of propylene, ethylene and carbon monoxide. Its characteristics are similar to PA12, but it has reduced hygroscopicity, higher chemical resistance and impact resistance, and can reduce friction and wear. It also retains mechanical strength after absorbing moisture, unlike nylon. In terms of the environment, polyketone production produces 60% less carbon dioxide than nylon production. However, it is extremely difficult to print independently due to excessive warping and lack of tack to most build table adhesives and materials. To solve this problem, Fortis3D’s development team created a proprietary formula that greatly reduces warpage and conforms to most building table materials using only PVA glue. Chopped glass fibers are added for strength and stiffness, allowing this material to compete with other carbon fiber or glass fiber reinforced nylons in the industry without the danger of excessive moisture absorption. Compared with typical glass fiber reinforced PA6 filament, the moisture absorption is reduced by about 70%, which means that the number of drawings can be limited under environmental conditions in a week, so that the strength of the part is not affected.
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