Overview of materials for 3D printing ESUN
3D printing technologies are not standing still. Plastics manufacturers do not stand still - new types of plastic appear, old ones are improving. Beginner can be difficult to understand the diversity of materials. For them, we decided to write a small review on plastics produced by ESUN, the largest plastic manufacturer for 3D printers in the world.
PLA
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PLA - due to its low melting point and shrinkage is one of the most affordable materials for 3D printing. Does not require a heated table in the printer. Plastic is biodegradable, non-toxic. When printing, it almost does not smell or has the aroma of burnt sugar.
A huge palette of colors (including fluorescent colors) allows you to print a variety of products without subsequent painting and post-processing.
More recently, a palette of transparent plastics of various colors has been added.
The solvent for PLA is dichloromethane (methylene chloride, methylene chloride). When printing, it is very important to blow models from PLA well and not to overheat them.
The cost of the coil weighing 1 kg - 1450 rubles.
ABS
ABS - high impact thermoplastic. Very popular due to its physical and mechanical properties. It is perfectly processed - sand, drilled, sawn. Well suited for printing functional models.
Or models that require further painting and refinement.
It is well dissolved by acetone. Due to this, it is possible to obtain glossy products using an acetone bath.
A variety of color palettes is not inferior to PLA.
There are of course its drawbacks and nuances. ABS when printing gives a strong shrinkage because of this, it is desirable to use a printer with a closed chamber and a heated table.
The solvent for ABS is Acetone.
The cost of the coil weighing 1 kg - 1450 rubles.
PETG
PETG - polyethylene terephthalate glycol, high impact polyethylene terephthalate plastic with the addition of glycol (according to the international designation PET-G).
Very interesting material is something between ABS and PLA. The material has a slight shrinkage, they can be printed on the printer without a heated table. At the same time, the material is beautifully skinned and processed.
There is already a palette of colors more modest. Mostly transparent colors with the exception of black and white.
The solvent is methyl ethyl ketone, cyclohexanone.
The cost of the coil weighing 1 kg - 1950 rubles.
Polycarbonate or ePC
Impact resistant, tough, heat-resistant material resistant to shock. The main difference from other types of plastic is low flammability. Interesting to print ready-made functional products.
When printing capricious. Be sure to have a camera and a heated platform. Temperature of the press is 260 - 300 degrees. Not every printer can heat an extruder to this temperature.
Plastic is available only in one color - natural.
The cost of the coil weighing 1 kg - 2400 rubles.
ePA ESUN
Or just nylon. Durable, easily processed, with excellent slip ratio (you can print sleeves), which makes it quite popular.
Great for printing gears and mechanisms, due to excellent wear resistance.
For printing, a heated table and a closed chamber are required.
Only one color is available - natural.
The cost of the coil weighing 1 kg - 3200 rubles.
ePA-CF
This is the same ePA only with the addition of carbon fiber.
This makes products from ePA-CF even more durable, tough and durable. Plus, the products are obtained with a very beautiful, matte, black color.
For printing, a printer with a closed chamber and a heated table is recommended.
eFlex
Flex is a special flexible material that resembles hard silicone. Products from it turn out flexible and strong on a gap.
Only one color is available - natural.
It is better to print at low speeds, about 15-30 mm / s, otherwise the bar can be “chewed” by the feed mechanism. A 1.75 bar is well suited for “direct” feed to printers. (motor on printer head), bowden feed (motor on printer case) has problems with printing with soft plastic.
The cost of the coil weighing 1 kg - 2750 rubles.
Bronze
This is a decorative PLA plastic with a beautiful bronze color. Suitable for printing decorative items. Finished models look very advantageous and unusual, especially the busts.
Ideal for printing finished products in bronze - busts, figurines, key chains.
It is printed almost like PLA - you can print on a cold table, the main thing is to blow the model well.
The cost of the coil weighing 0.5 kg - 2100 rubles.
Wood
Decorative plastic with the color "under the wood."
Unlike plastic with wooden filler, it is very easy to print and does not clog the nozzle. But does not change its color with temperature.
The color is obtained with pearlescent shine, but close to the light wood.
The cost per coil weighing 0.5 kg - 2 100 rubles.
eCopper, eAfill and eSteel
Plastics with metal powder (aluminum, stainless steel or copper). As well as Bronze are interesting in decorative application.
After printing for “opening” the metal filling, we recommend cleaning the model with a metal brush.
Chic for printing decorative trinkets. If the keychain is scratched or rubbed - it will remain the same "metal".
When printing, problems with sticking the first layer may occur, so it’s best to print on printers with a heated table.
The cost of the coil weighing 1 kg .: eAfill - 3,700 rubles, eCopper - 4,200 rubles, the supply of eSteel has not yet begun, the price has not been determined.
Hips
HIPS is a thermoplastic polymer. It is obtained by adding polybutadiene to polystyrene during polymerization. Due to the fact that the solvent for it is limonene - most often used as a support material for plastics with a high temperature of printing.
HIPS support is easily broken out and washed out.
Although you can use HIPS as a standalone material.
HIPS is softer than ABS. Easy to sand and handle. Since the material is most often used as support, we offer only natural and black color, although ESUN produces a full palette.
HIPS printing is very similar to ABS plastic printing. It is advisable to print on a printer with a heated platform and a closed case.
The cost of the coil weighing 1 kg - 1950 rubles.
PVA
PVA - or polyvinyl alcohol.
PVA is soluble in water, which makes it unsuitable for creating functional models, but it can be used as a support.
Capricious in print due to its fluidity. Reprinted in the same way as PLA - good airflow is important.
The cost of the coil weighing 0.5 kg - 2950 rubles
Cleaning plastic ESUN
From the name it is clear that the plastic is designed to clean the nozzle of the printer.
Well suited for atomic cleaning of an extruder, or for cleaning the nozzle when replacing a plastic type.
The application is quite simple, heat the extruder to 150 - 220 degrees, insert the thread and wait until it comes out through the nozzle with the remnants of dirt and frozen plastic.
The cost per 100 grams of plastic is 500 rubles.
Results:
All information on plastics, we have combined into a table.
We hope it will be useful for beginners to master the basics of 3D printing.
By tradition, a minute of advertising. Buying equipment in our company, you get 10 advantages:
The review was prepared by the specialist in 3D printing of Color World company, Anna Panfilova.
Subscribe to our groups on Facebook , VK and YouTube to keep up with the latest events.
- Founded in 2002, and located in the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, ESUN is a high-tech enterprise specializing in the research, development and production of degradable polymeric materials such as PLA, as well as other types of plastics. ESUN owns three R & D centers that specialize in the synthesis of materials for their modification and application.
- Beginning in 2007, ESUN began developing materials for 3D printing. During this time, the company managed to develop materials such as PLA, ABS, PVA (water-soluble support material) and others. Using exclusive formulas, and professional production lines, the company produces a plastic thread of absolute round shape, while respecting a given thread diameter, high strength, a large palette of colors and a stable melting point.
PLA
')
PLA - due to its low melting point and shrinkage is one of the most affordable materials for 3D printing. Does not require a heated table in the printer. Plastic is biodegradable, non-toxic. When printing, it almost does not smell or has the aroma of burnt sugar.
A huge palette of colors (including fluorescent colors) allows you to print a variety of products without subsequent painting and post-processing.
More recently, a palette of transparent plastics of various colors has been added.
The solvent for PLA is dichloromethane (methylene chloride, methylene chloride). When printing, it is very important to blow models from PLA well and not to overheat them.
The cost of the coil weighing 1 kg - 1450 rubles.
ABS
ABS - high impact thermoplastic. Very popular due to its physical and mechanical properties. It is perfectly processed - sand, drilled, sawn. Well suited for printing functional models.
Or models that require further painting and refinement.
It is well dissolved by acetone. Due to this, it is possible to obtain glossy products using an acetone bath.
A variety of color palettes is not inferior to PLA.
There are of course its drawbacks and nuances. ABS when printing gives a strong shrinkage because of this, it is desirable to use a printer with a closed chamber and a heated table.
The solvent for ABS is Acetone.
The cost of the coil weighing 1 kg - 1450 rubles.
PETG
PETG - polyethylene terephthalate glycol, high impact polyethylene terephthalate plastic with the addition of glycol (according to the international designation PET-G).
Very interesting material is something between ABS and PLA. The material has a slight shrinkage, they can be printed on the printer without a heated table. At the same time, the material is beautifully skinned and processed.
There is already a palette of colors more modest. Mostly transparent colors with the exception of black and white.
The solvent is methyl ethyl ketone, cyclohexanone.
The cost of the coil weighing 1 kg - 1950 rubles.
Polycarbonate or ePC
Impact resistant, tough, heat-resistant material resistant to shock. The main difference from other types of plastic is low flammability. Interesting to print ready-made functional products.
When printing capricious. Be sure to have a camera and a heated platform. Temperature of the press is 260 - 300 degrees. Not every printer can heat an extruder to this temperature.
Plastic is available only in one color - natural.
The cost of the coil weighing 1 kg - 2400 rubles.
ePA ESUN
Or just nylon. Durable, easily processed, with excellent slip ratio (you can print sleeves), which makes it quite popular.
Great for printing gears and mechanisms, due to excellent wear resistance.
For printing, a heated table and a closed chamber are required.
Only one color is available - natural.
The cost of the coil weighing 1 kg - 3200 rubles.
ePA-CF
This is the same ePA only with the addition of carbon fiber.
This makes products from ePA-CF even more durable, tough and durable. Plus, the products are obtained with a very beautiful, matte, black color.
For printing, a printer with a closed chamber and a heated table is recommended.
eFlex
Flex is a special flexible material that resembles hard silicone. Products from it turn out flexible and strong on a gap.
Only one color is available - natural.
It is better to print at low speeds, about 15-30 mm / s, otherwise the bar can be “chewed” by the feed mechanism. A 1.75 bar is well suited for “direct” feed to printers. (motor on printer head), bowden feed (motor on printer case) has problems with printing with soft plastic.
The cost of the coil weighing 1 kg - 2750 rubles.
Bronze
This is a decorative PLA plastic with a beautiful bronze color. Suitable for printing decorative items. Finished models look very advantageous and unusual, especially the busts.
Ideal for printing finished products in bronze - busts, figurines, key chains.
It is printed almost like PLA - you can print on a cold table, the main thing is to blow the model well.
The cost of the coil weighing 0.5 kg - 2100 rubles.
Wood
Decorative plastic with the color "under the wood."
Unlike plastic with wooden filler, it is very easy to print and does not clog the nozzle. But does not change its color with temperature.
The color is obtained with pearlescent shine, but close to the light wood.
The cost per coil weighing 0.5 kg - 2 100 rubles.
eCopper, eAfill and eSteel
Plastics with metal powder (aluminum, stainless steel or copper). As well as Bronze are interesting in decorative application.
After printing for “opening” the metal filling, we recommend cleaning the model with a metal brush.
Chic for printing decorative trinkets. If the keychain is scratched or rubbed - it will remain the same "metal".
When printing, problems with sticking the first layer may occur, so it’s best to print on printers with a heated table.
The cost of the coil weighing 1 kg .: eAfill - 3,700 rubles, eCopper - 4,200 rubles, the supply of eSteel has not yet begun, the price has not been determined.
Hips
HIPS is a thermoplastic polymer. It is obtained by adding polybutadiene to polystyrene during polymerization. Due to the fact that the solvent for it is limonene - most often used as a support material for plastics with a high temperature of printing.
HIPS support is easily broken out and washed out.
Although you can use HIPS as a standalone material.
HIPS is softer than ABS. Easy to sand and handle. Since the material is most often used as support, we offer only natural and black color, although ESUN produces a full palette.
HIPS printing is very similar to ABS plastic printing. It is advisable to print on a printer with a heated platform and a closed case.
The cost of the coil weighing 1 kg - 1950 rubles.
PVA
PVA - or polyvinyl alcohol.
PVA is soluble in water, which makes it unsuitable for creating functional models, but it can be used as a support.
Capricious in print due to its fluidity. Reprinted in the same way as PLA - good airflow is important.
The cost of the coil weighing 0.5 kg - 2950 rubles
Cleaning plastic ESUN
From the name it is clear that the plastic is designed to clean the nozzle of the printer.
Well suited for atomic cleaning of an extruder, or for cleaning the nozzle when replacing a plastic type.
The application is quite simple, heat the extruder to 150 - 220 degrees, insert the thread and wait until it comes out through the nozzle with the remnants of dirt and frozen plastic.
The cost per 100 grams of plastic is 500 rubles.
Results:
All information on plastics, we have combined into a table.
We hope it will be useful for beginners to master the basics of 3D printing.
By tradition, a minute of advertising. Buying equipment in our company, you get 10 advantages:
- Ability to use the program Trade In.
- Warranty - 12 months
- Instructions in Russian
- Technical support throughout the lifetime
- You buy a 3D printer from an official distributor in Russia
- Free shipping.
- Free training in our office.
- The ability to buy a printer on credit through banks TKS, OTP, Renaissance.
- 10% discount on plastic forever.
- The opportunity to get acquainted with the printer in our demo room.
The review was prepared by the specialist in 3D printing of Color World company, Anna Panfilova.
Subscribe to our groups on Facebook , VK and YouTube to keep up with the latest events.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/403117/
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