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3D SYSTEMS | WHITE PAPER | THE NEW WORLD OF THERMOPLASTIC MANUFACTURING WITH 3D SYSTEMS | JANUARY 2019 02
Why choose SLS?
DuraForm® SLS materials from SLS materials deliver on high tensile prohibitively costly and slow.
3D Systems are delivered in many strengths, high heat resistance and are Functional prototypes such
forms, including pure Nylon 11 suitable for use in harsh environments. as crash testing for helmets and baby
and Nylon 12, both optimized and seats, on-engine parts for air and fluid
Bottom line: when you compare flow, living hinge designs, complex
tolearance-controlled for use with
material properties, you’ll find ducting and enclosures, screw and
3D Systems printers.
DuraForm SLS materials compare fastener testing, and more, can be
For even greater engineered end-use very well with common injection tested and produced using
part performance, 3D Systems has molding materials. DuraForm SLS materials.
developed DuraForm SLS materials
These materials are ideal for both
with fillers such as glass, aluminum and
production and prototype parts. For
mineral fiber. Some SLS materials are
production, DuraForm SLS materials
also compliant with certifications for
are a common replacement for ABS and
USP Class VI, food handling and flame
polypropylene injection molded parts,
retardancy certifications for aerospace,
especially in scenarios of mass custom
and are resistant to fluids such as
manufacturing where traditional
diesel, ethanol, freon, mineral oil, motor
manufacturing processes are
oils, gasoline and more. DuraForm
CONSTANT WALL THICKNESS, NOT SO FOR SLS CONSTRAINED RIB GEOMETRY, NOT SO FOR SLS
Fundamental and common to all plastic injection molded Ribs extending from the surface of a part increase bending
design guidelines is the rule that the designer should stiffness of the part in a more efficient way than simply
maintain a constant wall thickness. This rule is intended adding thickness to the surface. Bending stiffness, or
to address mold filling, packing, shrinkage, residual resistance against bending deformation, is a function of
stress and warpage issues. In particular, variations in material elastic modulus, the area moment of inertia (I) of
wall thickness create variations in shrinkage, which in the rib (beam) cross-section, length of rib and rib boundary
turn create residual stresses, which can cause warpage conditions. In an injection molding part design those elastic
and premature stress failures. modulus, rib length and rib boundary conditions must
remain constant. This means the only parameter available for
In contrast, 3D Systems SLS additive manufacturing the designer to change to achieve greater bending stiffness
eliminates those constraints. Wall thickness can vary as is the area moment of inertia.
needed with only component geometric boundaries and
design stress/strain as limits. Now designers can choose to The formula for moment of inertia of a rectangle about its
place material where it’s needed, driving increased efficiency central axis is I = 1/12 bh^3 where b = width of rectangle
in material usage and component strength while reducing and h = height of rectangle, so increasing the height of a rib
both the material cost and build time as compared to a increases stiffness by the power of 3 vs a linear increase in
design with constant wall sections. You can now build the wall thickness. This is why so many plastic injection molded
part you want, not the part that tooling demands. parts use ribs as an easier way to use a less-costly material
with lower elastic modulus and achieve the same or greater
bending stiffness.
3D SYSTEMS | WHITE PAPER | THE NEW WORLD OF THERMOPLASTIC MANUFACTURING WITH 3D SYSTEMS | JANUARY 2019 03
With design for injection molding, there are ‘cardinal
rules’ designers follow when adding ribs to a component
design. Both rules are in place to help the designer avoid
problems with the injection molding process (voids due
to insufficient mold filling, packing and uniform cooling
rates) and component aesthetics (sink marks on the
surface opposite the rib).
INJECTION MOLDING CARDINAL RULES FOR RIBS SLS CARDINAL RULES FOR RIBS
1. R
ibs can be no thicker than 50-75% of a primary wall 1. Ribs can be as ‘thick’ as needed. With SLS 3D printing,
(30% for highly cosmetic parts with materials sensitive it’s possible to print a hollow rib, achieving greater
to sink marks). Thicker ribs ensure a void at the center thickness with no adverse aesthetic issues while
of the rib to wall intersection and/or a sunken surface maximizing the moment of inertia of the rib. While
(sink mark) on the surface of the component opposite super-thick and solid ribs are printable, they are not
of the rib. an efficient use of material and lengthen cooling time
post-print.
2. R
adius the intersection of rib to the primary wall at
0.25 times the primary wall thickness with a minimum 2. Unlike injection molding where a radius comes at an
radius of 0.010 inch. Neglecting this rule creates a added cost for the tool builder, there is no cost to
stress concentration at the rib to wall intersection and radius rib to wall intersections.
can lead to failure of the component at below-design
3. Ribs can be as tall as needed, within component
loads during end-use.
geometric boundaries.
3. From an injection molding process perspective, ribs
4. Ribs no longer have to be tapered, and in fact can have
should be kept as short as possible and be drafted, or
a reverse taper (thicker at the rib top vs the rib base).
tapered on both sides. Rib heights can be no greater
than 2.5 times the thickness of the primary wall. 5. Ribs can have a perpendicular or angled surface on
top of the rib, like an I-beam. SLS 3D printing is not
4. Ribs should be tapered on both sides (drafted). Draft
constrained by the need to eject the component from
angles can range from 0.5 degrees to 2 degrees. This
a mold. The moment of inertia of an I-beam is much
rule is in place solely to enable ease of ejection from
greater than a rectangle.
the mold. It is worth noting that by requiring the rib to
be tapered limits its height, as with greater height the 6. Ribs do not have to be solid from top to bottom, nor
cross section is increasingly thinner. along their length. Imagine a truss or a gusset. All of
these designs are possible with SLS 3D printing.
3D SYSTEMS | WHITE PAPER | THE NEW WORLD OF THERMOPLASTIC MANUFACTURING WITH 3D SYSTEMS | JANUARY 2019 04
Thermoplastics are the key – and we’ve got a lot of them!
Thermoplastics have become a Stiff/rigid
leading material in manufacturing,
replacing steel in many applications. Flexible/durable
Thermoplastics are extremely durable,
suitable for long-life applications. Now Elastomeric/rubber-like
it is possible to reap the benefits of 3D
High temperature resistance
printing with this valuable material,
extending the use of thermoplastics
High elongation
with design freedom that bypasses
traditional manufacturing limitations.
High impact strength
3D Systems offers a family of
Food grade
engineered thermoplastics specifically
for SLS printing from Nylon 11 (PA
Medical grade
11), Nylon 12 (PA 12). 3D Systems’ key
SLS thermoplastic materials are pure Flame retardant
nylon. Engineers can choose specific
materials based on their requirements
for properties such as:
PERFECT POWDER PURITY
SLS Nylon materials from 3D Systems are formed from
pure nylon11 and nylon12, without additives and binders.
This means that additive nylon parts have exactly the
same material properties as nylon parts created using
traditional manufacturing methods and do not mimic
nylon materials. With SLS Nylon materials customers have
the same experience that they have learned and trusted
for years, making 3D Systems’ SLS platform ideal for
production parts.
3D SYSTEMS | WHITE PAPER | THE NEW WORLD OF THERMOPLASTIC MANUFACTURING WITH 3D SYSTEMS | JANUARY 2019 05
DuraForm EX: a material developed ahead of its time
The DuraForm EX material offers outstanding toughness, excellent impact resistance with
repeatable mechanical properties. In testing, DuraForm EX delivers an impact strength that is
comparable to that seen with injection-molded polypropylene using unnotched Izod testing.
Injection Molded PP
1483
(Polypropylene)
Duraform EX 1486
Duraform PA 336
Duraform GF 123
Brittle Ductile
EX Black (S-Pro)
0 10 20 30 40 50
3D SYSTEMS | WHITE PAPER | THE NEW WORLD OF THERMOPLASTIC MANUFACTURING WITH 3D SYSTEMS | JANUARY 2019 06
When comparing DuraForm EX to three different injection molded plastics, DuraForm has mechanical and thermal properties
that are comparable or exceed injection molded plastics.
Selective Laser
Sintering Injection Molding
Tensile Modulus D638 1517 MPa 1241 MPa 2551 MPa 1930 MPa
Flexural Modulus D790 1310 MPa 1172 MPa 3033 MPa 2137 MPa
Impact Strength
Notched Izod @ 3mm D256 74 J/m 139 J/m 41 J/m 192 J/m
Unnotched Izod @ 3mm D256 1486 J/m 1483 J/m 862 J/m 1793 J/m
Thermal Properties
STRESS TESTING
In stress testing, the stress vs. strain curve for DuraForm EX shows it to be a tougher material than the other materials due to
the large area under stress.
40
DuraForm EX Since SLS is an additive
process that enables complex,
35
consolidated parts, not
ABS restricted by the limitations
30
of traditional manufacturing
25 processes, and material
properties match or exceed
Stress, MPs
PP+20% Talc
20 Polypropylene those of injection molded
parts, SLS should always be
15 considered for low- to mid-
volume production runs of parts
10 as a way to deliver improved
Note: ABS, PP and PP+Talc were injection molded specimens. part performance and end-use
5 customer satisfaction.
DuraForm EX built using selective laser sintering (SLS)
0
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0 10.0
Elongation, percent
3D SYSTEMS | WHITE PAPER | THE NEW WORLD OF THERMOPLASTIC MANUFACTURING WITH 3D SYSTEMS | JANUARY 2019 07
Other SLS Material Properties
SUITABLE FOR FOOD CONTACT AND now often built using a 3D Systems SLS EXCELLENT CHEMICAL RESISTANCE
MEDICAL APPLICATIONS 3D printer. One of its first applications DuraForm PA, a nylon 12 material,
Testing has shown that the SLS for SLS was to build forming inserts possess excellent chemical resistance.
DuraForm PA material is capable and pistons for a potato processing Its strengths are in lower moisture
of meeting USP Class VI and the machine. The traditional method was uptake, and environmental stress-
ISO 10993 certifications. to assemble inserts from five separate cracking resistance when compared to
machined plastic parts held by 25 or other engineering plastics such as PA6
In addition, DuraForm PA is compliant more fasteners. The combination of or PA66, for example.
for food contact certification with the multiple CNC sessions and manual
FDA’s 21CFR, section 177.1500 for assembly meant 250 hours to Testing by materials suppliers of
nylon resins to be used to produce complete a set of 16 forming inserts DuraForm PA show that the material
parts for the processing, handling and and pistons. Idaho Steel now makes has good chemical resistance to over
packaging of non-alcoholic food. It is the same number of parts in 90 hours 140 substances. These include alkalis,
also compliant with the Plastic Directive of mostly unattended continuous organic solvents, petroleum products,
of the European Union, No. 10/2011 runtime on the SLS printer. Manual oils, fats, aromatic and aliphatic
and regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004 for labor in assembly is reduced to about hydrocarbons, ketones, and esters.
plastics as appropriate for use in food four hours for final assembly. The PA12 tends to have good short-term
contact materials. company says the food-safe DuraForm resistance to diluted organic acids at
Pro X PA material is more durable in room temperature. Applications which
Idaho Steel has been building food place components in contact with
operation than the traditional solution,
processing plants since 1918. In recent concentrated acids, oxidizing agents
and a better sanitation choice as
years it has expanded to build one- and certain salts potassium thiocyanate,
fasteners are notorious for harboring
off manufacturing equipment for calcium chloride, and zinc chloride)
potential contamination.
other industries including aerospace, should be avoided.
automotive, medical, consumer, and
industrial machining. Key production Find out more with our SLS eBook
parts — always custom designed — are
3D SYSTEMS | WHITE PAPER | THE NEW WORLD OF THERMOPLASTIC MANUFACTURING WITH 3D SYSTEMS | JANUARY 2019 08
INVENTORY REDUCTION OF IN-CABIN AIRCRAFT PARTS
A major Middle East airline wanted the 3D Systems’ latest DuraForm
to address the issue of reducing FR1200 SLS material, which is FAR
time of Aircraft On Ground (AOG) 25.853 compliant, flame retardant nylon
while streamlining the massive parts material that is 10% lighter than the
inventory needed to keep the fleet average aviation plastic. The end-to-end
in the air. Working with 3D Systems’ process put in place is enabling on-
advanced application engineers, the demand production of lighter in-cabin
airline developed a streamlined 3D parts for immediate installation on
scan, design and print system using the plane.
How SLS and SLS Materials are changing the world around us
3D SYSTEMS | WHITE PAPER | THE NEW WORLD OF THERMOPLASTIC MANUFACTURING WITH 3D SYSTEMS | JANUARY 2019 09
How SLS and SLS Materials are changing the world around us
3D SYSTEMS | WHITE PAPER | THE NEW WORLD OF THERMOPLASTIC MANUFACTURING WITH 3D SYSTEMS | JANUARY 2019 10
Delivering competitive advantage in SLS
A new class of SLS quality: eliminating ’orange peel’ effect in SLS.
An anomaly that has typically occurred in SLS 3D printing • Excellent mechanical properties in density, tensile strength,
since it was invented is what’s known as ‘Orange Peel’. elongation, modulus and EAB
Orange peel occurs for a number of reasons, including • High performance part nesting with a 60% higher density
material blending using recycled powder that has been capability and 20% larger build volume capacity over
through too many heat cycles, resulting in a surface finish similar printers
defect that resembles the texture of an orange peel with
• Digital scanning code that is developed by 3D Systems
bumps and imperfections. To minimize orange peel effect,
scans at 12 meters which is 2x faster than most competitors
operators may have to conduct additional post processing
steps, perform additional testing protocols, or continually • Remote cooling station
add fresh material. Find out more about the ProX SLS 6100 3D printer for your
With the release of the ProX SLS 6100 with its Material Quality prototyping and production needs
Control (MQC) systems, 3D Systems has eliminated any
orange peel effect on parts. This is due to increased material
and build quality assurance tools including:
• Material Quality Control (MQC) system that feeds used
material through a sieve and blends it with fresh powder
toan ideal ratio – all automated and on-demand to eliminate
any manual processes such as hand loading and blending
that may cause uneven layers and an improper mix of
powder. The MQC automatically blends, recycles and
delivers the material in the ProX SLS 6100 system. These
automated actions by the MQC eliminate the inefficiencies
that result from the manual material handling used by
competitive printers, creating a surface finish that is free
of orange peel.
• Patented dual-direction Added Powder Layer (APL) spreads
the powder in even layers throughout the build, which is a Macro view of SLS ‘Orange Macro view of ProX SLS 6100
key factor in eliminating orange peel. peel’ effect
3D SYSTEMS | WHITE PAPER | THE NEW WORLD OF THERMOPLASTIC MANUFACTURING WITH 3D SYSTEMS | JANUARY 2019 11
What’s Next?
Interested in Learning
More About Thermoplastic
Manufacturing?
Get in Touch
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333 Three D Systems Circle application, operating conditions, or with end use. 3D Systems makes no warranties of any type, express
or implied, including, but not limited to, the warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular use.
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