Formlabs has introduced the Nylon 12 GF Powder, a glass-reinforced plastic powder ideal for producing stiff, thermally stable parts on the Fuse 1 selective laser sintering (SLS) printer.
The Nylon 12 GF Powder is the third material designed specifically for the Fuse 1 ecosystem, providing Formlabs customers with options to scale in-house production affordably. The new material joins Nylon 12 Powder and Nylon 11 Powder in the Formlabs SLS materials library, enabling customers to diversify their operations and scale production with varied material properties.
This new material combines the utility of Nylon 12 with the rigidity and heat resistance of glass filler, making it ideal for any application requiring sustained load-bearing ability and elevated thermal resistance. Fuse 1 users can now add Nylon 12 GF Powder to their catalogue if they need stiff, functional prototypes, robust jigs and fixtures, replacement parts, and parts with threads or sockets.
The Nylon 12 GF Powder can be used for strong, stiff, stable medical devices and replacement parts in the healthcare industry, particularly for customisable end-user medical device components.
High performance versatile materials
The Nylon 12 GF Powder’s tensile modulus is more than 50% higher than that of Nylon 12 Powder, and almost 75% higher than Nylon 11 Powder. Customers should choose Nylon 12 GF Powder when printing parts that need to bear heavy loads for a long time without any bending or elongation.
Stiff, static jigs and fixtures, brackets, mounts, and casings are all product types that would benefit from the strong, rigid mechanical properties of this new powder.
Nylon 12 GF Powder also withstands elevated temperatures, with a heat deflection temperature of 113°C. Many materials can deform when exposed to high heat, and lose their dimensional accuracy, especially when the heat is combined with a load-bearing application. Nylon 12 GF Powder has the necessary thermal stability to withstand many applications where other SLS powders would show signs of elongation and deformation.
Other benefits of Nylon 12 GF Powder include: a minimum refresh rate which ranges from 30-50%, and can be adjusted to minimise material waste, optimise cost per part, or improve part finish; a simplified material changeover process, which reduces downtime and enables more in-house, multi-material production with a single printer unit; among others.
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