Extrusion temperature
ABS
ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is a strong popular filament that is used widely for 3D printing parts. It has strong material properties which produce parts with high impact, high-temperature
Printing tips
Temperature: ABS is very sensitive to temperature fluctuations during the printing process. It often cracks or warps as different layers cool differently. To ensure this issue is mitigated, our printers come with an enclosure system and heated bed to produce better results.
Sunlight: Direct sunlight over long periods can degrade the quality of the printed object so store ABS parts away from UV sources.
Heat Resistant
Impact Resistant
Rigid
ABS PRINTING GUIDESLINES
Bed temperature
± 90 ºC
Weight (kg)
0.75
Warping
High
Layer bonding
Medium
Suitable for
Bolt Pro, Xeed
Filament diameter (mm)
1.75
Applications
Visual Prototypes
ABS is a material that is already used widely, not only in the 3D printing world. One example is Lego blocks which are produced with ABS filament. For visual prototypes it is a viable material that can offer great parts that can showcase the desired printed object. Its visual qualities can also be improved by using finishers like acetone, painting or sanding to smoothen the surface offering a great gloss, therefore achieving the desired aesthetic.
Functional Prototypes
Offering great mechanical properties such as heat resistance, durability, impact resistance and wear resistance means that ABS is great for functional parts. Due to its quality and durability, ABS produce parts like gears that will last longer if properly stored.
Injection Molds
ABS is also a popular plastic that is used to create injection moulds for production parts. It can also be used to create prototypes of moulds to ensure that mistakes are rectified before actual production. Due to its ease and the cost of creating standard moulds, ABS moulds are a great method to bridge the gap between prototyping and the production of actual end use moulds for any organization.
Tooling
Due to its durability, ABS is also used in the production of tooling, jigs and fixtures inside organizations. Using 3D printing, parts can be cost effectively produced, designed and used within an organization. Iterations can be easily made by giving organizations the agile abilities in their day to day operations.
ABS
Carbon
E-PLA
Flex
HIPS
Hybrid
Nylon
PETG
PP
Scaffold
ABS
ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is a strong popular filament that is used widely for 3D printing parts. It has strong material properties which produce parts with high impact, high-temperature
Printing tips
Temperature: ABS is very sensitive to temperature fluctuations during the printing process. It often cracks or warps as different layers cool differently. To ensure this issue is mitigated, our printers come with an enclosure system and heated bed to produce better results.
Sunlight: Direct sunlight over long periods can degrade the quality of the printed object so store ABS parts away from UV sources.
Carbon
Carbon filament is great for printing strong and durable parts. It is the perfect choice for mechanical parts, housing, shells or other protective casings. Carbon filament usually contains additional printing materials within its composition (ABS, PETG, NYLON etc.) depending on the product needed.
Printing tips
Steel Nozzles: Carbon filament is very abrasive and it is better to print with steel nozzles to reduce clogging.
Print Speed: To ensure better results, print carbon parts with a lower printing speed. This will ensure better results.
E-PLA
Leapfrog Engineering PLA (Polylactic Acid)is a biodegradable plastic that was formulated to provide greater durability than standard PLA without compromising on its eases of use when printing. PLA is the most popular filament used globally, offering great print quality with good dimensional accuracy and is used in many applications.
E-PLA is used in various settings mainly due to its ease of use compared to other filaments. It is the best filament to begin with for novice 3D printing users.
Printing tips
Sunlight: Direct sunlight over long periods can degrade the quality of the printed object so store E-PLA parts inside.
Storage: Store the filament in dry areas since it absorbs moisture.
Flex
Flex is a filament that uses a combination of plastic and rubber. The main benefit of Flex filament is the creation of flexible prints with elastic properties. When printing with Flex, the amount of infill can control the stiffness of your print. Flex printed with 100% infill will be quite rigid, whereas a 0% infill would create a rubber tube or even balloon-like print.
Flex can be used for rubber wheels, mechanical grips or tough durable parts with superb shock absorption using 100% infill.
Printing tips
Print Speed: Use consistent flow rates and also smaller layer heights to ensure better interlayer adhesion.
Storage: Keep flexible filament dry and away from moisture.
HIPS
HIPS is a filament that is used to both print objects and acts as support material during the construction of complex geometric objects with angles greater than 45 degrees. Acting as a support material, HIPS is easily removed when the completed object is submerged in D’Limonene where HIPS is soluble. The best material to pair HIPS with as support is ABS since they both have very similar mechanical properties. If used as a standard material, HIPS objects are very stiff and have good heat resistance.
Printing tips
Heated Bed: Temperature affects HIPS when printing and you need to ensure better management for better printing results.
Hybrid
Leapfrog Hybrid (CPE) is a strong material that is easy to print with and has various properties that make it an ideal material for large objects or objects that are used for mechanical prototypes. In terms of durability, it is between ABS and PLA and produces objects that can withstand high temperatures.
Printing tips
Temperature: Printing with Hybrid requires correct print bed temperature settings and
Nylon
Nylon is a well known and very tough filament that has a wide array of applications. It’ is slightly flexible giving it the ability to bend without breaking and has durability properties such as heat resistance and impact resistance. Compared to other materials, it is the most versatile due.
Printing tips
Storage: Nylon filament like some other filaments can absorb moisture from the air and can lead to printing issues.
PETG
Polyethylene Terephthalate is the most widely used plastic globally and is used to create various products like standard water bottles. PETG on the other hand is specifically designed for 3D printing applications and is considered the bridge in terms of mechanical properties between PLA and ABS. It offers strength, impact resistance and chemical resistance without having issues like warping.
Having similar properties to PLA and ABS, PETG is a great filament for a number of applications that require more durability than PLA can offer, while being easier to print with than ABS.
Printing tips
Print Speed: We recommend printing with lower than average print speed if the desire is to achieve better strength properties due to better layer adhesion.
Storage: Store the filament in dry areas since it absorbs moisture.
PP
PP (Polypropylene) is a light flexible material that offers a number of highly desired properties. It has high impact strength and bending abilities making it great for parts that require heavy use. In the consumer market, it is used for applications, such as packaging, stationary and more.
Printing tips
Temperature: Printing with Polypropylene requires planning and careful temperature management to ensure successful prints. It is a material that is not as forgiving as E-PLA during the printing process.
Storage: Store the filament in dry areas since it absorbs moisture.
Scaffold
Scaffold Soluble Support Filament is used to print complex geometric parts. Objects that have angles greater than 45 degrees or overhangs require another material to keep the shape uniform, especially during the printing and cooling process.
Printing tips
Storage: Scaffold being soluble in water means it is highly hygroscopic and should be stored in a dry environment.
