Dutch materials company DSM says its new carbon fibre-filled grade PA6/66 filament Novamid ID1030 CF10 is targeted for 3D printing.

Despite the low carbon fibre loading of 10% – much lower than other carbon filled materials – it produces functional prototyping and industrial parts with properties close to what is usually achievable only by injection moulding while matching the easy and fast printing of unreinforced plastics, says the firm.

The firm also says the Novamid grade is is designed for printing structural parts that are clearly stronger, stiffer and tougher with higher tensile strength and modulus, high dimensional stability and free of warpage.

These mechanical properties and smooth appearance make it ideal for a very broad range of applications that require robust performance possibly at elevated temperatures such as automotive under-the-hood, protective and supporting sports gear; manufacturing jigs and fixtures; medical braces and prosthetics. It’s also a go-to-material for light weight applications across various vertical markets.

The material can be printed on standard desktop fused filament fabrication (FFF) machines with a hardened nozzle. Tests have shown that users can run their printers at the same speeds as with unreinforced plastics, while achieving considerably better strength and toughness. Novamid ID 1030 CF10 has been tested on several open FFF platforms, including on GermanRepRap and the new Ultimaker S5.

“FFF technology is growing rapidly, for use in both prototyping and industrial applications,” said Hugo da Silva, Vice president of Additive Manufacturing at DSM. “With high-performance materials like our new carbon fibre filament, manufacturers can take it into many more applications like functional prototyping as well as durable and structural industrial parts for harsh environments.”

Novamid ID1030 CF10 is available in 1.75 and 2.85 mm, on environmentally friendly cardboard spools for easier recycling, at DSM AM distributors, including from DSM AM distributors FormFutura, MCPP, and Nexeo3DSolutions.

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