The global business unit of DowDuPont Specialty Products Division, DuPont Transportation & Advanced Polymers, showcased its new industrial carbon and glass-reinforced 3D printing filaments at Formnext 2018.
The new material grades, Zytel 3D10C20FL BK544 and Zytel 3D12G30FL BK309, have been derived from the DuPont Zytel specialty nylons for 3D printing. Designed to address the industrial demands for stronger and stiffer materials, the new filaments are said to be comparable to current reinforced injection molding grades.
DuPont’s New Business Development Ernst Poppe said, “To follow these trends, our industrial customers need 3D printing materials that offer similar formulation, mechanical [properties] and chemical properties as our well-known injection molding grades.”
Two New Zytel 3D printing filaments
The first of the new materials to be launched is Zytel 3D12G30FL BK309, which is a black heat-stabilized 30% glass-reinforced polyamide. This filament has a heat deflection temperature of >150°C, and resistance to most cleaning agents, solvents, automotive fluids and fuels at room temperature.
The other filament, Zytel 3D10C20FL BK544, a black 20% carbon fiber reinforced polyamide for lightweight components. It has a heat deflection temperature of >150°C, and is resistant to most solvents, cleaning agents and automotive fluids.
“These new glass and carbon-reinforced 3D filaments are a new step in that direction to help the industry move toward cost-efficient, automated and larger-scale production,” Poppe adds.
These two new filaments have been used within DuPont’s partner German RepRap’s X400 and X500 3D printers. DuPont’s new material grades will be available at the company’s resellers from January 2019.
High-performance 3D printing materials by DuPont
The recent expansion of DuPont, which was founded in 1802 in Wilmington, into high-performance materials for additive manufacturing aims to reach greater design freedom, lightweigh, and reduced product development cycles. This enables for easier part production, customization, rapid prototyping, and tooling.
DuPont is a chemical conglomerate that has produced a vast range of materials and products for food, medical, and consumer sectors.
In 2017, DuPont launched the EVOLV3D Universal Support Material (USM), marking its entry into 3D printing materials market. Initially, the company developed the Zytel, Hytrel, and Surlyn filaments for which illustrated heat resistance with chemical-and-hydrolysis resistance, flexibility, and low-temperature impact toughness and chemical-and abrasion-resistance.
