Plastic 3D Printing
Plastic 3D printing has the characteristics of affordability, ease of use, and the ability to quickly generate complex geometric shapes. This technology is widely used to create prototypes and conceptual models. It is used to produce various consumer goods, including toys, household items, and electronic casings.
Plastic 3D Printing
Plastic 3D printing service is a rapid prototyping technology that creates physical models or parts by stacking plastic materials layer by layer. It has a wide range of application areas, including manufacturing prototypes, customized workpieces, products manufactured in each industry, automotive applications, as well as the construction and medical fields.
The Advantages of Plastic 3D Printing
1.Integrated Product Molding
The feature that plastic 3D printing can achieve integrated molding of products will greatly help shorten the supply chain and save a lot of time in labor and transportation. In general, large-scale production is built on some foundations, such as industrial chains and assembly lines. In the current manufacturing industry, the components produced by equipment have similarities, and then workers assemble the produced workpieces. Because the more components a product consists of, the greater the impact it will have on the supply chain and product line, and the more time it takes to assemble and transport it. Due to its production characteristics, custom 3D printing can simultaneously print a door and its supporting hinges, allowing for integrated molding without the need for time to reassemble. The equipment for plastic 3D printing also has the feature of integrating parts for molding, which will significantly help reduce the operation time and transportation of technical personnel.
At the same time, another benefit of resin 3D printing equipment is that because everyone’s needs are different, this plastic 3D printing can also be carried out according to people’s needs, playing a maximum role in both inventory and transportation costs. The production of plastic 3D printing not only further improves the business model, but also minimizes the actual inventory of enterprises with the convenience it brings. Designate processing according to customer needs, allowing enterprises to activate plastic 3D printers based on user orders, and print special or customized products according to customer needs. These products have high quality and high precision. If the required workpieces can be produced locally as needed, then this zero inventory, short delivery production method has played a great role, mainly in minimizing long-distance transportation costs. There is a close connection between inventory and the supply chain, and efforts should be made to minimize the supply chain. Due to the longer supply chain, the more inventory and waste there will be, and the more pollution production and manufacturing will cause to society, all of which will have an extremely significant impact on reducing social pollution.
2. Manufacturing Complex and Diverse Workpieces
Plastic 3D printing equipment does not have a fixed requirement for the complexity of the shape of the manufactured workpiece and can print workpieces of various shapes. Whether the shape of the processed product is simple or complex, the consumption cost in both cases is the same. In most cases, regarding manufacturing, the more complex the shape of the workpiece, the higher the manufacturing requirements. However, for plastic 3D printers, the manufactured items will not incur more material costs as the shape becomes more complex. Creating a high-precision, complex-shaped item is not significantly different from printing a simple square of the same volume in terms of manufacturing time and raw materials.
Printing that manufactures complex items without increasing material waste will fundamentally break traditional manufacturing methods and change the way the entire manufacturing industry is composed. There are many types of shapes that a plastic 3D printer can print, and even multiple materials can be used. Plastic 3D printing equipment can produce items of different shapes. However, most traditional manufacturing equipment has a relatively single function, and the types of shapes that can be made are not extensive. Plastic 3D printers will also eliminate the training and training of technical personnel.
3.Reduce Raw Material Waste
Compared to traditional manufacturing techniques, plastic 3D printers produce relatively fewer raw materials. There is a lot of waste of raw materials in traditional metal processing and manufacturing, and some refined production may even result in the waste of most raw materials. Relatively speaking, plastic 3D printers have great advantages in terms of raw material waste, and this technology will not cause a lot of raw material waste. With the advancement of plastic 3D printing materials, this printing technology may replace traditional processes as a more economical and environmentally friendly processing method.
Materials for Plastic 3D Printing
Plastic, also known as resin, is widely used and has gradually become the most common material in various production and manufacturing due to its ability to freely change its shape and style. It is usually synthesized or polymerized through a condensation reaction using monomer raw materials, consisting of synthetic resins and fillers, plasticizers, stabilizers, lubricants, colorants, and other additives. The main component of plastic is resin, which accounts for half or more of the total weight of plastic. The term resin was originally named after lipids secreted by animals and plants, such as rosin, shellac, etc., referring to high polymers that have not yet been mixed with various additives. Therefore, the basic properties of plastics mainly depend on the material properties of resins, but additives also play a very important role. Some plastic materials are mainly composed of synthetic resins and do not contain or only contain small amounts of additives, such as organic glass, polystyrene, etc.
Because plastic is a material mainly composed of high molecular weight organic substances and presents a solid shape upon processing, liquefaction flow is often used for shaping during manufacturing and processing. In the industrial field, PP (polypropylene, commonly known as 100-fold adhesive or plastic), HDPE (scientific name high-density polyethylene, commonly known as hard and soft adhesive), LDPE (low-density polyethylene, commonly used in plastic films, plastic films, etc.), PVC (polyvinyl chloride, commonly known as enamel), and PS (polystyrene commonly used in bowl-shaped instant noodle boxes, fast food boxes) are generally referred to as the five major general-purpose plastics. But in 3D printing, the most commonly used plastic materials are ABS and PLA, which are not among the five most commonly used plastics. There are two main types of plastic materials for 3D printing.
ABS: Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer. This plastic material is a widely used engineering plastic with outstanding physical, mechanical, and thermal properties. It is widely used in automotive parts, household appliances, panels, handles, assemblies, accessories, and also in household appliances (such as washing machines, air conditioners, refrigerators, fans, etc.). Plastic materials are widely used. In addition, plastic modification has a wide range of applications. Due to its excellent plastic modification characteristics, it has become the longest-used plastic material for melt extrusion (FDM) 3D printers.
PLA: Polylactic acid (PLA). This is a thermoplastic aliphatic polyester. The lactic acid and lactide required for the production of polylactic acid can be obtained through fermentation, dehydration, and purification of renewable resources. The advantage of the obtained polylactic acid is that it has good mechanical and processing properties. However, polylactic acid products do not pose any harm to the environment. Due to the rapid degradation of PLA materials through various means after disposal, polylactic acid is considered a green plastic with good usability. Due to the production and processing of biodegradable plastics from polylactic acid, they can fully replace traditional petrochemical plastics currently used. In addition to being more environmentally friendly, clinical trials have also shown that using PLA as a material to make human bone materials has better results in repairing human bone defects and other fields compared to other plastics.
The Technology of Plastic 3D Printing
Melt extrusion technology (FD), also known as melt deposition or melt deposition, mainly uses filamentous hot melt materials as raw materials. By heating and melting, the liquefied raw materials are extruded out through a micro nozzle, and the raw materials are sprayed out and deposited on the production panel or the previous layer of cured material. Once the temperature drops below the melting point, it begins to solidify and the final product is formed by stacking the material layer by layer.
Due to process requirements, technicians usually need to set basic information such as layer spacing and path width before working on plastic 3D printers. Then, the slicing engine slices the 3D model and generates a printing path. Then, under the control of the upper software and printer, the printing nozzle moves in different planes based on the horizontal layering data, and the vertical movement in the Z-axis direction is completed by the workbench. At the same time, the wire is sent from the wire feeding component to the nozzle, which is heated and melted. Generally, the heating temperature is set a few degrees above the melting point of the raw material. This way, when the material is extruded from the nozzle and bonded to the workbench, it will quickly cool and solidify. The material printed in this way quickly fuses with the previous layer. After each layer of cross-section is completed, the workbench descends by a height of one layer thickness, and the printer continues to print the next layer, repeating this step until the entire design model is completed.
There are many benefits to this technology, mainly including the complexity of the printing model does not affect the printing process, and it can be used to make items with complex cavities and holes. The process of plastic 3D printing does not affect the raw materials, such as no chemical changes, and the printed items have high precision. The utilization rate of raw materials is high, printing does not cause too much material waste, and the material storage time is long. The operation steps of the 3D printing process are not very complex, so technicians are relatively simple in operation, with a short process flow, and can directly print without the need for other complex processes. The construction principle and operation of hot melt extrusion components are relatively simple, maintenance and operation are convenient, and the system operation is relatively safe for operators.
The material used in plastic 3D printing is plastic, and there are many types of plastic materials. This material is known for its excellent strength and durability and is widely used to manufacture various practical items such as automotive parts and home decor. Plastic 3D printing is usually provided in the form of fine threads, printed through a heated nozzle.
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