The manufacturer of Method aims to enable its 3D Printer users to only leverage industrial-grade materials. In this vein, it has increased the number of functional prototyping and end-use applications on Method X with the launch of PC-ABS and PC-ABS FR. The additional materials bring the total number of the 3D printing materials for the 3D printing platform to 10.
What makes these materials outstanding?
In a recent conversation with Sylvia Monsheimer, Evonik’s Head of 3D printing division, she highlighted flame-retardant materials as one of the hot topics the industry has to address. The need for such materials is palpable and it has no yet been fully met.
MakerBot gives a response to this need today with the release of PC-ABS. With the ability to deliver high heat resistant properties and high tensile strength, the PC-ABS (short for polycarbonate-acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) is an ideal candidate for automotive, rail, and electronics applications. It can also be leveraged in the production of handles, adapters and chargers, portable handheld devices, as well as cosmetic covers. It is well known by injection moulding specialists as it offers higher impact strength than the standard ABS material.
The flame-retardant material therefore meets the UL-94 V0 standard, an important fire safety specification.
The PC-ABS on the other hand has achieved more successful application with an enclosed heated chamber. Desktop 3D printers with only a heated build plate might show temperature variations while processing these materials, which can result to part deformation and lower part strength. However, METHOD X 3D printer stands out from the crowd as the manufacturer has increased  maximum enclosed chamber temperature at the build plane from 100°C to up to 110°C. This way, the operator can only achieve the desired superior part accuracy and interlayer adhesion.
“With its excellent thermal and mechanical properties, PC-ABS is a widely-used engineering material for applications that require high impact and heat resistance. METHOD X is the only printer in its price class with a heated chamber that reaches up to 110°C on the build plane, making it ideal for printing PC-ABS,” said Johan-Till Broer, VP of Product Development, MakerBot. “PC-ABS is another example of METHOD’s ability to support real engineering-grade materials that print more successfully with a heated chamber. As a result, this improves the success rate and efficiency of the prototyping process, reducing time to market for new products.”
This announcement follows the release of the MakerBot LABS Experimental Extruder which turns the Method platform into an open platform. The US-based specialist now provides a wide range of engineering-grade materials for the METHOD platform, which also includes ABS, ASA Nylon, PETG, Tough, PLA, SR-30, PVA as well as a diverse host of qualified third-party materials from filament suppliers.
Available in black, the new filaments will be shipped in May 2020.
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