3D Printing
Additive manufacturing for series production
Additive Manufacturing Becomes 30 Times Faster
Performance and Productivity in 3D Printing
Large-format parts, high volumes, maximum productivity - 3D printing with granules opens up new application areas for additive manufacturing. 3D printing is becoming a well-established manufacturing process in a growing number of industry sectors, including the automotive, transportation and renewable energy sectors. Directly processing thermoplastic pellets using screw extrusion in additive manufacturing enables high production speeds of up to 400 mm/s, high output rates > 2 kg/h and build volumes in the cubic meter range.
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Overview of manufacturing processes
Additive or generative manufacturing methods are defined as processes in which components are built up layer by layer starting from 3D volume models. Unlike injection molding, no tool is required. These processes are often also referred to as 3D printing and include several technologies that differ in the materials used and the process of generative built-up. For example, sintering processes with powders (powder bed fusion), photopolymerization of liquid polymers and material extrusion are used to process plastics. Material strands are deposited in extrusion processes (FLM - Fused Layer Modeling). Plastics are fed in extrusion processes as filament (FFF - Fused Filament Fabrication) or in the form of pellets (FGF - Fused Granulate Fabrication).
In subtractive manufacturing, on the other hand, a component is produced by removing material. For example, a smaller component is created from a material blank by grinding, drilling or milling.
Parts produced by 3D printing are often post-processed to achieve improved dimensional and surface tolerances. Particularly in the FGF process also called SEAM (Screw Extrusion Additive Manufacturing), the combination of additive and subtractive manufacturing is useful to additively print components with a high output rate and to locally rework functional areas by subtractive processes.
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Advantages of FGF
Why pellet printing revolutionizes additive maufacturing
- Performance
- 1
- Productivity
- 2
- Economic Efficiency
- 3
Machine and part sizes in pellet printing
AM for prototyping
Development and pre-series
Small series
Processing of special materials, e.g. FR compounds
AM for series production
Large parts with optimized geomety
Integrated functionality and complex structures
Cost and time savings in small and medium size projects
AM for tooling
large format printing with bead cross-sections > 100 mm² and subsequent machining
molds for lamination, thermoforming and light-RTM
production of large format GFRP (Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastics) and CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics) parts
Facts about pellet printing
General
Standard pellets are usually cheaper than filament, as the filament production step is eliminated. In addition, many special materials are available that meet certain requirements (e.g. flame retardancy) and can therefore be used for spare parts in the relevant industries. Furthermore, higher reinforcement percentages are possible than in filament. With fiber contents of up to 60 wt% GF or 40 wt% CF respectively, the range of applications is extended.
Printability depends on the material properties. Semi-crystalline plastics, for example, can only be processed well if they are fiber-reinforced. The fibers reduce the shrinkage of the material so that dimensionally stable components can be produced. Amorphous plastics can also be printed without reinforcement.
The viscosity of the material as well plays a role.
Especially fibers reduce the warpage of semi-crystalline polymers effectively. Thus, fibers help to produce dimensionally stable parts. Saying that, the influence of carbon fibers on shrinkage is higher than that of glass fibers, as well as they lead to a better surface quality. In general, a fiber reinforcement can also help increasing the production speed due to a better dimensional stability under heat compared to unfilled polymers.
Part size and level of detail should be in line with the machine size. Limitations in the layer build time also depend on the material. The higher the melting point of the material, the shorter the maximum layer build time. In case the process is limited by the layer build time, the effective part size can be increased by increasing the printing speed and choosing a larger bead cross-section. A simulation of the process and temperatures can also be used to validate and optimize the part.
Additive manufacturing with pellets is used both in the prototype phase and in the series production of structural components. Another area of application is tooling.
The surface quality depends on the material and the printing parameters.
If smooth surfaces and low tolerances are required, it may be necessary to rework the surface.
In general, components are printed without a support structure in order to avoid additional material costs and because the structures would be much more difficult to remove than in filament printing due to the strand size. Depending on the geometry, portal machines offer the option of setting the extruder at a fixed angle in order to better adapt the mechanical properties in the component to the load case. Robot-guided extruders offer additional degrees of freedom, which can also be extended by a build platform on a rotary tilting table. Non-planar path planning allows printing of 90° overhangs. In addition, the layer height can be varied in one layer to avoid the extruder coming off and on. This requires the appropriate slicing software.
AKRO Compounds
We mainly offer fiber-reinforced polyamide and polyester compounds. In addition to standard injection molding pellets, we also have compounds specially developed for additive manufacturing in our portfolio, such as carbon fibre-reinforced PA11, PP and ABS or ASA.
You can find an overview of our compounds in the Compound Explorer.
Further, we offer special purging compounds.
Our portfolio mainly includes engineering plastics that are particularly suitable for the production of structural components and can also be used for mold making.
Of course, applications beyond this can also be realized and we are happy to support you with the implementation!
AKRO-PLASTIC provides support in the application-specific selection of compounds for large-format 3D printing. We generate mechanical characteristic values for additively manufactured components. To do this, we use AM-specific test specimens that are representative of their application.
We offer application engineering support in the design of components and processes. For example, we advise on design and path planning for AM projects.
The mechanical properties of additively manufactured components depend on the orientation of the strands. In the direction of deposition (0°/XY), the reinforcing fibers are strongly oriented. This results in strengths that can also be above the specified injection molding values. In the 90°/XZ direction, the strength is mainly determined by the properties of the matrix polymer. This results in fiber-reinforced compounds with strengths in the 90° direction that are significantly lower than those in the 0° direction. We can provide you with detailed mechanical properties for AM compounds on request. Please do not hesitate to contact us.
Material qualification at AKRO-PLASTIC
Applications
Realized projects in large format additive manufacturing (LFAM)
Center console carrier
The printed center console carrier of BMW goes into series production. Compared to the previous model, it has a lower weight, overall lower costs and better recyclability.
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Covid-Shield carrier
The carrier was printed as small series and enabled an ongoing taxi-service during the Covid19 pandemic.
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Rear rack
Perfectly adapted rear rack for police vans. Takes maximal advantage of the given space and saves over 25 kg of weight.
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Polymer-Metal-Hybrid
Plasma treatment of surfaces enables a firm bond between polymer and metal. Thus, functional hybrid parts offering large freedom of design can be produced with the help of additive manufacturing.
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Disclaimer: All specifications and information given on this website are based on our current knowledge and experience. A legally binding promise of certain characteristics or suitability for a concrete individual case cannot be derived from this information. The information supplied here is not intended to release processors and users from the responsibility of carrying out their own tests and inspections in each concrete individual case. AKRO®, AKROMID®, AKROLEN®, AKROLOY®, AKROTEK®, ICX®, PRECITE® and DIA(hr)LOG® are registered trademarks of AKRO-PLASTIC GmbH.