Polycarbonate 3D Printer

What Is a Polycarbonate 3D Printer?

A polycarbonate 3D printer is a device that uses polycarbonate as a filament material (the material used in 3D printers) to produce three-dimensional objects from 3D CAD data (STL data).

The workpiece manufacturing method is called FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling), in which the filament material is melted and eluted at high heat to create a shape according to the design data by piling up two-dimensional thin layers of material.

Polycarbonate material, in particular, has excellent heat resistance and mechanical strength. As such, it is used in the production of automotive and mechanical parts.

Uses of Polycarbonate 3D Printers

Polycarbonate is a typical engineering plastic material with higher mechanical strength and heat resistance than general plastic materials.

Workpieces made of polycarbonate are used for the following purposes:

1. Prototypes
   Prototypes are used for mechanical performance testing of molded products, not just for visual shape confirmation samples.
2. Jigs and tools
   Used as jigs and tools to be used repeatedly due to its strong and hard material.
3. Final products (mainly parts)
   After printing, parts can be polished and painted, so they are used as end-consumer products (or parts).

Features of Polycarbonate 3D Printers

Parts produced by polycarbonate 3D printers have the following characteristics:

Advantages

1. Mechanical strength can be maintained even when stored at temperatures of 100°C or higher for extended periods of time.
2. When metal-based parts are replaced with polycarbonate, the weight of the material can be reduced while retaining its strength.
3. Can be used to produce special jigs with high mechanical strength.
4. Since parts can be manufactured directly from design data (STL data), no inventory is kept and only the necessary amount of parts can be produced when needed.

Disadvantages

1. Temperature control
   The nozzle of the 3D printer is hot and the temperature must be controlled (150-310℃). If the temperature setting is too high, stringiness or blurring may occur, resulting in inaccurate printing.
2. Warpage
   It is important to prevent warpage by using a special sheet.
3. Control of material extrusion speed at the nozzle
   Material extrusion speed control is important to prevent warpage.
4. Defects due to material moisture absorption
   When polycarbonate absorbs moisture, warpage and welding defects occur. Therefore, it is necessary to control the drying of the material.