You would have heard of nylon used for making ropes, bags and textile products. However, you'd be surprised to know that it finds great application in 3D printing in the form of Nylon 3D printer filament. This is because it is highly versatile and dependable for 3D printing purposes. Read on to learn all about the use of nylon filaments, their properties, applications, and benefits.
Nylon and its Properties
Nylon is a synthetic copolymer, typically made of polyamides and is available in a variety of configurations. The popularity of nylon material in the 3D printing industry is because of its thermoplastic property. This means the Nylon 3D printer filament can be melted and processed into different shapes.
Here are a few features of Nylon 3D Filaments:
Strong & Durable
Nylon is an extremely strong and durable material. Also, it offers high tensile strength. The fact that nylon is used to make tents and parachutes is testimony to its strength and durability.
Low Friction
Nylon 3D printer filament offers low friction which means greater movement. Hence, it is a preferred material for making parts that require free movement.
Impact Resistant
Nylon offers resistance to impact and sustains minimal damage. This is why it is a preferred filament for prototype applications.
Heat Resistant
Nylon 3D printer filament offers high heat resistance, which means that the nylon filament temperature is quite high. When combined with its low friction coefficient, the material can work as an excellent base for strong functional prototypes.
How to Work With Nylon Filaments?
It helps to keep the following in mind when working with Nylon filaments:
- It requires high temperatures for printing, and not all printers are equipped for it. It helps to choose an all-metal hot end when using Nylon 3D printing filaments.
- Similar to ABS, Nylon is prone to warping. The best solution is to use a glass bed heated to around 75 degrees. You can apply a thin layer of PVA glue stick to the bed to get better adhesion.
- Another method to reduce the risk of warping is by using a cooling fan or printing in a cool room. If you are using a heated chamber, maintain the temperature at 45 degrees Celsius.
- You can print using a Nylon 3D printer filament at high speed, between 30mm/s to 60 mm/s, and it should just work fine.
- Nylon is a hygroscopic material, which means it will absorb moisture from the air. This can be a challenge as any moisture content in the Nylon 3D printer filament during printing can cause cavities or bubbles in the final product.
- It helps to dry the filament for at least two hours before use. If you need to store the filament before printing, be sure to use an airtight container with desiccant pouches in it.
- Also, Nylon 3D printer filaments need the utmost care.
For expert advice on the right Nylon variant and use of Nylon 3D filament, you can get in touch with Filaments.ca. We have experts in 3D printing filaments, printers, resins, and Nylon filaments in Canada.
Let Us Help You Find the Right Filament!
Filaments.ca specializes in 3D printing filaments, printers and other products. We offer a wide variety of Nylon 3D printer filaments ranging from nylon filament 1.75mm to nylon 12 filament, nylon carbon fibre filament to nylon PA12 filament and glass fibre nylon filament.
For more information about our products, you can speak to our experts by calling at 1-888-536-5551 or 905-677-1337. You could also write to info@filaments.ca.