Your Guide to 3D Printing BigRep HI-TEMP

In addition to its industrial large-format 3D printers, BigRep has a broad materials portfolio. The company has not only optimized classic filament formulations, such as PLA and ABS, for its large-format systems, it has also come up with new filaments that offer different combinations of properties to meet a wider range of user needs. Among them is HI-TEMP, an engineering-grade filament that brings many benefits—like printability, heat resistance, and sustainability—to the table.

What is HI-TEMP 3D Printing Filament?

BigRep HI-TEMP is a versatile biopolymer filament that delivers on printability, stiffness, and temperature resistance. The material, which has received all-around excellent reviews by users, was developed for BigRep’s large-format systems, such as the BigRep ONE, but prints equally well on standard desktop machines.

As we’ll see in more detail, BigRep HI-TEMP meets the requirements of many types of application thanks to its good mechanical and thermal properties. All in all, users seeking a material that offers good heat resistance, while being easier to print than popular high-temperature filaments like ABS (as well as more ecological), should consider BigRep HI-TEMP.

Why Use BigRep HI-TEMP Filament?

Parts printed using BigRep HI-TEMP demonstrate high stiffness, excellent surface quality, and heat resistance up to 160 °C. These properties make the filament an excellent candidate for several different applications, including functional prototyping, jigs and fixtures, and low-volume end-use parts.

BigRep highlights a couple of specific use cases that can benefit from its HI-TEMP material, including electrical casings, and products intended for indoor use, like components for household appliances. HI-TEMP is also compliant with FDA food safety standards and EU directives for food contact, which creates even more potential applications for kitchen appliances and household goods. 

Benefits of 3D Printing BigRep HI-TEMP

When it comes to 3D printing BigRep HI-TEMP, the material has many benefits. For one, the material overcomes many of the challenges associated with printing other stiff, temperature resistant materials, such as warping and peeling. In addition to minimal warping, HI-TEMP can be printed in an open, low-temperature environment, offering excellent adhesion and dimensional stability without an enclosed build chamber. 

A low maintenance material, BigRep HI-TEMP is also known for its excellent surface finish. The filament’s matte appearance minimizes layer lines and results in a smooth finish that requires minimal—if any—post processing. This is true for both small and large-scale components. It’s also worth re-emphasizing that HI-TEMP is a biopolymer, meaning it is biodegradable in the right conditions. This is a particular benefit when compared to fossil-fuel-derived filaments like ABS.

• Nozzle temperature: 190 - 230 °C

• Print Bed Temperature: 50 - 70 °C

• Chamber Temperature: n/a

• Print Speed: >40 mm/s

What to Look Out For When 3D Printing BigRep HI-TEMP

Overall, BigRep HI-TEMP is a filament that offers many pros and few cons. As we’ve seen, the material is easy to print, while still offering high stiffness and temperature resistance up to 160 °C. On top of that, it has an excellent matte aesthetic quality. 

Unlike its fiber-filled counterpart, HI-TEMP CF, HI-TEMP does not require any specialized printing equipment, printing well with standard nozzles at around 195 °C. While the material does offer good adhesion on its own, you can still benefit from the use of a bed adhesive, like Kapton tape or Magigoo glue. BigRep’s flexible SWITCHPLATE can be used to facilitate part removal post-printing. 

HI-TEMP Material Properties 

BigRep HI-TEMP has a unique set of material properties that offer a good balance between mechanical stiffness and temperature resistance. Let’s take a look at how the filament’s properties measure up against other popular filaments.

Mechanical properties

With a tensile strength of 61 MPa, HI-TEMP filament offers excellent stiffness and rigidity, particularly when measured against ABS (30 MPa). And while comparable to PLA on the strength front, HI-TEMP far exceeds the brittle filament in terms of unnotched impact strength (45 kJ/m² vs 7.5 kJ/m²). 

Thermal properties

HI-TEMP is perhaps most notable for its thermal properties. While the material can be processed using standard 3D printing hardware and relatively low temperatures, it can withstand temperatures up to 160 °C. Technically speaking, the material has a Vicat softening temperature of 158 °C and a heat deflection temperature of 58 °C. For applications where even greater heat resistance is required, HI-TEMP CF has an HDT up to 115 °C.

Chemical properties

The biopolymer HI-TEMP is based on is chemically stable, offering some resistance to UV exposure and weak acids. The material is, however, primarily recommended for indoor use. HI-TEMP is also non-toxic and is suitable for food contact applications. 

Best Practices for Storing and Handling BigRep HI-TEMP

When using any filament, it’s important that users adhere to the proper storage and handling requirements. By storing HI-TEMP spools out of the sun in a dry, room temperature environment, users can ensure the material’s quality will be maintained for up to 24 months. 

BigRep HI-TEMP is considered hygroscopic, meaning the plastic absorbs moisture from the air around it. This moisture can diminish the integrity of the filament, leading to issues like stringing and blobbing when extruded. You can avoid exposure to humidity and wetness by storing the filament in a dry box or the BigRep SHIELD, which can hold up to 60 kg of filament. In a pinch, you can also dry the filament before using it. BigRep recommends drying HI-TEMP for 4-6 hours at 50 °C. 

In terms of handling, users of HI-TEMP should follow standard 3D printing protocols, such as printing in a well ventilated space, avoiding contact with the melted filament, and wearing proper personal protective equipment (PPE) while post-processing parts. 

Use Cases: See How Customers Use BigRep HI-TEMP 

Sky’s the limit when it comes to BigRep HI-TEMP applications. After all, who wouldn’t benefit from the material’s easy printability, high accuracy, aesthetic quality, and temperature resistance. Among the most common uses for HI-TEMP filament today are industrial prototypes, jigs and fixtures, and end-use parts like homeware appliance components, electrical enclosures, and aesthetic models.   

Optimized for BigRep’s large-format printers, including the BigRep ONE, the material can print large-scale components, like customized production aids. In this context, manufacturers can benefit from being able to design and iterate one-of-a-kind jigs or assembly fixtures in-house, reducing lead times by up to 90%, and quickly getting production workflows up and running. By turning to 3D printed tooling and strong, temperature resistant materials like HI-TEMP, manufacturers can also seek to reduce production costs by as much as 94%. HI-TEMP also has another important benefit for tooling applications: because the material is resistant to warping and shrinkage, and has a smooth surface finish, printed parts require minimal post-processing before implementation on the production line.

Overall, the material is a well-rounded option for industrial applications and can benefit users working on both a small and large scale.

For more specifications on BigRep HI-TEMP or to purchase a spool of 1.75 or  2.85 mm filament, head to the BigRep Online Shop.