<p><a class="button-main-action" href="https://www.hubs.com/get/supply-chain-resilience-report/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Download the full report here.</a></p><style type="text/css" id="isPasted">
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</style><h2>Why supply chain resilience matters</h2><p>Supply chain disruptions have wide reaching effects. When a supplier in the global production and trade network fails to deliver, it can have a cascading effect on production lines, potentially causing delays and shortages of products. As Hubs&rsquo; Supply Chain Resilience Report outlines, such disruptions are on the rise. Shortages in automotive components manufactured in Ukraine have led to Europe-wide production delays; a ransomware cyberattack on one of Toyota&rsquo;s suppliers led to the automotive company temporarily shutting down production in Japan; sanctions on Russian energy resources have led to an energy shortage and skyrocketing gas prices; and there are many more examples.&nbsp;</p><p>However, supply chains do not necessarily have to be so fragile. Manufacturers and businesses are increasingly realizing the benefits of transitioning away from lean, just-in-time manufacturing models in favor of robust, agile, and resilient supply chain models. A resilient supply chain is one that can not only weather disruptions, but can adapt and react quickly, resulting in faster recovery times. <span style="background-color: transparent;">To build resilience in the supply chain, it is necessary to consider all potential risks and reassess supply networks in the long-term. This multifaceted process requires taking a comprehensive view of the supply chain.</span></p><h2>Key findings</h2><ul><li>43.7% of respondents think increasing local sourcing will help strengthen supply chains in 2023.</li><li dir="ltr" id="isPasted"><p dir="ltr">76.6% of companies experienced externally caused disruptions to their supply chain in 2022, with material shortages being the biggest challenge.</p></li><li dir="ltr" id="isPasted"><p dir="ltr">45.3% of companies had their supply chains impacted by the war in Ukraine.</p></li><li dir="ltr" id="isPasted"><p dir="ltr">70.1% of companies took measures in 2022 to build up supply chain resilience.</p></li><li dir="ltr" id="isPasted"><p dir="ltr">49% of respondents expressed concern about the rising tensions between China and Taiwan.</p></li></ul><h2>The time for resilience is now</h2><p>Supply chain resilience has always been a sound strategy, but the need for it has grown in recent years due to the increasing frequency and severity of disruptions. Hubs&rsquo; Supply Chain Resilience Report breaks down the most significant types of supply chain disruptions and details some of the biggest disruptions of 2022, including the wide-reaching supply chain ramifications of the war in Ukraine.</p><p>In 2020 and 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic was the primary concern for supply chains. However, in 2022, geopolitical tensions and conflicts have become a greater focus of concern.<span style="background-color: transparent;">&nbsp;The escalating tensions between China and Taiwan pose a risk of destabilizing the region and disrupting Taiwan&#39;s semiconductor industry, the largest in the world. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has resulted in numerous supply chain problems, including trade route blockades, economic sanctions, and raw material shortages. Other geopolitical issues, such as labor strikes and shortages, shipping congestion and costs, and trade wars have also contributed to supply chain challenges.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">Natural disasters also pose a severe threat to supply chains. For instance, droughts in China and Europe in 2022 led to significant transport delays along vital water trade routes. As the frequency and severity of natural disasters increase, manufacturers will need to increasingly account for their risk. Hubs cites cybersecurity as a significant supply chain risk, particularly ransomware and data breaches. The COVID-19 pandemic also continues to be a concern due to labor shortages and continued lockdowns in China.&nbsp;</span></p><h2>How to build supply chain resilience</h2><p>There are several measures and tactics businesses can and are employing in order to shore up their supply chains and build supply chain resilience. According to a Hubs survey, 63% of companies have implemented supply chain resilience measures in the past year. This is significant, but still leaves many companies without adequate resilience strategies.</p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;">Decisions made for the purpose of short-term profitability, such as relying on a single supplier for certain parts, should be reassessed in the long-term. Over-reliance on a single country for certain supplies and resources can lead to supply chain vulnerabilities, as we&rsquo;ve seen in Europe in terms of reliance on Russian gas, and Taiwan, which produces&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/race-for-semiconductors-influences-taiwan-conflict-/6696432.html#:~:text=Taiwan%20makes%2065%25%20of%20the,90%25%20of%20the%20advanced%20chips." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">over 60%</a><span style="background-color: transparent;"><a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/race-for-semiconductors-influences-taiwan-conflict-/6696432.html#:~:text=Taiwan%20makes%2065%25%20of%20the,90%25%20of%20the%20advanced%20chips." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></span><span style="background-color: transparent;">of the world&rsquo;s semiconductors. Diversifying supply networks is thus one of the most important steps for resilience. Over half of businesses surveyed by Hubs reported that diversification was the best way to avoid supply chain disruptions in the future.</span></p><p>The report also investigates other supply chain resilience strategies, including automation, reserve inventories, agile internal processes, supply chain monitoring, and strengthening client-supplier relationships. By using these tactics in combination, organizations can establish a robust supply network with fewer vulnerabilities that is equipped to mitigate the impacts of any disruptions.&nbsp;</p><h2>Conclusion</h2><p>We are in a time where global supply chains and trade networks are becoming increasingly complex and supply chain disruptions are becoming more common and their effects more extreme. Integrating resilience into supply chains is the only way to ensure disruptions are mitigated and that organizations can succeed over the long-term. Additionally, resilience is key to establishing production stability and meeting consumer demands, particularly for essential goods. Ultimately, it will never be possible to completely avoid disruptions. What is possible is preparing for eventual disruptions and supply chain risks with autonomy, flexibility, and visibility. In a word: resilience.</p><p>Download the full 2023 Supply Chain Resilience Report for more insights on supply chain risks and resilience.</p><p><a class="button-main-action" href="https://www.hubs.com/get/supply-chain-resilience-report/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Download your free report here.</a></p><h2 id="isPasted"><em>About the sponsor: Hubs</em></h2><p><a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/hubs" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Hubs</em></a><em>, formerly 3D Hubs, is an online platform for custom part manufacturing, providing access to a global network of manufacturing services, including CNC machining, 3D printing, injection molding, and sheet metal fabrication.&nbsp;</em></p><p><em><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjcxMzc3NTE1NDIxLWV5SmlkV05yWlhRaU9pSjNaWFp2YkhabGNpMXdjbTlxWldOMExXbHRZV2RsY3lJc0ltdGxlU0k2SW1aeWIyRnNZUzh4TmpReE9Ua3hOalkxT1RBMUxXaDFZbk1nWW1GdWJtVnlJR0p2ZEhSdmJTNXFjR2NpTENKbFpHbDBjeUk2ZXlKeVpYTnBlbVVpT25zaWQybGtkR2dpT2prMU1Dd2labWwwSWpvaVkyOTJaWElpZlgxOS53ZWJwIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></em></p><p><br></p>

Manufacturing platform, Hubs, has published its Supply Chain Resilience Report 2023, featuring insights from 2022 and addressing recent supply chain disruptions, including the ongoing war in Ukraine, escalating tensions between China and Taiwan, and more.  Download the full report below. 


The 2023 Supply Chain Resilience Report

Figure 1: 3D printed hip implant. (Source: MTAA)

Alongside aerospace, automotive, and defense, health care has long been—and will continue to be—one of the key revenue opportunities for 3D printing (also known as additive manufacturing) technology.

Custom 3D Printed Medical Devices: Trends and Opportunities

<p>This article was first published on&nbsp;<a href="https://news.mit.edu/2022/vulcanforms-printing-manufacturing-1128" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MIT News</a>. &nbsp;</p><hr><p id="isPasted">The cutting edge of additive manufacturing offers a world of possibilities for companies looking to transform their manufacturing processes and create new products. But companies that want to tap into that world have traditionally had to invest huge sums of money into the latest 3D printing machines and then figure out how to integrate them into their operations.</p><p>That&rsquo;s a tough sell considering 3D printers can struggle with throughput and consistency for many industrial applications.</p><p>Now, VulcanForms, founded by Martin C. Feldmann MEng &rsquo;14 and MIT Professor John Hart, is offering digital manufacturing as a service for companies to build industrial products at scale. The company assists customers with materials selection and product design, and then crafts a scalable manufacturing workflow in its production foundry.</p><p>At the heart of each of those workflows is a proprietary laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) metal 3D printer that uses an array of finely choreographed laser beams to produce high performance metal parts with complex designs. The printers are integrated with VulcanForms&rsquo; machining, robotics, and postprocessing equipment through a digital thread that also monitors parts as they&rsquo;re produced.</p><p>&ldquo;Even though LPBF technology is well-established for several applications including jet engine fuel nozzles and orthopedic implants, it&rsquo;s barely scratching the surface of the opportunity,&rdquo; Hart says. &ldquo;VulcanForms sees a tremendous market opportunity to realize additive manufacturing at industrial scale and integrate it with a digital production system.&rdquo;</p><p>VulcanForms is currently producing parts for companies in the medical, defense, semiconductor, and aerospace industries, turning designs into finished parts in a matter of days. The founders say VulcanForms&rsquo; quality exceeds industry standards with materials like titanium as well as nickel-based and advanced steel alloys.</p><p>VulcanForms is currently completing its first two digital manufacturing facilities in Devens and Newburyport, Massachusetts. When it&rsquo;s done, the Devens facility will house several dozen of the company&rsquo;s additive manufacturing systems in addition to having postprocessing capabilities. The founders say those systems will make Devens the highest-throughput metal additive manufacturing facility in the world. The Newburyport facility focuses on precision machining, industrial automation, and assembly operations. Merging these technologies with a digital thread, VulcanForms is building U.S.-based digital manufacturing infrastructure that the founders say will define the way products are designed, built, and delivered.</p><h2><strong>Making 3D printing industrially relevant</strong></h2><p>Hart calls his entry into additive manufacturing serendipitous. In 2013, he was asked by a colleague to teach a class for MIT&rsquo;s Masters of Engineering in Advanced Manufacturing and Design program.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t remember what led me to propose that the class focus on additive manufacturing, because I wasn&rsquo;t yet doing research in the area,&rdquo; Hart says. &ldquo;The class was an experiment I used to explore a new interest and to tap into the passion and curiosity of the students.&rdquo;</p><p>One of the students in that class was Feldmann, then in his first semester at MIT. The project-based class tasked students with measuring the accuracy of 3D-printed parts, improving their properties and contributing to lectures relating 3D printing to the core principles of manufacturing.</p><p>&ldquo;MIT throws so much at you &mdash; highly technical stuff but very applicable stuff,&rdquo; Feldmann says. &ldquo;At MIT, learning additive manufacturing wasn&rsquo;t just calculating things. It was, &lsquo;Here are [fused deposition modeling] printers, tell me what their capabilities are.&rsquo; And you use them and make things. I really enjoyed that. It prepares one for leading research efforts in industry and startups because you have to approach things like you know what you&rsquo;re doing and have the confidence that you&#39;ll figure it out.&rdquo;</p><p>After earning his degree, Feldmann became a research specialist in Hart&rsquo;s lab, where he studied nanomaterials and battery electrodes. But Feldmann and Hart continued brainstorming ways to make additive manufacturing more industrially relevant.</p><p>Eventually they decided to build a new kind of LPBF metal printer that would enable a large number of lasers to operate at the same time, improving throughput while maintaining the quality of the finished part. The pair received early guidance through MIT&rsquo;s Venture Mentoring Service.</p><p>&ldquo;Our goal was to rearchitect the LPBF process, and to do it in a way that enables a much higher and more consistent quality, which we saw to be the main impediment to industrialization of additive manufacturing.&rdquo; Hart says.</p><p>With that mission in mind, Feldmann and Hart decided to take the leap and start VulcanForms, with Feldmann essentially supporting himself for nearly two years while he worked on the first printer prototype. Today the company&rsquo;s printers use hundreds of weld tracks in each layer through which lasers move in a synchronized dance. The lasers collectively deliver up to 100 kilowatts of power to make parts at a higher resolution and scale than the founders say other printers can achieve.</p><p>VulcanForms&rsquo; production foundry also includes CNC machining and post processing equipment, and the founders say the company&rsquo;s software stack is a key differentiator.</p><p>&ldquo;From the start, we saw 3D printing as a cornerstone of digital manufacturing, where the software and hardware work hand-in-hand to encode and execute production instructions,&rdquo; Hart says. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve built the software that allows each part to receive the same temperature locally in each voxel in each layer. It also allows us to move quickly to the end product while maintaining that consistency in production.&rdquo;</p><p>Ultimately the founders are focused on what those capabilities unlock for customers.</p><p>&ldquo;What really gets me excited is how we&rsquo;re able to take a customer part and turn it into reality in a production setting &mdash; not in a coat hanger or desk ornament setting,&rdquo; Feldmann says. &ldquo;Everyone in additive is just super excited about what a 3D printer can do and not how this works in a production value stream. That&rsquo;s why we have an entire production value stream in house. It&rsquo;s why our motto isn&rsquo;t &lsquo;VulcanForms: 100 kilowatts laser power in a printer.&rsquo; It&rsquo;s &lsquo;VulcanForms: accelerating innovation.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><h2><strong>Helping 3D printing reach its potential</strong></h2><p>Last year, a supercomputer manufacturer sent VulcanForms designs for a cooling component in its processors. The titanium part, which contained dozens of microscopic tunnels, was so complex it could only be made using additive manufacturing. As&nbsp;<em>The New York Times</em> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/03/business/3d-printing-vulcanforms.html" target="_blank">reported</a>, VulcanForms came back with a part two days later.</p><p>VulcanForms has also produced medical implants, industrial tooling and tire molds, and components for aviation and defense contractors.</p><p>Feldmann sees innovations enabled by additive manufacturing driving technological progress in a number of industries.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think there are going to be orthopedic implants that aren&rsquo;t LPBF-printed in the future,&rdquo; Feldmann says.</p><p>That technological progress, in turn, will yield even more use cases.</p><p>&ldquo;The only thing I&rsquo;m 100 percent sure of is the highest-value applications for additive manufacturing have not yet been found,&rdquo; Feldmann says.</p><p>The company also sees the transformation of manufacturing enabled by digital production technologies as an opportunity for the United States to improve both economic prosperity and its ecosystem of innovation.</p><p>&ldquo;VulcanForms believes that one of the greatest opportunities in the United States is rebuilding its industrial ecosystem around digital production systems,&rdquo; Hart says. &ldquo;Digital-first production technologies, including additive manufacturing and automated precision machining, enable more innovative, resource efficient, and resilient supply chains. Innovation in manufacturing is the backbone of the American economy.&rdquo;</p><hr><p>&quot;Reprinted with permission of&nbsp;<a href="https://news.mit.edu/2022/vulcanforms-printing-manufacturing-1128" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MIT News</a>&quot;&nbsp;</p>

VulcanForms has created digital production systems based on its industrial 3D printing technology. Image: Joseph Seif

VulcanForms, founded by an MIT alumnus and professor, has created digital production systems to manufacture complex metal parts at scale.

Industrializing 3D printing

<p dir="ltr" id="isPasted">You might not be offered a plastic bag at a grocery store these days, but the demand for HDPE — a ubiquitous packaging material around the world — continues to grow.</p><p dir="ltr">According to a recent report, 54.7 million tons of HDPE were produced in 2021, a figure expected to rise to 78 million tons by 2028.[1] Cheap, corrosion-resistant, and durable, HDPE is used in everything from plastic bottles to house wrap sheeting to piping. You’ll also find it in items like toys and garden chairs.</p><p dir="ltr">Some of the most widespread uses of HDPE are served by production processes like extrusion welding (sheeting), die extrusion (piping), and blow molding (bottles and containers). However, it is also possible to 3D print the plastic using <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/can-you-3d-print-polyethylene-pe-hdpe-petg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="atomseo-link atomseo-link-internal atomseo-link-follow atomseo-link-highlighted atomseo-status-valid">HDPE filament</a>. This article goes over the basics of HDPE 3D printing, including its best uses and its pros and cons.</p><h1 dir="ltr">What is HDPE filament?</h1><p dir="ltr">HDPE (high-density polyethylene) is a thermoplastic polymer made from ethylene. HDPE is strong, corrosion-resistant, and recyclable, making it the material of choices for things like soda and detergent bottles — water bottles tend to be made from PET — and garden furniture.</p><p dir="ltr">It is possible to extrude HDPE pellets into 3D printer filament for additive manufacturing. HDPE filament, suitable for <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/the-most-popular-3d-printing-materials-in-fdm-and-their-properties" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="atomseo-link atomseo-link-internal atomseo-link-follow atomseo-link-highlighted atomseo-status-valid">fused deposition modeling</a> (FDM/FFF) has an excellent strength-to-weight ratio and is resistant to moisture and many solvents. It is also non-toxic, food-safe, and shatterproof, tending to rip or tear during malfunction rather than shatter. This desirable mechanical property makes it suitable for children’s products like toys and bottles.</p><p dir="ltr">That being said, HDPE is far from a common 3D printing material. In fact, few material manufacturers develop HDPE filament due to its poor printability. The material requires a high extruder and bed temperature and can undergo <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/3d-print-warping" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="atomseo-link atomseo-link-internal atomseo-link-follow atomseo-link-highlighted atomseo-status-redirect">extreme warping</a>; many users find that its benefits do not justify the difficulty of printing it.</p><p dir="ltr">Certain other types of polyethylene are more common than HDPE in 3D printing, the most significant being PETG, a modified form of polyethylene terephthalate.</p><p dir="ltr"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 302px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjY5ODgyODQ5NzY1LUhEUEVfYm90dGxlcy5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="HDPE bottles"><span class="fr-inner">Shampoo bottles are often made from HDPE</span></span></span></p><h1 dir="ltr">How can you use HDPE in 3D printing?</h1><p dir="ltr">HDPE is not a beginner-friendly 3D printing filament by any means, but it provides significant benefits when used correctly. It also has a fairly low cost, though not as low as PLA and ABS.</p><h2 dir="ltr">Printing tips</h2><p dir="ltr">To print HDPE, a 3D printer with a heated bed and high-temperature extruder is required. Suitable nozzle temperatures can be found in the range of 230–260 °C, similar to some nylon filaments but higher than materials like PLA, ABS, and PETG.</p><p dir="ltr">The print bed also needs a higher temperature than for other materials, with a value in the range of 100–130 °C producing best results. HDPE shrinks aggressively as it cools, but the heated bed can help to mitigate this shrinkage. An enclosed chamber also makes a big difference when trying to combat shrinkage and warpage during printing.</p><p dir="ltr">A slow printing speed of around 20 mm/s minimizes the chances of print failure.</p><p dir="ltr">HDPE does not provide the best bed adhesion, so it helps to print rafts and brims below the printed part to ensure a good connection with the build surface. And although HDPE does not stick particularly well to itself, it does adhere to polypropylene (PP). Covering your build surface with PP packing tape can therefore greatly improve bed adhesion.</p><p dir="ltr">A cooling fan may be used, although the poor inter-layer adhesion of HDPE means this could be detrimental to the success of the part.</p><h2 dir="ltr">Applications</h2><p dir="ltr">3D printed HDPE is suitable for a variety of prototyping applications, as well as final parts. Some common applications include the following:</p><h3 dir="ltr">Piping and plumbing components</h3><p dir="ltr">In HDPE production generally, one of the most widespread applications is HDPE piping. However, this is generally produced using a die extrusion process, not additive manufacturing.</p><p dir="ltr">That being said, the exceptional water resistance of 3D printed HDPE makes the material suitable for plumbing components such as brackets and valves. It can also be used to fabricate smaller sections of piping — to replace missing or damaged sections, for example.</p><h3 dir="ltr">Food containers and components</h3><p dir="ltr">As long as the 3D printer itself is clean and contains no residue from other materials, 3D printed HDPE is non-toxic. It is therefore suitable for 3D printed containers and other components for food storage or production.</p><p dir="ltr">While food containers are typically molded at a very low cost, 3D printing may be preferred for customized parts, such as cookware, plates, or cups with an embossed brand logo. Another application of this <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/is-petg-food-safe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="atomseo-link atomseo-link-internal atomseo-link-follow atomseo-link-highlighted atomseo-status-redirect">food-safe</a> material is novelty cake decorations.</p><h3 dir="ltr">Toys and models</h3><p dir="ltr">Because it is lightweight, strong, and shatterproof, as well as being non-toxic, HDPE is a suitable material for toys and other products for children. However, a more printable alternative that meets most of the criteria in this category is ABS.</p><h3 dir="ltr">Medical device components</h3><p dir="ltr">Because of its non-toxicity, HDPE is approved by the FDA for use in medical components such as fittings, brackets, surgical instrument handles, and more. Watertight containers are also widely used in healthcare and may be 3D printed to provide custom forms.</p><h1 dir="ltr">Advantages and disadvantages</h1><div align="left" dir="ltr"><table><tbody><tr><td><p dir="ltr"><strong>Advantages of HDPE</strong></p></td><td><p dir="ltr"><strong>Disadvantages of HDPE</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p dir="ltr">Good material properties like strength, corrosion resistance, and non-toxicity</p></td><td><p dir="ltr">Exceptionally difficult to print, being susceptible to warpage and shrinkage</p></td></tr><tr><td><p dir="ltr">Approved by the FDA for medical use</p></td><td><p dir="ltr">Poor interlayer adhesion and adhesion to build surfaces, making it vulnerable to part failure[2]</p></td></tr><tr><td><p dir="ltr">Tears rather than shatters at moment of failure, making it fairly safe</p></td><td><p dir="ltr">Hard to source, with just a handful of filament manufacturers making it</p></td></tr><tr><td><p dir="ltr">Can be easily recycled, which is particularly helpful when using a filament extruder, as failed prints can be turned back into usable filament</p></td><td rowspan="2"><p dir="ltr">Benefits not significant enough to justify its use over comparable materials like PETG and PP</p></td></tr><tr><td><p dir="ltr">Relatively affordable despite its scarcity</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 302px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjY5ODgyOTU3OTQ1LTNkX3ByaW50ZXIuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="enclosed chamber"><span class="fr-inner">HDPE may print better with an enclosed chamber</span></span></span></p><p><span style='font-family: "PT Sans", serif; font-size: 28px; font-weight: 700; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);'>Extruding your own HDPE filament</span></p><p dir="ltr">Because few manufacturers make HDPE filament, some DIY 3D printer users choose to extrude their own filament using a machine like a Filastruder. There are pros and cons to this approach. On the one hand, it is possible to make filament from scrap such as cut-up pieces of plastic bottles and milk cartons. On the other, filament extruders have a high up-front cost which is only justified if the buyer makes frequent use of it.</p><p dir="ltr">A mixture of virgin and recycled HDPE tends to produce usable extruded filament. That means using at least a small amount of preformed pellets, which cost a few dollars per kilogram. The recycled HDPE — from shampoo bottles, for example — needs to be thoroughly cleaned, then cut or shredded into small pieces measuring no more than 5 mm in any direction.</p><p dir="ltr">Another benefit of extruding HDPE filament is that failed HDPE prints can be cut into small pieces and recycled into new filament. Given how challenging it is to successfully print the plastic, you might find yourself with a fair number of failed prints to make use of.</p><h1 dir="ltr">What are the alternatives?</h1><p dir="ltr">Users of the FDM printing process generally only use HDPE filament if absolutely necessary: when testing the material or attempting to adhere to a predefined bill of materials, for example.</p><p dir="ltr">Fortunately, there are a few alternatives to HDPE that offer a broadly similar range of material characteristics — low weight, water resistance, non-toxicity — without the inherent difficulties of printing HDPE.</p><p dir="ltr">Here we look at HDPE blends that incorporate elements of more printable thermoplastics, as well as different materials that can be substituted in for HDPE.</p><h2 dir="ltr">Blends</h2><p dir="ltr">Blends are filaments that have been extruded from a mixture of two or more types of thermoplastic pellet. A possible HDPE blend is ABS-HDPE, with the two materials having a similar melting point.</p><p dir="ltr">Researchers testing the feasibility of an ABS-HDPE blend <a data-lf-fd-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" href="http://kasach.com/_material/research/Recycled_Filament/Printability-V3.docx.pdf" target="_blank" class="atomseo-link atomseo-link-external atomseo-link-follow atomseo-link-highlighted">found</a> that “although ABS and HDPE are immiscible, they homogeneously distribute themselves across the material.” They also found that a 50–50 blend of the two thermoplastics produced a material with superior printability and tensile strength to pure HDPE.</p><h2 dir="ltr">PETG</h2><p dir="ltr">HDPE and PETG have a similar density and strength-to-weight ratio and have similar uses in manufacturing, with both regularly used to produce plastic bottles.</p><p dir="ltr">PETG is far easier to print than HDPE and is produced in large quantities by a wide variety of manufacturers. Although it can suffer from <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/3d-printer-stringing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="atomseo-link atomseo-link-internal atomseo-link-follow atomseo-link-highlighted atomseo-status-redirect">oozing and stringing issues</a>, it is one of the most popular entry-level FDM materials due to its strength and price. Like HDPE, it is also non-toxic and recyclable.</p><p dir="ltr">PETG requires a similar printing temperature to HDPE, around 220–260 °C.</p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Recommended reading:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/petg-print-settings" target="_blank" class="atomseo-link atomseo-link-internal atomseo-link-follow atomseo-link-highlighted atomseo-status-redirect" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong><em>PETG print settings: adjusting temperature, speed &amp; retraction to improve printing</em></strong></a></p><h2 dir="ltr">PP</h2><p dir="ltr">Another alternative to HDPE is PP (polypropylene) filament. Like HDPE, PP filament is lightweight, strong, and water-resistant, so may be suitable as a replacement for HDPE plumbing components and piping.</p><p dir="ltr">Unlike PETG, PP suffers from the same printability issues as HDPE: it is prone to warpage and shrinkage during printing, though to a less extreme degree.</p><p dir="ltr">PP has a lower printing temperature than HDPE, working well in the range of 210–230 °C.</p><h2 dir="ltr">Resins</h2><p dir="ltr">If the hardware is available, it may be possible to use a vat photopolymerization printer (SLA, DLP, etc.) to print a liquid resin with HDPE-like properties. Printable resins have different formulations according to the manufacturer’s specifications, but are often described in terms of their functional similarities to common thermoplastics.</p><p dir="ltr">HDPE-like resins on the market include 3Dresyn HDPE-like from Spanish company 3Dresyns and Durable Resin from Formlabs. Such resins imitate certain aspects of HDPE, such as its bendability and resistance to shattering. However, they are not safe for food or medical applications and are typically only used for prototyping.</p><h1 dir="ltr">Key takeaways</h1><p dir="ltr">It is possible to 3D print HDPE filament. However, the material is far from easy to print, hence its scarcity on the filament market. In the majority of circumstances, it makes sense to seek an alternative filament that is more resistant to shrinkage and warpage.</p><p dir="ltr">Those who are determined to print with HDPE should be prepared to experience failed or deformed prints, and may therefore seek to recycle their failed prints into new filament using a filament extruder, reducing material wastage. Although filament extruders cost at least a few hundred dollars — premium systems cost upward of a thousand — they can be used to turn scrap plastic into viable filament.</p><p dir="ltr">For companies looking to make 3D printed HDPE prototypes of parts that will eventually be molded, there are better solutions available: filaments like PETG can provide a rough approximation of HDPE parts, while a vat photopolymerization 3D printer can be used to print a durable resin that mimics the plastic. Formlabs specifically recommends its Durable Resin product for the prototyping of HDPE or PP parts.</p><p dir="ltr">Finally, those printing with HDPE filament should be prepared to experiment with their machine settings before landing on a successful configuration. An enclosed chamber, heated print bed, and PP-covered build surface can all help to minimize the problems of warpage and shrinkage.</p><h1 dir="ltr">References</h1><p dir="ltr">[1] BlueWeave Consulting. High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Market- Global Industry Size, Share, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast, 2018-2028, [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2022 Nov 18]. Available from: <a href="https://www.blueweaveconsulting.com/report/high-density-polyethylene-hdpe-market/" target="_blank" class="atomseo-link atomseo-link-external atomseo-link-follow atomseo-link-highlighted atomseo-status-redirect">https://www.blueweaveconsulting.com/report/high-density-polyethylene-hdpe-market/</a></p><p dir="ltr">[2] Schirmeister CG, Hees T, Licht EH, Mülhaupt R. 3D printing of high density polyethylene by fused filament fabrication. Additive Manufacturing. 2019 Aug 1;28:152-9.</p>

HDPE can be found in objects like plastic bottles, garden chairs, and piping. But just how useful is HDPE filament for FDM 3D printing?

HDPE 3D printing: applications, advantages, alternatives

Fast design cycles, lightweighting, and manufacturing on-demand are pushing 3D printing further into the aerospace industry. 


From Jet Engines to Satellites: 3D Printing and Aerospace

<p id="isPasted">Lonypack Global has 25 years&rsquo; experience in the cured meat and dairy slicing sector. An hour&rsquo;s drive northwest of Madrid, Spain &ndash; it has gained the highest standards in certification for the boning, slicing, and packaging lines at its plant.</p><p>In early 2022, the company decided to include 3D technology in its plant to optimize the production process, using Ultimaker 3D printers and 3D printing material from Kimya.</p><section><h2>Achieving greater self-sufficiency and cost savings</h2><p>Lonypack began to explore 3D printing in early 2022. Their goal was to develop new component designs that would optimize its production process. Doing so would allow the Spanish company to achieve these improvements in its state-of-the-art plant in the most economical, customizable way possible.</p><p><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 768px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1668604095074-lonypack-food-safe-3d-printed-ultimaker-spain-plant.webp" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-inner">Based in central Spain, Lonypack started to explore 3D printing in 2022&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 768px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1668604128036-lonypack-food-safe-3d-printed-ultimaker-food-packaging-plant.webp" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-inner">They maintain the highest level of certification in their state-of-the-art production plant&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p id="isPasted">The first challenge was sourcing manufacturing materials that were safe for food contact. To increase self-sufficiency and resilience, Lonypack needed a way to regain control of the supply of replacement parts and the manufacture of components for its boning, slicing, and packaging lines.</p><blockquote><p>3D printing has allowed us to create parts such as cutting edges, picker combs, turning mechanisms, and sprockets for our robot arms and cutters at a cost of up to 70% less. &nbsp;&ndash; Rom&aacute;n Velasco, Director of Industrial Engineering at Lonypack</p></blockquote></section><p><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 768px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1668604184738-lonypack-food-safe-3d-printed-ultimaker-food-safe-applications.webp" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-inner">Industrial engineers have developed 4 key applications with the help of Ultimaker partner Sicnova and reseller Cosomo 3D&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><h2 id="isPasted">Food-safe parts printed with Kimya PETG-S filament</h2><p>Lonypack began looking at the possibility of using Ultimaker S5 3D printers to create customized parts for its production line. To do so, they followed the advice of Sicnova and its reseller Cosomo 3D, who supported them throughout the process of implementing the technology.</p><p>The precision and reliability of the Ultimaker S5, a machine that brings the industrial capacity to a desktop size, was the reason Lonypack opted for this model. In addition, they chose the PETG-S filament from the leading material brand Kimya because it is certified safe for food contact as indicated by its blue color.</p><p><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 768px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1668604208654-lonypack-food-safe-3d-printed-ultimaker-kimya-picker-comb.webp" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-inner">Picker combs on robot arms 3D printed using Kimya&#39;s food-safe PETG-S filament&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><h2 id="isPasted">70% savings on parts and reduced turnaround times</h2><p>The new design solutions were implemented right from the start. Lonypack created parts including cutting edges, line comb pickers, turning mechanisms and sprockets costing up to 70% less than they were used to previously.</p><p>Lead times were also reduced by 70% compared to the deliveries they received previously.</p><p><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 768px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1668604241510-lonypack-food-safe-3d-printed-ultimaker-kimya-picker-comb-detail.webp" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-inner">The 3D printed parts save 70% in costs and are a distinctive blue to indicate food safety&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 768px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1668604259159-lonypack-food-safe-3d-printed-ultimaker-kimya-picker-automated-packaging.webp" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-inner">Robot arms fitted with picker combs lift meat portions fresh from the slicer onto the packaging&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p id="isPasted">The cutting edges protect the blades during slicing. The picker combs pick up the portions to be packaged. And the turning mechanism transports the portions to empty trays that form part of the package. None of these savings in the operation of the robot arms and slicers would have been possible without Kimya&rsquo;s guarantee that parts printed were food safe throughout the process.</p><h2>Wider adoption in the food industry</h2><p>Lonypack&#39;s first experience with 3D printing has been a great success, as Rom&aacute;n Velasco explains:</p><p>&quot;It&#39;s just a matter of time before other food companies incorporate these solutions into their production processes. And in the future, they will be an essential part of the plants.&quot;</p>

Lonypack began to explore 3D printing in early 2022. Their goal was to develop new component designs that would optimize its production process. Doing so would allow the Spanish company to achieve these improvements in its state-of-the-art plant in the most economical, customizable way possible.

Lonypack: Optimizing food packaging with 3D printing

<p>XTPL developed an unique an totally new approach of printing functional materials with unparallel precision and repeatability. Technology called Ultra-Precise Deposition (UPD) is a nanodispensing method capable to print high density and high viscous materials with the resolution down to 1 &micro;m in feature size and with high ratio of width to height after single pass. For this method material extrusion is controlled by a pressure, which means it is not supported with high electric field. Thanks to this there are no limitation if the substrate is conductive or dielectric.</p><p><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjY3OTQ0NDk1MzczLUltZy0xLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 736px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p>The combination of unique parameters of the UPD approach opens new possibilities, previously not covered by any other printing methods. First of all, the resolution of the conductive traces can reach 1/1 &micro;m L/S. What is more, similar resolution can be achieved even on complex, 3D topographies. This enables printing high density interconnections through even 90&deg; steps (for example wire-bonding alternative for chip interconnections).<br id="isPasted">Two more unique features were originally tested for conductive structures, but can have a huge benefit for printing other materials like QD ink. These features are micro-bumps deposition and via/micro-cavity filling with the highest repeatability comparing to other printing methods. The biggest needs for QD Color Conversion are ultra-high resolution, possibility of using high solid content inks for high efficiency and repeatability for high homogeneity of the display.</p><p><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1667944549431-Img-2.jpg" style="width: 764px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p>The precise microdots deposition capability can be used for deposition of micro-bumps for flip chip application. Currently the results presented on the slide below are made using highly-concentrated silver paste (CL85). The dot diameter is around 8 &micro;m, and the dot height is around 800 nm, which gives a relatively high aspect ratio compared to printed electronics techniques, like inkjet or EHD, and competitive repeatability. The cross-section analysis of the dots shows parabolic geometry, which, for example, simplifies the deposition of subsequent layers without the risk of cracks. A photo of Albert Einstein made of hundreds of thousands of 8 &micro;m micro-bumps presents also the stability of the process over the time.</p><p><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1667944610806-Img-3.jpg" style="width: 750px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p>The ability of UPD to extrude ink with femtoliter precision allows not only to print microdots but also to fill microcavities. This feature may help manufacture high-resolution multilayers or through silicon via interconnections. To fill a microcavity, one has to precisely position the printing nozzle and dispense a certain amount of material. In the slide below you can see microcavity with a depth of 10 &mu;m and a diameter of 25 &mu;m, which we uniformly fill with a silver paste (85 wt.% of solid content).</p><p><br id="isPasted">Similar capabilities of precise microcavity filling can be used in deposition of QD material into structures like photoresist windows or nanorings to significantly increase color conversion efficiency (CCE).</p><p><br>Compared to other digital additive manufacturing techniques like inkjet and EHD, UPD technology allows to fill the structures with high uniformity and repeatability with use of inks with higher concentration of QDs. Combination of unique capabilities of the UPD printing method provides a solution for efficient fabrication of QD color conversion for next generation Micro-LED displays.</p><p><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1667944645211-Img-4.jpg" style="width: 751px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><p><br></p><p></p><p><br></p>

A unique new approach of printing functional materials with unparallel precision and repeatability. Technology called Ultra-Precise Deposition (UPD) is a nanodispensing method capable to print high density and high viscous materials with the resolution down to 1 µm in feature size and with high ratio of width to height after single pass. For this method material extrusion is controlled by a pressure, which means it is not supported with high electric field. Thanks to this there are no limitation if the substrate is conductive or dielectric.

Ultra-Precise Deposition for the Fabrication of Next-Generation MicroLED and QD-LED Displays

When bed adhesion is too strong, certain removal processes can damage the print bed.

Here are some reliable tips to follow if your 3D print simply isn't coming off the print bed and how to prevent the issue in future.

3D Print Stuck to Bed: What to do?

Many Creality Ender 3 users choose Cura as their slicer

Creality Ender 3 printers and Cura are a perfect match. But you might have to tweak a few Ender 3 Pro Cura settings to get the right results on your 3D printer.

Best Ender 3 (V2,Pro) Cura Slicer Settings: Temperature, Speed, Retraction, More

<p id="isPasted">Material properties matter to engineers. Where one engineer may require a surface that is as reflective as a mirror, another may want a product that absorbs as much light as possible. Similarly, engineer A may need a product that is as stiff and hard as possible, while engineer B requires a much softer product with a low elastic modulus. An obvious guess would be that all these engineers need a different material for their products. After all, aren&rsquo;t the properties of a product determined by the material you choose?</p><p>The answer is no! If this logic were true, our world would look completely different. Both graphite and diamonds consist of carbon, but everyone knows properties diverge in the extremest sense. Knowing only the material of a certain product is hardly ever enough to understand how it will perform. <strong>The reason is that material&rsquo;s properties are determined by the atomic structure of that material.</strong></p><p id="isPasted">As an engineer, you can actually create&nbsp;<strong>different kinds of properties</strong> for the&nbsp;<strong>same kind of material</strong>.</p><h3>Two examples of material properties alteration</h3><p><strong>Example one</strong>: you can create a component that&rsquo;s virtually non-magnetic, even though it&rsquo;s made of a material that usually has magnetic properties. Such alteration can be achieved by manipulating the crystal structure of your material. By changing the deposition conditions, you can, for instance, obtain nickel deposits that are nearly amorphous. Such nanocrystalline material is usually very smooth and hardly ferromagnetic.</p><p>There are plenty of companies using equipment that operate in high-frequency ranges. Any magnetizable components within that equipment may interfere with such signals, rendering the equipment useless. The additive character of Electroforming allows you to control the properties of your products as you grow them.</p><p>In this particular case, you can&nbsp;alter your settings such that growth is suppressed and nucleation is promoted, resulting in nanocrystalline nickel deposits. These deposits are far less magnetizable than hot-rolled nickel products, for instance. So by controlling the material&rsquo;s structure, the component&rsquo;s magnetic properties become almost nonexistent. At least to the point where it doesn&rsquo;t cause interference during the usage of the equipment.</p><p><strong>Example number two:&nbsp;</strong>you can also manipulate the hardness of a by manipulating its crystal structure. A material that contains crystals of only a few nanometers in size will turn out hard. As the size of the crystals increase, so will the softness of the material. This flexibility allows you to tailor the hardness of materials to your needs.</p><p>As you can tell by now, it&rsquo;s important to stop thinking in materials and start thinking in properties. But there are always limits and restrictions, though. Luckily, there are also solutions for cases when you require material properties that cannot be achieved by altering the structure. That solution is coating.</p><h3>Coatings &mdash; when altering your material&rsquo;s properties doesn&rsquo;t suffice</h3><p>What if you require a component that is very resistant to corrosive environments? Or what if you&rsquo;re fabricating a nickel product that shouldn&rsquo;t be in constant contact with human skin? That&rsquo;s where coatings come in.</p><p>In these examples, you can add a layer of palladium or gold to avoid direct exposure to human skin. <a href="https://insights.vecoprecision.com/producing-customized-inkjet-nozzle-plates-following-these-5-steps" target="_blank">This same solution applies to ink-jetting</a>, where the released chemicals would cause the nickel plates to deteriorate.</p><p id="isPasted">Another illustrative example is a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vecoprecision.com/applications/sugar-screens/?product_id=115" target="_blank">sugar sieve (or screen)</a>. Sugar screens are used to rapidly remove molasses from sugar crystals under centrifugal force. But that centrifugal force also causes sugar crystals to collide with the screens at high velocity. Soft-Nickel wouldn&rsquo;t stand a chance against that kind of impact &mdash; but a chrome coating does.</p><h3>How to alter material properties or apply coatings to materials</h3><p>An efficient technique to alter material properties or apply coatings to materials is <a href="https://www.vecoprecision.com/technologies/electroforming/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Electroforming</a>. Electroforming is an additive manufacturing process that forms high-precision metal parts through precise electrodeposition. Here&rsquo;s a video illustrating the Electroforming process:</p><p><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nEYc4BuWThA?&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe></span><br></p><p id="isPasted">The uniqueness of Electroforming is that you can grow metal parts atom by atom, providing accurate and high aspect ratios. An electrolytic bath is used to deposit a metal (nickel, gold, copper) onto a conductive patterned surface: the coating process. You can also use Electroforming to alter material properties effectively.</p><p>If you would like to learn more about Electroforming &mdash; and how high-precision metal parts will help you grow your business &mdash; <a href="https://insights.vecoprecision.com/whitepaper-electroforming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">you can download our whitepaper here</a></p>

Where one engineer may require a surface that is as reflective as a mirror, another may want a product that absorbs as much light as possible. How do you achieve both material properties? 

Altering material properties: how far can you go with Electroforming?

As 3D printing continues to mature, we look at the technology’s latest trends as well as continuing challenges that must be tackled


An Evolving Industry: 3D Printing Trends and Challenges

Good bed adhesion is key to achieving defect-free prints. But how do you remove 3D prints that are stuck firmly to the build surface of the 3D printer? This guide reveals all.

How to Remove 3D Print from Bed: A Comprehensive Guide

<p id="isPasted">The Protolabs <em>Insight</em> video series will help you master digital manufacturing, covering cover specific topics such as choosing the right 3D printing material, optimising your design for CNC machining, surface finishes for moulded parts, and much more.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><hr><p><br></p><p><strong>Insight: TPU MJF</strong></p><p><em>Transcript</em></p><p>Hello and welcome to this week&rsquo;s Insight.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Today we&rsquo;re going to go into some detail about a new material that is only recently available for multi jet fusion 3D printing. &nbsp;The material in question is thermoplastic polyurethane.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>So first I&rsquo;m going to quickly remind you about Multi Jet Fusion, and when you would choose it rather than other 3D printing technologies, before getting onto the new material itself.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>So&nbsp;<a href="https://www.protolabs.co.uk/services/3d-printing/multi-jet-fusion/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=uk-insight-video-0919&utm_content=wevolver-insight-tpu-mjf-1122" target="_blank">Multi Jet fusion</a>, or MJF, is a new industrial grade 3D printing technology that has certain advantages over other additive manufacturing processes.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>It uses a heated chamber to build a 3D plastic structure by adding successive layers that are just microns thick. &nbsp;Instead of using a laser to fuse these layers together like selective laser sintering, or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.protolabs.co.uk/services/3d-printing/selective-laser-sintering/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=uk-insight-video-0919&utm_content=wevolver-insight-tpu-mjf-1122" target="_blank">SLS</a>, it uses an infrared heating element. &nbsp; Neither technology needs support structures for the process.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>MJF has a number of advantages over SLS. &nbsp;It has a smaller minimum feature size compared to SLS of 0.5mm compared to 0.75 mm. &nbsp;However, the MJF produced parts are a bit more variable at this fine detail.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>It also produces more consistent isotropic material properties. &nbsp; Or in other words it provides more consistent mechanical properties in every direction or axis. &nbsp;If you want great strength and reliability for every bit of your part, then MJF could well be the answer.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>If speed is an issue, then MJF also builds parts faster than other 3D printing technologies so it makes sense for a lot of projects for both prototyping and production.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>All in all it&rsquo;s a great choice, except that until recently you could only have parts manufactured from Nylon 12. &nbsp;Nylon 12 is a great general-purpose plastic, but it&rsquo;s not the solution to everything.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Fortunately, both material science and 3D printing technologies evolve so that new solutions become available. &nbsp;It means that a new thermoplastic polyurethane &ndash; Ultrastint TPU01 &ndash; is now available using this process.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Before now if you wanted to 3D print TPU you could only use SLS or another technology called fused deposition modelling or FDM.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Anyway this new material means that you can now get a part 3D printed in thermoplastic polyurethane using multi jet fusion technology.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Before now if you wanted a 3D printed material for flexibility then you had to choose a thermoplastic elastomer, but the softness of this makes it more challenging to produce and handle with 3D printing.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The great thing about thermoplastic polyurethane is that it straddles the line between rubber and plastic. &nbsp;It has rubber-like elasticity but it is also very durable, withstands abrasion, tearing, oil, grease and UV light. &nbsp;It is also more rigid and experiences less shrink than a thermoplastic elastomer.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The new material has been developed to optimize lattice structure designs, has a high accuracy and detail resolution and gives a really smooth surface finish.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>For those of you who like to dig into the details, and of course you should when looking at material selection, it can achieve tolerances of plus or minus 0.30 mm plus 0.002mm on well-designed parts, although this may change depending on your part geometry. &nbsp;It has a shore hardness of 88A, tensile strength of 9MPa, plus or minus 2MPa on the x-y plane, and elongation at break of greater than 220 percent. &nbsp;In plain English that last point means it&rsquo;s very stretchy.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>What this all means is that you can now bring all of the advantages of multi jet fusion printing to another material, and TPU as we have just seen is not just any material &ndash; it gives your part or prototype certain functional advantages.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Its rubber-like elasticity, durability and shock absorption make it ideal for parts in the sports and leisure industry, think about the soles of running shoes for example.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>And its chemical resistance to oil and grease, flexibility and high thermal stability make it great for parts in the transportation industry &ndash; think about tubes, wheels, ducts, seals and gaskets or other applications where you need high resistance under dynamic loading. &nbsp;It&rsquo;s also great for hoses and orthopaedic models.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>To summarise, thermoplastic polyurethane is a really versatile material. &nbsp;And now that you can use&nbsp;<a href="https://www.protolabs.co.uk/services/3d-printing/multi-jet-fusion/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=uk-insight-video-0919&utm_content=wevolver-insight-tpu-mjf-1122" target="_blank">Multi Jet Fusion 3D printing</a> to produce parts in it, you can get those parts even more quickly.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>For prototyping it means that you can check your design for functionality and fit using this material before committing to large scale manufacturing. &nbsp; For production it allows you to design complex parts using this material that you can&rsquo;t achieve using other manufacturing technologies at a comparatively low cost.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>It just goes to show that the world of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.protolabs.co.uk/services/3d-printing/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=uk-insight-video-0919&utm_content=wevolver-insight-tpu-mjf-1122" target="_blank">3D printing</a> is evolving rapidly, allowing you to do more with different materials, more cost effectively.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>That&rsquo;s it for this week. I look forward to seeing you again next Friday.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><hr><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Watch other Protolabs Insight videos&nbsp;<a href="https://www.protolabs.co.uk/resources/insight/insight-video-library/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=uk-insight-video-0919&utm_content=wevolver-insight-library-1122" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>

In this video we start with a recap on why you would choose MJF rather than other 3D printing technologies and explore TPU, looking at the advantages of the material and how it can be used.

20240119-Protolabs Insight - TPU MJF

ABS creates great prints with the right speed settings

As one of the most durable low-cost filaments, ABS is an essential material for most 3D printer users. But ABS print speed can be a limitation on productivity.

ABS Print Speed Limits and Other Considerations

<p id="isPasted">However, in a recent <a data-hook="linkViewer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/71510477/admin/#" rel="noopener noreferrer" tabindex="0" target="_blank">TechBlick</a> talk, as shown in slide 1, &nbsp;Dr&nbsp;<a data-hook="linkViewer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/71510477/admin/#" rel="noopener noreferrer" tabindex="0" target="_blank">Aart-Jan Hoeven</a> showed an example in microfluidics where EHD could delvier value. Here, this technology could enable the electrode widths or pitches to be narrowed from 30-40um (possible with industrial inkjet) to perhaps 1-5um using EHD, thus saving space. This will support the miniaturization trend of microfluidics, making possible to even integrate them into the human body<br><br></p><p>In slide 2&nbsp;<a data-hook="linkViewer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/71510477/admin/#" rel="noopener noreferrer" tabindex="0" target="_blank">DoMicro BV</a> &#39;s laboratory-scale nano printer can be seen in more detail. It is able to deposit ultrafine features digitally! This DM50-ENP printer is generating significant interest and was developed as part of E-Nanoprint-Pro project<br><br></p><p><a data-hook="linkViewer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/71510477/admin/#" rel="noopener noreferrer" tabindex="0" target="_blank">Marcel Grooten</a> <a data-hook="linkViewer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/71510477/admin/#" rel="noopener noreferrer" tabindex="0" target="_blank">Lars Wienholts</a>&nbsp;</p><div data-hook="rcv-block7" type="paragraph"><br></div><p><a href="https://www.techblick.com/blog/hashtags/EHDjet" tabindex="0" target="_self"><strong>#EHDjet</strong></a> <a href="https://www.techblick.com/blog/hashtags/microfluidics" tabindex="0" target="_self"><strong>#microfluidics</strong></a> <a href="https://www.techblick.com/blog/hashtags/printedelectronics" tabindex="0" target="_self"><strong>#printedelectronics</strong></a><strong>&nbsp;</strong><br><br><strong><a href="https://www.techblick.com/post/microfluidics-and-electrohydrodynamic-printing-ehd" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" id="isPasted"></a></strong></p><div data-hook="rcv-block8" type="paragraph">Read more at <a href="https://www.techblick.com/post/microfluidics-and-electrohydrodynamic-printing-ehd" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.techblick.com/post/microfluidics-and-electrohydrodynamic-printing-ehd</a></div><div data-hook="rcv-block9" type="empty-line"><br></div><div data-hook="galleryViewer"><div data-key="pro-gallery-inner-container" tabindex="-1"><div data-hook="item-link-wrapper" data-id="37406add-280f-4f68-a1bb-bd2dc022b75b_0" data-idx="0" tabindex="-1"><div data-hash="37406add-280f-4f68-a1bb-bd2dc022b75b_0" data-hook="item-container" data-id="37406add-280f-4f68-a1bb-bd2dc022b75b_0" data-idx="0" tabindex="0"><div data-hook="item-wrapper"><div data-hook="image-item"><img alt="" data-idx="0" src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1666115384724-1666115384724.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div><div data-hook="item-hover-0"><br></div></div></div></div><div data-hook="item-link-wrapper" data-id="9c1fb8d4-c648-4a48-9d8e-997f4a7c6018_1" data-idx="1" tabindex="-1"><div data-hash="9c1fb8d4-c648-4a48-9d8e-997f4a7c6018_1" data-hook="item-container" data-id="9c1fb8d4-c648-4a48-9d8e-997f4a7c6018_1" data-idx="1" tabindex="-1"><div data-hook="item-wrapper"><div data-hook="image-item"><img alt="" data-idx="1" src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1666115384815-1666115384815.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div><div data-hook="item-hover-1"><br></div></div></div></div><div data-hook="item-link-wrapper" data-id="18101a19-61c3-4dd6-8179-f94a7f25b37c_2" data-idx="2" tabindex="-1"><div data-hash="18101a19-61c3-4dd6-8179-f94a7f25b37c_2" data-hook="item-container" data-id="18101a19-61c3-4dd6-8179-f94a7f25b37c_2" data-idx="2" tabindex="-1"><div data-hook="item-wrapper"><div data-hook="image-item"><img alt="" data-idx="2" src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1666115384906-1666115384906.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></div></div></div></div></div></div>

 EHD is a promising digital printing technology for going beyond the resolution limits of inkjet. Most examples showcase electronic or display related applications. 



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