May 24, 2017 | From David

One of the more difficult parts of the 3D printing process is the use of beams. Complex shapes cannot always be 3D printed individually and therefore require the addition of support structures that can be removed after the object is printed. Removal of beams can be difficult, time consuming, and dangerous due to the chiselling or chemical bathing required. The newest product from 3DFuel, a filament that is completely water soluble and therefore incredibly easy to remove, could make support issues a thing of the past.

The material known as Hydro-Support is now available on the website of 3DFuel, a brand that was developed in 2016 in cooperation between the filament manufacturers 3Dom USA, 3Dom Europe and 3D-Fuel. All 3DFuel products are manufactured in its own plants, one in Fargo, North Dakota and the other in Moville, Ireland. The quality is ensured through extensive tests carried out with a variety of different 3D printers. MakerBot, LulzBot, FlashForge and many more are used to create the best possible materials for customers no matter what machine they are using.

Although there are already several 3D printer filaments on the market that can be completely dissolved in water (and thus perform a similar function to hydro-support), 3DFuel claims that its product is the easiest to use yet. For example, PVA is widely used to build support structures, but its high water retention can make print jobs difficult. It also tends to be an expensive material to source.

A finished 3D print made with Hydro-Support has a high tensile strength and its material properties are close to PLA, one of the most commonly used FDM filaments. It can then be used to support large overhangs or voids in objects during the printing process, as well as 3D prints with sophisticated internal geometry or core shapes for objects made by various methods. Just toss the project in some water and hydro-support can be carefully hand-worked off after a few hours or even faster if a heated water tank is used. Alternatively, the material will completely dissolve on its own in less than 24 hours.

Hydro-Support comes in a vacuum-sealed container to keep moisture out. 3DFuel recommends that unused filaments continue to be stored in a sealed container with desiccant to avoid possible damage from moisture or moisture. Each roll holds 500g of material and customers can choose from a variety of diameters to suit their specific needs. The filament is available with a diameter of 1.75 mm or 2.85 mm and is carefully measured with a multi-axis laser measurement system. This prevents problems that can affect FDM or FFF 3D printers when using different filament diameters.

A high quality soluble filament is something that the 3D printing world would greatly benefit from, especially when you consider the environmental impact of the technology. In order to achieve perfect results for complex 3D printed shapes, the carrier must be effectively removed. This is ideal without having to flush any toxic chemicals down the drain. At $ 64.99 per roll, Hydro-Support isn’t much more competitively priced than other soluble filaments on the market. However, if the printability improves over PVA, the product from 3DFuel is definitely a step in the right direction.

Posted in 3D Printing Materials

You may also like:

Source Link