Jun.13, 2013
Italian company 3ntr has launched a new nylon filament developed specifically for 3d printers. This 3mm polyamide 6 filament is made up of 99.9% PA6 Polymer, no plasticizers, no fiberglass, and 0.1% soap to ease processing. It is not as flexible as Taulman's Nylon, but it is aimed to print structural parts that must be able to resist static and dynamic loads.
According to 3ntr, settings for printing polyamide 6 are similar to ABS, only the printing temps should be 240-280°C, and the best printing results can be obtained with layer thinner than 0.25mm.
In addition, Polyamide 6 has different adhesion properties from other common use plastic for 3D printers (PLA or ABS), 3ntr suggests users to use bachelite or nylon bed for the best result. And it is not necessary to heat the plate, in this case setting the first layer thickness to be 80% of standard layer is enough. The maximum advisable speed is 70 mm/sec, though the best adhesion is obtained at 40 mm/sec.
3ntr was established in late fifties to make corsetry parts. Current CEO Davide Ardizzoia was a textile engineer, an early user of Rhinoceros (12+ yrs), with a computer graphics background, peppered with several stages at robotics and machine control companies.
"Funny enough we end up using latest technologies (linear motors, lasers, robots, ultrasonic welders, micronized polymers, hot melt systems)", says Ardizzoia. "Seven years ago we stepped into rapid prototyping. We were amazed both from the possibilities of the technology but also from the huge costs involved." According to Ardizzoia, some independent beta testers reported that polyamide 6 has more or less same printing behavior as Taulman 618, only polyamide 6 is a little less "warpy".
The 3mm polyamide 6 filament is currently available in white color. The black nylon is still in its fine-tuning process to get consistent results. The price is 25€ ($33) per spool (450 gr).
Here are some test prints of polyamide 6:
Posted in 3D Printing Materials
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Still nothing beats the original ABS and PLA filaments. On the other hand, you may have heard that nylon emits fumes. Don’t worry at all because Taulman 645 Nylon 645 does not emit any fumes for 3D printing. Actually, there is no odour at all from 645. You may see what looks like puffs of smoke, but it is actually water vapour or steam.