BigRep announced that it will expand its materials portfolio with four new materials: PLX, PET-CF, PA6/66, and BVOH. The addition of the new materials is in line with the entire AM industry's push to offer materials that will make AM more useful in industrial applications.
“These materials are specially designed to take full advantage of our large-format 3D printers’ speed, precision and quality,” said BigRep CBO Frank Marangell.
According to the company, the offerings are ideal for industrial users with advanced or niche material requirements. Each new material is designed to fit the specific, individual needs of the manufacturer.
BigRep PLX is being introduced as a solution for those who value a quick and efficient material that is also environmentally friendly. The material is a bio-performance filament derived from organic compounds that is built for general use but is best suited for design and functional prototyping. According to BigRep, its PLX can print up to 80 percent faster than standard PLA without any additional modification.
In contrast, the PET-CF material is a carbon fiber reinforced filament designed for high-strength, large-format printing. It is capable of producing strong, stiff parts with a fine surface finish and has heat resistance up to 100°C. Additionally, PET-CF offers dimensional stability and low moisture absorption. The material was intentionally designed as a companion to the BigRep STUDIO G2 printer.
BigRepPA6/66 is a durable, lightweight thermoplastic filament with high compatibility and machining and mechanical strength. The material functions similarly to Nylon PA6, which is a material commonly used for injection molding. According to BigRep, PA6/66 is ideal for industrial applications such as tooling, patterns, molds, and end-use parts. It also offers high rigidity and resistance to heat and chemicals, making it suitable for scalable batch productions, printing end-use parts or prototyping that involves nearly identical material properties to mass production parts.
The final new material, BVOH, is a water-soluble filament capable of supporting heavy prints. The BVOH’s solubility makes it suitable for printing complex, ready-to-use prototypes. This makes it possible to eliminate post-processing support removal for complex 3D-printed parts. Supporting heavy prints is especially important for this company, as the BigRep One printer has a build volume of one cubic meter, one of the largest in its class.
BigRep will continue to expand its filament offerings to support advanced applications. The four new materials were introduced at FABTECH 2019 in Chicago earlier this month.
For more news and stories, check out how this fusion factory introduced filament-based metal and ceramic 3D printing here.