BUY HERE: https://visionminer.com/materials#pc



0:00 - Intro

1:46 - What Industries Use This Material
3:18 - What Temps You Need to Print This
5:30 - Material Specifications
6:28 - Environmental Factors
8:13 - Example Parts
8:58 - Break Tests
12:09 - Burn Tests
15:29 - End

Known historically as Lexan, polycarbonate or PC is a popular material that comes in a variety of forms. As a 3D printing filament, polycarbonate can be powerful for high-heat applications requiring a fine detail and strength.

3DXMAX® PC is a premium high-heat 3D printing filament from 3DXTech, available on our website, made using Lexan® Polycarbonate from Sabic. PC has some of the best mechanical properties & high-heat resistance in the 3D Printing world (Tg of 147°C). This PC allows for the printing of functional prototypes and production parts with very fine detail and excellent surface quality. 3DXMAX® PC is suitable for use in both consumer-grade and industrial FDM/FFF printers that have a heated print bed and extruders that can reach upwards of 300°C. One of the best things? It’s made in the USA.

Polycarbonate is used EVERYWHERE -- there’s probably some within reach of you, as you’re watching this video: Electronic components, as a good insulator while being heat-resistant and flame-retardant; construction materials, like dome lights, glazing, roofing sheets, sound walls; In data storage, all those CD’s, DVD’s, and Blu-Rays are made of polycarbonate… in sheets/films, it’s used for signs, displays, and posters. Widely used in the automotive and aircraft industries, it’s used for headlamp lenses, fasteners, bullet-proof glass, product packaging, even the cockpit canopy in the F-22 Raptor is made from polycarbonate.

WHAT KIND OF MACHINE DO YOU NEED TO PRINT THIS FILAMENT?

Nozzle Temp: 280-310°C
Bed Temp: 110 - 120°C - for adhesive, our Nano Polymer Adhesive works great!
Chamber Temp: You don’t HAVE to have a heated chamber, but on anything bigger than a few inches, it sure helps a LOT.

If you’re dual-extruding, this stuff works great with Aquatek X1 support filament, also from 3DXTech!

Drying: yes, you MUST dry this filament. Like almost every thermoplastic, this does need to be dried thoroughly before processing, which is the fancy word for melting.

In regards to drying, we’ve got an entire kit available on our site, including the vacuum chamber and ovens -- that’s basically all you need, so we put together the stuff WE use at OUR shop, so that you can do it just as easily as us. We also made METAL spools, so you don’t have to worry about melting or warping your spool when drying at high temps.

BASIC MATERIAL SPECS:

Heat Deflect Temp: 135 °C at 66PSI on the ISO 75 standard
Glass transition of 147 C on the DSC Standard.
PC is Amorphous, so it can be annealed with some good effects!

For Tensile strength, you get around 62MPa on the ISO 527 standard, but keep in mind the way your part is designed and the orientation at which it’s printed will have a dramatic effect on strength. You’ll lose a certain percentage in the z-axis, depending how the part is printed.

All data sheets are available on our online store, at visionminer.com/data, so you can find the tensile modulus, elongation, impact strength, and more details over there!

UV: Not the best in extended exposure to sunlight. It does break down over time, and will turn yellow. However, it still remains pretty strong.
Hydrolytic resistance: Under 60ºC in the water? You’re good. Over 60ºC and it will break down over time, but with that in mind, it can be used in water.
Absorbs water very fast normally, as it is a hygroscopic material, meaning it pulls it from the air, however it will absorb less water after printing



Chemical resistances:
Oil & hydrocarbon: Great resistance to greases, lubricants, and oils
Alcohols: Good (Methyl, Ethyl, Benzyl, Butyl)
Chlorine: Fair Resistance
Sulfuric Acid & HCL: Vulnerable
It’s an electrical insulator, as well!

While PC does meet ISO 10993-1 and USP Class VI standards, the filament is not necessarily certified for them. It can be sterilized by steam at 120ºC, gamma radiation, or EtO gas. Generally, PSU or PPSU is better for medical applications, but this stuff can do it!


Check out our other videos for the full comparisons! At Vision Miner, we specialize in Functional 3D printing, especially high-performance plastics like PEEK, ULTEM, PPSU, PPS, CFPA, and more. We also have extensive experience with 3D scanners, and a whole array of solutions available for purchase. If you're interested in using functional 3D printing and materials in your business, feel free to reach out, and we can help you make the right choice for your application.

Call 833-774-6863 or email [email protected], and we're here to help!

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