Proven Nylon 11 Laser Sintering Materials
Materials certified for 3DS/DTM and many EOS platforms available from RP Support
Given the current global shortage of Nylon 12 polyamide used in the manufacture of performance Laser Sintering powders, RP Support, a leading service and materials provider to the Rapid Prototyping market, is pleased to offer customers an alternative range of materials based on Nylon 11 to support businesses during this supply crisis.
All of the materials within the range of Nylon 11 powders are already proven within the UK and US markets, and are certified for 3DS/DTM and many EOS sintering platforms. The portfolio offers users a range of colours from black to grey to natural white as well as a range of properties to meet a wide selection of application requirements.
The Nylon 11 materials have been developed over several years in collaboration with customers looking to address key market requirements. In general Nylon 11 materials offer exceptional impact resistance but as a result are more flexible, not always a desirable property. However, with the addition of speciality fillers such as glass spheres, carbon fibre or mineral fibre the mechanical properties can be altered in such a way as to develop performance powders that are specifically suited to individual applications.
Nylon 11 materials are being utilised successfully by a number of aerospace manufacturing companies such as Boeing for parts within their 787 Dreamliner aircraft, Bell Helicopters and in the US for F18 fighter jets. The attraction here is the superior mechanical properties exhibited by Nylon 11 materials allowing them to become truly usable when compared to Nylon 12 materials which are more often used for prototype parts.
Available today, the range of Nylon 11 powders from RP Support constitutes 5 formulations, 2 unfilled materials; PA 850 black and PA 860 natural as well as 3 filled materials; PA 803-CF, PA 840-GSL and PA 820-MF.
The 2 unfilled materials include; PA 850 black, that produces parts with a true matt black surface finish and excellent fine detail resolution for thin walled parts and text. The material is process friendly and offers exceptional impact resistance producing parts comparable to injection moulded PP and ABS. It is ideal for parts with snap fit designs requiring living hinges and is being run by Paragon Rapid Technologies, on their Sinterstation® HiQ™ 2500. PA 860 natural is off-white in colour, and parts produced from this material exhibit outstanding mechanical properties, without the need to double scan, coupled with an exceptional smooth surface finish.
The 3 filled materials include; PA 803-CF, a carbon fibre filled, melt mixed black powder, with low density. Benefits include good dimensional stability, high tensile modulus and good impact resistance. The jet black parts are very stiff with excellent strength-to-weight characteristics making them ideal for automotive applications, this material essentially emulates very closely a carbon fibre composite.
PA 840-GSL; a light weight composite material with a density of 0.86 g/cc, produces parts that will literally float on water. It is ideal for light weight applications requiring superior strength-to-weight properties combined with good aesthetics. In some specialist automotive applications, customers are utilising this material as a structural core in conjunction with other materials such as carbon fibre.
PA 820-MF; a mineral fibre filled Nylon 11 material is also available offering a combination of good dimensional stability, tensile modulus and high heat deflection temperature. It is recommended for industrial applications requiring excellent strength coupled with stiffness characteristics.
RP Support are also announcing the introduction of PA 815-GS, a new off-white, highly glass-sphere filled Nylon 11 powder as a functional replacement for the Nylon 12 glass filled material PA 615-GS currently unavailable due to the global raw material shortage. The new 50% glass sphere filled Nylon 11 material provides good dimensional stability, a good heat deflection temperature and greatly increased stiffness and impact resistance.
For further information on the full range of Laser Sintering powders offered by RP Support or to download the product technical data sheets go to www.rpsupport.co.uk . Or please call 01296 425665 where one of our technical sales engineers will be able to recommend available Nylon 11 powders suitable for your application.
