Polymaker's PC materials Specially Designed for Industrial 3D Printers

Brooklyn, USA - Subsidiary of Stratasys Ltd., and a global pioneer in 3D printing, MakerBot Industries, announced that Polymaker, a leading provider of 3D printing materials, has qualified three polycarbonate (PC) materials for MakerBot LABS. Polymaker PC-PBT, PolyMax PC-FR, and PolyLite PC are available to print on the company's METHOD X 3D printer with the MakerBot LABS Experimental Extruder. This extruder turns the printer into an open materials platform, enabling users to harness the strong mechanical and thermal properties of polycarbonate (PC), while reducing problems such as warping and curling.

Polymaker recommends using a material caddy, such as the Polymaker PolyBox, to shield it from precipitation in the environment, since PC materials are sensitive to moisture. The users can also use the Material Drying mode on the printer to eliminate moisture from the materials. The addition of Polymaker PC materials brings the MakerBot LABS for METHOD portfolio of materials to 9 and the total number of materials available on the METHOD platform to 19.

Polycarbonate is a popular lightweight, high-performance engineering material that has the ability to transmit light as effectively as glass, and withstand impacts better than other thermoplastics such as ABS. PC materials are commonly used for functional prototyping and end-use parts in the production of automotive components, protective gear, medical device components, and exterior lighting fixtures.

"Polycarbonate is often the choice for parts that function in demanding applications. Its mechanical properties, flame retardance, and chemical resistance also allow engineers to push the boundaries of their 3D printed parts and experiment with new geometries,” explained Xiaofan Luo, PhD, President - Polymaker. “Anyone who is serious about printing polycarbonate knows that a heated chamber is essential for printing large and strong complex parts. METHOD is bringing industrial capabilities to a desktop machine, and we think its users will really benefit from the material properties our PC range offers.”

“With its up to 110°C heated chamber, METHOD is a powerful and unique 3D printer platform for printing advanced engineering materials. The availability of Polymaker’s PC materials on METHOD offers allows engineers to print polycarbonate parts that they previously had to outsource to more expensive industrial 3D printers,” emphasized Johan-Till Broer, VP - Product Development, MakerBot. “We are seeing increased interest in industrial materials as engineers advance from simple prototyping to 3D printing end-use parts. We are thrilled that Polymaker has qualified its industrial range of PC materials for MakerBot LABS.”

Image Source: Stratasys

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