3d Printing Materials Suppliers And Materials They Supply

Despite its name, 3d printing is different from both manufacturing and printing. Literally speaking it prints objects much like a printer, and the process can well be compared to printing. Moreover, 3d printing is done on a medium much like the paper on which you print letters and images. However, this is where the similarities end. 3d printing is a much more complex concept and process than just printing. It is a process by which one can manufacture various objects. Such printing is done in 3 stages. One of the most important stages is selecting the right material.

3d Printing Materials Suppliers

Selecting the right material for printing determines the outcome of printing. 3d printing depends a lot on the materials used. You need to select the right 3d printing materials suppliers so that you can get the best materials for printing. Quality of 3d printing material is important in order to get good quality finished product. You need to secure good suppliers in order to come up with impeccable quality material.

Materials For 3d Printing

Theoretically speaking, 3d printing can be done with many different objects. However, practically, there are only a few capable materials for 3d printing and they are all different kinds of plastic like Nylon, ABS plastic, Resin etc. Although 3d printing is possible with many other materials like gypsum, ceramic, titanium, gold, silver, stainless steel etc.

Supporting Materials

To print 3d objects you also need a supporting material on which the layers of the material can deposit to give shape to the product. The basic requirement of materials for 3d printing is that they should be soluble in water or alcohol or some other liquid. However, there are not many materials which exhibit this property. The only material that supports 3d printing as well as gets dissolved in water is PLA, a form of plastic.

Physical Characteristics

Materials need to meet some criteria in order to be fed into the 3d printer. Any material for 3d printing can be fed to the printer in the form of filaments only. When this is fed to the printer, the printer melts the filament and deposits its layers on the supporting material. There are 3d printing materials suppliers who supply filaments of the material of the order of 1.75 to 3 mm in size. 3d printing depends a lot on the quality of these materials. You need to procure these items from reliable 3d printing materials suppliers since any compromise with the quality of materials can lead to shortcomings in printing.

Other Materials For 3d Printing

Although it is theoretically possible to print materials with materials other than plastic, the cost of such printing can become prohibitive. The price of materials for 3d printing like steel, titanium, gold, silver etc in the form of filaments can be very high. Moreover, these materials need to be melted in order to make 3d printed objects. The cost of melting metals is very high since they require high temperature to melt. This is why 3d printing in practice is mostly carried out with plastics.