CarbonX™ PA12+CF Printing Filament
CarbonX™ Carbon Fiber PA12 is made using high-modulus carbon fiber and a specialty Nylon 12 (PA12) that we chose for it’s printability, thermal properties, and chemical resistance. PA12+CF is widely used in a variety of industries due to its excellent chemical resistance, low moisture absorption, and wide processing window. Our formulation ensures very low shrinkage in the printed part resulting in excellent dimensional stability, making our PA12+CF an excellent choice for tools, fixtures, and jigs.
FabMachines™ F3-Pro 3D Printer
Print industrial-grade parts using Carbon-Fiber-nylon and more with the new FabMachines™ F3-Pro High-Temp Fiber 3D Printer.
Salient Features
- High thermal properties, with a CUT of 120°C and HDT of 150°C
- Excellent strength and stiffness over a wide temperature range, up to 150°C
- Very low moisture absorption yielding improved retention of mechanical properties even when exposed to humid environments
- Low density makes it ideal for light-weight parts
- Superior chemical resistances, especially when compared to PA6 nylons
- Low shrinkage and warping for high dimensional stability and reproducible part-to-part measurements
- Extruder: 265-285°C
- Bed Temp: 90-110°C
- Nozzle: We currently recommend a hardened steel nozzle with a minimum diameter of 0.4mm
- Other: Ideal layer height is 60% of nozzle diameter. We do not recommend printing layers smaller than 0.2mm with carbon fiber reinforced filament
- Bed Prep: Magigoo Bed Prep and 3DXTECH Polyimide Tape gives us the best results
- Heated Chamber: Recommended
- Supports: AquaTek™ water soluble X1 USM Universal Support Material is designed to work with complex models
- Drying Instructions: 90°C for 4 hours
What Is It?
Fibers 5-10 micrometers wide made of carbon. The fibers are aligned following the axis of the material.
This, along with their physical makeup, are what give this material its excellent properties.
What Does It Do?
Carbon Fibers demonstrate a lot of desirable material properties:
- High stiffness
- High tensile strength
- High heat tolerance
- High chemical resistance
- Low weight
- Low thermal expansion
How Does It Work?
Reinforcing plastic with carbon fibers produces a 3D printing filament which exhibits the best properties of both the carbon fibers and the plastic of choice.
What Is It Good For?
Ideal for any applications which require light weight and rigidity.
Carbon fiber reinforced parts, designed to use less material and save weight, is extremely popular in aerospace, civil engineering, the military, and motorsports.
This material is particularly abrasive among 3D printing filaments. Users may find standard brass nozzles are chewed through very quickly compared to standard wear and tear. When worn through, the nozzle diameter will widen inconsistently and the printer will experience extrusion issues.
Because of this, it’s strongly recommended this material be printed through a hardened steel nozzle rather than a softer metal. Hardened steel nozzles can often be inexpensive and easily installed depending on your printer manufacturer’s instructions.
