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3 Main Types of Plastic Used for 3D Printing

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For the past few years, we have all seen the amazing things that had happened in 3D printing technology. It is just a sight to behold on how things changed during those years. On top of remarkable design possibilities that can be acquired via 3D printing, the level of engineering that's used for printing fabric-like materials are just astonishing.

While it is true that we are widely using metal, sugar, Styrofoam or ceramic materials to build anything from 3D, still we can't deny how it all began, in plastics. Believe it or not, until this day plastic is an integral raw material for performing 3D printing. Later on, we will be discussing the major types of plastic used in textile industry.

Number 1. PLA - also known as Polylactic Acid which is a bioplastic that's currently dominating the 3D printing world. This is made from renewable organic resources similar to sugarcane or cornstarch. In textile industry, The Filament Koil have shown remarkable adhesion to PLA plastics. Due to the fact that it is possible to reinforce it to all types of materials, it is usually seen in producing smart fabric that helps to improve functionality of textile products.

Number 2. ABS - this is otherwise known as Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene that's basically a terpolymer made by acrylonitrile and polymerizing styrene with polybutadiene. Then again, this is a type of bioplastic that is used most of the time for 3D Printing Filaments. It has the capacity to form filaments and aside from that, it's strong, durable, heat resistant, cost effective and flexible.

One possible drawback of ABS on the other hand is the fact that it may create a bit of unpleasant smell whenever it is heated and the vapor it releases has nasty chemicals. Because of this, anyone who is intending to use such material must have a place that is well ventilated for the fumes to eradicated.

Number 3. PVA - it's a water soluble synthetic polymer that stands for Polyvinyl Alcohol. The fact is, PVA is a new kind of 3D printing materials used to support hold of various 3D objects in its place. This is not used for a finished product instead, it is intended to support certain portions of the product. Right after the products are finished, it can now be submerged into water and the PVA support structures will begin to dissolve leaving the insoluble prints. In the world of 3D printing, this act as a glue, packaging film or thickener. To gain more information about 3D printins please visit https://www.huffingtonpost.com/topic/3d-printing.

Even though there are multiple range of materials used for 3D printing that can evolve with time, these are the 3 main types of plastics used for 3D printing application.