FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is warping?

The warping is the phenomenon which occurrs when you take off one piece during printing out of the print area.

2. What is the hot bed?

The hot bed is used to reduce the warping, because it is at a higher temperature to reduce tension in the parts.

3. What is the difference between PLA and ABS?

4. What differences are there in warping between ABS and PLA?

The warping of ABS is greater than that of PLA. For this reason, we recommend using hot water for print jobs that are going to use ABS bed.

5. What other materials can be used in 3D printing?

You can use many materials: PC, PVA, HIPS, PS, PET, Nylon, finished wood, etc. We can add new experimental materials such as carbon fiber, graphene ...

6. What problems can occur when printing with Nylon?

The problem is that Nylon does not adhere on the glass or on the belt, so that a ceramic or wooden bed is required.

7. What parameters affect speed when printing?

Print speed depends on many parameters:

- Material to be extruded.

- Extruder (whether direct, or torque multiplier).

- The clamping force of the extruder.

- The inertia of the extruder.

- The steps of the steper.

- The final quality that is intended to achieve.

8. What is it and how does it affect impression the melt index of a filament?

Melt index is the ease that has an extruded filament to affect the speed of extrusion with the quality of the final part.

9. What is it used and what is PVA?

PVA is a material that dissolves into water, making it ideal for use as support material.

10. Can you print any materials with all printers?

No, there are printers that have a limited temperature range or lack of hot bed or chamber, thus preventing printing with some materials.

11. How can you change the properties of a filament?

The properties of a filament can be modified by using additives that react chemically with it, changing the characteristics of the polymer, which causes the same material to present very different properties.

12. Is it important to protect the filaments from moisture?

Yes. Many materials have the property of absorbing moisture from the atmosphere, resulting in great problems when printing once the filament comes into contact with the extruder. Smart Materials 3D recommends keeping the product, once opened, within an insulated bag with the desiccant bag.

13. What determines the strength of a piece that has been printed in 3D?

It depends primarily on the material, but also depends on the configuration of the printing.

14. Can I use filaments from different manufacturers on the same printer?

It depends on each printer. Some are using filament coils containing a chip to self-configure the printer.

Smart Materials 3D filaments are universal for all printers because they have been tested in most of market printers.

15. What parameters define the quality / performance of a filament in a 3D printer?

The quality of the filament depends mainly on raw materials, additives and manufacturing process. Smart Materials 3D uses high quality raw materials and additives. Our manufacturing process complies with all standards, being specially designed to make 3D printing filaments.

16. Can you print in various colors?

Yes, there are some printers that use more than one extruder, so that everyone can work with a different color. Anyway, colours cannot be mixed, so that if you use an extruder PLA yellow and one blue PLA you won´t get a piece of green PLA.

17. How does reel printing affects the behavior of a filament?

Many polymers undergo what is called "memory effect" which occurs when the roll diameter is small and the filament, on unwinding, is corrugated in the shape of the coil itself.

18. What are the supporting structures are needed and why?

By printing FDM, you can create a variety of shapes and designs. The handicap is that we can not print on the air, we need a surface, so you need a "material support" as the PVA.

19. What new materials will appear in the coming months and years?

Yes. The FDM technology is still under development, and polymers used today will gradually be replaced by more efficient. Smart Materials in 3D we are specialists in the development of new materials, because we have an R + D + i own and collaborate with other companies and public entities in order to provide our customers innovative materials.

20. How SMARTFIL® printers work?

Our filaments were developed for printing on any printer that does not use a particular filament by chip.

21. Why filaments from Smart Materials 3D are the best that can be found in the market?

We only use raw materials and additives of the highest quality, and do not add to the filament recycled materials, as most of Asian manufacturers.

22. Why does ABS pieces crack?

ABS parts crack due to the contraction of the gradient or filament and high difference in temperature between the extrusion temperature and the room temperature.

23. What can I use to prevent warping?

You can do some things:

- Fixing lacquers.

- Water soluble adhesives.

- Hot Bed.

- Tape blue bodybuilder.

- Kapton tape.

24. Do additives affect qualities of the material?

Yes, Smart Materials 3D are constantly studying how to improve the properties of the filaments with the use of new additives.

25. Are toxic filaments from Smart Materials 3D?

PLA come from a plant (corn or potato), so it does not present any problem when printing. ABS hardly produce vapors when printing, anyway it is recomended printing in a ventilated room.