3D Printing in Hard Plastic

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Speed 50%
Size 66%
Strength 100%
Detail 66%

Used For: strong prototypes, functional prints and products, architecture models and more.

Request a Hard Plastic 3D Print

Printing Method: FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling)

The 3D Printing method for our Strong ABS Plastic Material is FDM, or Fused Deposition Modeling. This method uses an extruder head on a gantry to melt spools of thermoplastics while following paths one vertical layer at a time. For overhangs or undercuts in the geometry, a secondary dissolvable support structure is laid down so that the plastic material can be laid down each layer.

Maximum Print Size Minimum Print Size Minimum Wall Thickness Print Resolution
6″ x 6″ x 8″ (152 x 152 x 203 mm) 1″ x 1″ x 1″ (25.4 x 25.4 x 25.4 mm) .09″ (2.3mm) .010″ (0.254mm)

Material Characteristics:

Very Strong and durable with a plastic gloss. It is smooth to the touch with slightly visible striations of vertical build layers

lookLook: Opaque, smooth, monochromatic. Very small layer striations visible at close range
feelFeel: smooth, rigid, glossy Great for strong and functional parts
watertightWatertight?: No. While this material is not water tight, it can withstand exposure to water.
dishwashersafeDishwasher safe?: Yes
burgersafeFood safe?: No. This material should not be used in contact with foodstuffs.
recyclingRecyclable?: No.

Rates

Hard Plastic

$125per cc
  • Turnaround time: 2-4 business days

Bulk Pricing

variable
  • variable pricing for larger, bulk orders

Rush Pricing

variable
  • variable pricing for rush orders under 2 business days

Design Rules:

supportedwall
Minimum wall thickness (supported walls)

2.0mm

A supported wall is a wall that has connections on both sides, giving it more strength and support.

unsupportedwall
Minimum wall thickness (unsupported wall)

3.0mm

An unsupported wall is a wall with a connection on only one side giving it less strength and support.

engraved
Minimum Embossed/Engraved Detail

.5mm high and wide

This determines the feature size possible when engraving or embossing within a structure.

wire
Minimum Wire Diameter

3.0mm

A wire is an element where the length is more than 2x the width.

minimum clearance
Minimum Clearance

1.0mm

This is the distance between separate components so that they are not bound together.

Technical Rules:

normals
Normals Must All be Unified

In the digital world, any surface will have a front and a back face. This surface orientation is called a “normal”. If two adjacent surfaces have different normal directions, this file input may confuse the 3D printer.

closed
Models Must be “Water Tight”

This means that there are no holes in the shell of the model. All vertices for adjacent mesh faces must be connected.

wall thickness
Components Must Have Minimum Thickness

In order to successfully print and survive post processing, model components must have a minimum wall thickness.

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