PC and PC-ABS materials are known for being industrial-grade thermoplastics that are widely used in the automotive, medical, electronics and telecommunication industries. Being able to combine customization, strength and heat resistance set these materials apart.
PC
PC (polycarbonate) is the most widely used industrial thermoplastic that combines speed, agility and reliability. It is currently only available in white. This material has superior mechanical properties and is impact resistant. It also exhibits high flexural strength that is ideal to print many different parts, functional prototypes or tools while still being customizable. PC also exhibits high wear-resistance and stability that will withstand functional testing. These features make it perfect for automotive, medical and aerospace industries.
PC-ABS
PC-ABS is a high-impact, low-volume engineering thermoplastic that creates stronger parts that mimic the material properties of the final product. PC-ABS combines the strength and heat resistance of PC and the flexibility of ABS. This blend is 5-60% stronger than standard ABS. It is currently only available in black. This makes it ideal for producing durable parts for projects like industrial equipment manufacturing. The SR110 dissoluble support material is easily removed by leaving it in a detergent bath for a few hours. PC-ABS blends are commonly used in telecommunications, automotive and electronic applications.
Printing Technology: FDM
Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) Technology uses production-grade thermoplastics to create parts that are designed to be accurate, easily replicated and stable over time. The FDM process allows for 3D printing with the most commonly used thermoplastics, such as ABS, polycarbonate, a variety of blends, as well as engineered thermoplastics for aerospace, medical, automotive, electronic and other specialty applications.
When printing on an FDM machine you tend to get stronger parts since you are working with thermal plastics. If you plan on testing your parts in a strenuous process, FDM may be the better choice than PolyJet. These materials specialize in high tensile strength and resistance to high temperatures.
>> Learn more about FDM printers that can use this material
Learn more about PC and PC-ABS
This article is an introduction to this material. For additional details and specifics about all that it can do, take a look at some of our related content:
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