World's first: 3D printing carbon fiber honeycomb material.
11-01-2014, 12:59 AM
#1
Thread Starter
World's first: 3D printing carbon fiber honeycomb material.
I have been testing a new material called NEFCAR ( Novolac Epoxy Filament with CARbon ) that has been specifically designed to my requirements for several weeks now. After lots of tweaking and printing head modifications, I can now print 3D honeycomb reinforced epoxy/ carbon fiber parts!
The biggest challenge was to find the right printing bed and nozzle temperature that would allow the material to cool down slowly enough to enable the nano carbon fibers to align along each other and create continuous filaments bonded by the hybrid resin.
This is pretty much a first time in the world and I am very happy with the material characteristics. The part is about 30% lighter than with PYCABS and 75% stiffer. The high level of nano carbon fibers reinforcement makes the part incredibly easy to glue with epoxy resins.
I have reached a point where I can say that this is the most incredible material I have ever been able to work with.
Here is a video of a part printing as you can see, the head travel speed is quite fast:
http://vimeo.com/110640308 The advantage of the thermofused technique is that I can control the material characteristics by changing the bed/ printing nozzle/ chamber temperature. The drawback is that I am limited in printing dimensions to 15" by 12" by 15".
3D printing with carbon fiber hybrid resin. from Oli Ni on Vimeo.
Here are a couple of pictures of the part finished. The honeycomb filling is almost visible through the 0.2 mm carbon fiber layer.
Note the hinge recess and control horn already included in the printing from the CAD stage. Zero fiddling with door geometry on this part!
Here is the back of the part. the carbon fiber nature of the material is immediately evident when you get the part in your hands.
As far as I am aware of, only the boys at the Harvard University have managed to achieve a similar result with a different technique. They use an Epoxy printing ink on a 100% custom printer where I use a thermofused hybrid epoxy/ polylactic resin/ nano fiber mix that is dispensed through a 75% modified Stratasys printer.
http://www.seas.harvard.edu/news/201...-of-balsa-wood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=pnGPYwNM4rE
The biggest challenge was to find the right printing bed and nozzle temperature that would allow the material to cool down slowly enough to enable the nano carbon fibers to align along each other and create continuous filaments bonded by the hybrid resin.
This is pretty much a first time in the world and I am very happy with the material characteristics. The part is about 30% lighter than with PYCABS and 75% stiffer. The high level of nano carbon fibers reinforcement makes the part incredibly easy to glue with epoxy resins.
I have reached a point where I can say that this is the most incredible material I have ever been able to work with.
Here is a video of a part printing as you can see, the head travel speed is quite fast:
http://vimeo.com/110640308 The advantage of the thermofused technique is that I can control the material characteristics by changing the bed/ printing nozzle/ chamber temperature. The drawback is that I am limited in printing dimensions to 15" by 12" by 15".
3D printing with carbon fiber hybrid resin. from Oli Ni on Vimeo.
Here are a couple of pictures of the part finished. The honeycomb filling is almost visible through the 0.2 mm carbon fiber layer.
Note the hinge recess and control horn already included in the printing from the CAD stage. Zero fiddling with door geometry on this part!
Here is the back of the part. the carbon fiber nature of the material is immediately evident when you get the part in your hands.
As far as I am aware of, only the boys at the Harvard University have managed to achieve a similar result with a different technique. They use an Epoxy printing ink on a 100% custom printer where I use a thermofused hybrid epoxy/ polylactic resin/ nano fiber mix that is dispensed through a 75% modified Stratasys printer.
http://www.seas.harvard.edu/news/201...-of-balsa-wood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=pnGPYwNM4rE
Last edited by olnico; 11-01-2014 at 12:06 PM.
11-01-2014, 01:20 AM
#2
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Very impressive Oli.
To be able to print your own carbon jet parts is fantastic.
(As a world first, maybe you should protect your I.P.
But now it's in the public domain?)
To be able to print your own carbon jet parts is fantastic.
(As a world first, maybe you should protect your I.P.
But now it's in the public domain?)
11-01-2014, 01:24 AM
#3
Thread Starter
11-01-2014, 01:33 AM
#5
I would drop slic3r and go with cura even though you loose the nifty honeycomb pattern for squares. 
please link the filament.
please link the filament.
Last edited by Henke Torphammar; 11-01-2014 at 01:36 AM.
11-01-2014, 01:45 AM
#6
Thread Starter
I can't. I managed to plug the Slic3r engine into uPrint after much difficulties. Does not work with the Cura engine. I would have to scrap the Mojo control card and swap it for an Ultimachine Rambo card. Then there is not much left of the Startasys printer apart from the frame!
11-01-2014, 01:47 AM
#7
Thread Starter
11-01-2014, 01:56 AM
#9
Thread Starter
. I only use the infill part of the engine code ( I actually extracted the 3D honeycomb algorithm of beta 1.2.0. ). The rest is left to uPrint.
Last edited by olnico; 11-01-2014 at 02:00 AM.
11-01-2014, 06:29 AM
#10
http://www.makergeeks.com/cafiplhitepl.html
One of the many vendors selling exotic filament.
Pcabs and carbon fiber reinforced filaments ... this has been around for quite some time .. not just out of Harvard.
Cura is a good slicer but it has its limitations, and sometimes you need to fool it by changing the nozzle size settings. I have read that upcoming updates will give options for different infill patterns. ... ( like 3rd honeycomb) I really like my Ultimaker, but just for prototyping. FDM will always have its limitations I guess.
I have thought about possibly doing laser syntering on the laser cutter with a movable bed, and would just need
A bed/spreader set up. A carbon/nylon mix would be interesting but that's just too much experimentation for my schedule. :/ one day maybe ...
I
I like seeing you posting techniques and tech that is still new and to many unknown. Good work Oli.
Voy
One of the many vendors selling exotic filament.
Pcabs and carbon fiber reinforced filaments ... this has been around for quite some time .. not just out of Harvard.
Cura is a good slicer but it has its limitations, and sometimes you need to fool it by changing the nozzle size settings. I have read that upcoming updates will give options for different infill patterns. ... ( like 3rd honeycomb) I really like my Ultimaker, but just for prototyping. FDM will always have its limitations I guess.
I have thought about possibly doing laser syntering on the laser cutter with a movable bed, and would just need
A bed/spreader set up. A carbon/nylon mix would be interesting but that's just too much experimentation for my schedule. :/ one day maybe ...
I
I like seeing you posting techniques and tech that is still new and to many unknown. Good work Oli.
Voy
11-01-2014, 09:56 AM
#12
Thread Starter
http://www.makergeeks.com/cafiplhitepl.html
One of the many vendors selling exotic filament.
Pcabs and carbon fiber reinforced filaments ... this has been around for quite some time .. not just out of Harvard.
Voy
One of the many vendors selling exotic filament.
Pcabs and carbon fiber reinforced filaments ... this has been around for quite some time .. not just out of Harvard.
Voy
The link above is actually selling a plastic from Protoplant. I am working with these guys for other stuff. They offered their idea on kickstarter in October 2013 and started selling in July 2014. The filaments are actually not yet in stock in most shop. Hardly available at all yet, so the "quite some time" should be "a few weeks ago". Anyway this is PLA plastic and is extremely brittle. So much that my test samples purchased on Kickstarter came completely broken and unusable.
11-01-2014, 10:04 AM
#13
Thread Starter
I will post another thread on a completely new hybrid material next week. Some crazy stuff offered by the same manufacturer that makes the thermofusing Epoxy filaments for me.
Keep looking here:
http://www.ultimate-jets.net/blogs/n...atio-materials
Keep looking here:
http://www.ultimate-jets.net/blogs/n...atio-materials
11-01-2014, 11:12 AM
#14
Very cool Oli!
if you havent tried or looked into Simplify3D, i highly recommend you do. It is worlds better than Slicer and Cura. I had some prints that were just impossible to so and/or horrible surface quality when done. Simplify3D made those prints possible and much more pleasing ti the eye.
if you havent tried or looked into Simplify3D, i highly recommend you do. It is worlds better than Slicer and Cura. I had some prints that were just impossible to so and/or horrible surface quality when done. Simplify3D made those prints possible and much more pleasing ti the eye.
11-01-2014, 11:29 AM
#15
Thread Starter
Very cool Oli!
if you havent tried or looked into Simplify3D, i highly recommend you do. It is worlds better than Slicer and Cura. I had some prints that were just impossible to so and/or horrible surface quality when done. Simplify3D made those prints possible and much more pleasing ti the eye.
if you havent tried or looked into Simplify3D, i highly recommend you do. It is worlds better than Slicer and Cura. I had some prints that were just impossible to so and/or horrible surface quality when done. Simplify3D made those prints possible and much more pleasing ti the eye.
11-01-2014, 11:35 AM
#16
Thread Starter
The biggest restrictions I have right now are:
1. Material price ( 500 USD per kg for the Novalac Epoxy Filament )
2. Processsing technique: the printer has to run continuously otherwise, within 5 min the print head has to be cleaned in acetone. After printing, the part must stay on its printing bed for 12 hours and then go for a 12 hours post curing cycle in an oven. That drives the price up again.
1. Material price ( 500 USD per kg for the Novalac Epoxy Filament )
2. Processsing technique: the printer has to run continuously otherwise, within 5 min the print head has to be cleaned in acetone. After printing, the part must stay on its printing bed for 12 hours and then go for a 12 hours post curing cycle in an oven. That drives the price up again.
