3D printing of ceramic products is a relatively new area, which has now begun to actively develop. Ceramics, obtained with the help of three-dimensional printing, is used most often for the production of original decorative items, souvenirs, interior items and utensils. For production, special ceramic powders and a layer-by-layer technique are used.
One of the features that is simultaneously a challenge in this area is the need to process the finished models by subsequent firing and glazing. In addition, ceramic products obtained by the 3D printing method are often too brittle, this is due both to the properties of the powder materials used and to the technology of applying the layers.
A new word in the technology of printing ceramics was able to tell the company Tethon 3D. The modernized process of three-dimensional printing provides for the use of a special press, with which the applied layers are compacted. Due to this, after firing, the products are much more durable. The company also uses powders of its own design – Tehnonite. Thethon 3D filed an application for the corresponding patent.
An important part of 3D printing technology, which can not be underestimated, is print materials. One of the companies that has proven itself in the filament market for 3D printing is Spestrum Filaments. The company produces a wide range of materials of various properties and shades, including PLA – most often used for a wide range of applications, as well as recommended by most famous manufacturers of household 3D printers.
On the basis of this filament Spettrum Filaments was developed a completely new, innovative material with impregnations, thanks to which the products from it are extremely similar to marble. The filament was called “Stone Age”, it is available in a diameter of 1.75 mm and has at the moment two varieties: a light and darker shade. We note the peculiarities of working with such a material: the diameter of grains of sand in the filament reaches 0.1-0.2 mm and, in order to avoid clogging the nozzle of the printer, it is advisable to increase the temperature regime to 220-230 degrees (relative to 190-210 recommended by the manufacturer).
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