Covestro announced a new material, Addigy FPB 2684 3D.
Made by a collaboration between Covestro and chemical supplier Nexeo, the new material is PC-ABS, a blend of, you guessed it, ABS and Polycarbonate.
PC-ABS is a popular material in industrial 3D printer settings, but less so at the desktop level. This combination of PC and ABS creates a new material that has the best properties of both: the ABS provides some flexibility in the part, while the PC provides strength and higher thermal resistance.
Nexeo and Covestro have managed to increase the thermal resistance of the new Addigy material to a whopping 122C, which should enable its use for applications involving significant heat.
Another unusual property of this material is that it resists discoloration. This could make it an ideal material for use in outdoor consumer products where the look and function are maintained over longer periods.
Nexeo said the product has “easy printability”, but I suspect it’s best 3D printed in a device with an enclosure that’s heated.
I should point out that this isn’t simply a case of a chemical company extruding an existing material in filament form. Nexeo and Covestro spent considerable time tuning the material for use in 3D printing. They explain:
“The development of Addigy FPB 2684 was a collaborative effort resulting in a material that provides an extremely smooth surface finish while delivering impact resistance and superior strength. Leveraging its deep technical support services experience, Nexeo Plastics utilized testing scenarios based on real-world printing demands in the market to promote the development of Covestro’s Addigy FPB 2684.”
They also worked closely with Ultimaker, who now have a print profile for the material available in their Ultimaker Cura Marketplace, making it immediately usable on Ultimaker’s S3 and S5 platforms.
Covestro currently offers Addigy FPB 2684 3D in two formats, 1.75mm and 2.85mm. At the moment these are only in “natural” color, but it seems they will soon offer many more colors. They say:
“Based on customer feedback, a wider range of colors will be added to the PC/ABS portfolio later this year.”
If you’re looking for a powerful industrial 3D print material for stressful applications, you might consider Addigy FPB 2684 3D.
