3D printing with carbon fiber is revolutionizing the production of high-strength components, bringing innovation and superior performance even to industrial applications. Discover the advantages, FFF and FGF technologies, and the solutions offered by LATI3Dlab to meet both aesthetic and functional needs.
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Carbon Fiber Filaments: The Future of 3D Printing with FFF and FGF
Today, with the advent of entry-level 3D printers capable of achieving excellent surface finishes and easy printing even with less conventional materials, carbon fiber-reinforced polymer filaments are experiencing a true boom.
Part of this success is undoubtedly driven by marketing appeal, and unfortunately, the market includes solutions offering polymers enhanced with mere traces of carbon, often in powdered form. In reality, when carbon fiber is incorporated into the polymer matrix, it provides numerous benefits, primarily mechanical, along with other lesser-known advantages that make it particularly effective for FFF filament and FGF granule 3D printing technologies.
Carbon Fiber in 3D Printing: Mechanical Advantages and Dimensional Stability
First, it’s important to make some distinctions. Excluding continuous fiber solutions, carbon fiber can be incorporated during the compounding process at varying percentages. Depending on the aspect ratio and fiber length, it can significantly enhance the material’s mechanical strength, particularly the elastic modulus (rigidity) and tensile strength. However, this increased rigidity impacts the material’s processability: excessive fiber content and/or overly long fibers can make the filament brittle and difficult to handle during both its production and 3D printing. For filaments, fiber content typically ranges between 5% and 20%, with higher percentages reserved for tougher polymers like PP or TPU. If the fiber is in powdered form, it can be used in higher percentages, ensuring good processability and improved aesthetics but at the expense of mechanical properties, which remain only slightly better than those of unreinforced polymers.
A different approach applies to FGF/LFAM (direct granule-fed 3D printing). Here, bypassing the potential fragility of filaments, fiber percentages can reach 30-40%, yielding significantly improved mechanical performance.
Carbon fiber also offers a second advantage: achieving good stability and limiting shrinkage and warping can be challenging, especially in large-format printing with unreinforced polymers like PLA, PETg, or PC. Carbon fiber substantially mitigates these issues, making parts easier to print and enhancing dimensional stability.
Colored Carbon Fiber Filaments: Mechanical Performance and New Aesthetic Solutions in 3D Printing
Compared to glass fiber-reinforced materials, carbon fiber-reinforced materials are often disadvantaged by a higher cost and their typical black color. However, LATI3Dlab has recently developed PLA and PETG carbon fiber-reinforced versions in vibrant colors such as violet, red, green, and blue, perfect for applications where both mechanical performance and aesthetic appeal are desired.
The LATI3Dlab product range now includes dozens of “AM” thermoplastic compounds reinforced with carbon fiber in various lengths and percentages. These compounds are based on both standard polymers like PLA, PETg, ABS, and ASA, and technical matrices like PP, TPU, PC, PA, PC/PBT, PC/PETg, PES, PPS, and PEEK. Many of these versions are suitable for both FFF and FGF technologies, while others are specifically engineered for FGF.
