PPprint partners with Ascent Fabrication to provide professional polypropylene (PP) 3D printing solutions

Guide:
On March 6, 2022, PPprint GmbH in Germany announced a partnership with Ascent Fabrication to provide professional
medical
Applications such as Polypropylene (PP)3D printingSolutions, they will provide prosthetics, orthotics development, manufacturing, sales of high-quality products and services.Thanks to the cooperation of the two companies, various industries in the United States3D printingCompanies can order complete polypropylene 3D printing solutions locally, reducing international shipping costs and lead times.

The Antarctic Bear learned that PPprint GmbH is a company specializing in polypropylene as additive manufacturing. The company utilizes the development experience of PP products combined with 3D printing knowledge to be able to develop and implement constructive solution concepts for customers. Not only do they provide printing related products, but they also provide customers with innovative solutions and personalized support.

Polypropylene (PP) is one of the most common polymers in everyday life

PP is ideal for 3D printing anything that is lightweight, waterproof or durable. Because PP can be bent repeatedly without breaking. Excellent durability makes it a very premium material, but it is notoriously difficult to handle when applied to 3D printing.

Warpage due to uneven thermal shrinkage

The main problem with polypropylene material is its poor adhesion. While this may be fine for some machining methods, it is not so great for the 3D printing process. This makes it difficult for prints to adhere to the print bed, resulting in frequent failures.

Another difficulty is that polypropylene has a semi-crystalline structure. During 3D printing, this means high warping stresses, which can cause the first layer that sticks to the print bed to detach. Since adhesion and warping of the print bed are major issues we face, this is also a 3D printing problem that experts in the industry are working on.

Polypropylene 3D printing solutions for medical technology

Over the past few decades, PP materials have proven to be very suitable for medical technology applications. For orthotic or orthopedic aid applications, the advantages of fracture resistance, semi-flexibility, low density, as well as sterilization and ease of cleaning are ideal for 3D printed products. Therefore, individually tailored PP products increase wearing comfort and improve the medical experience. The above three photos show a custom 3D printed ankle-foot orthosis using high-quality P-filament 721 as the material for the ankle-foot orthosis and P-support 279 as the separation support material.

3D printed medical adaptive aids

For the successful application of polypropylene 3D printed medical adaptive aids, three key components are required:

1. The printing material itself should have low warpage and bonding strength between layers;

2. The 3D printed build surface must allow for stable printing of PP parts, and the finished part can be removed nondestructively and residue-free without the use of any additional chemicals;

3. A support material is required to print complex structures with overhangs and openings that can be easily removed from the finished part.

PPprint addresses these three issues and offers complementary product lines, the current product portfolio includes the P-filament 721 filament product line, available in 1.75mm and 2.85mm diameters. In addition to natural, white and black, it is also available in eight other colors. Low warpage and inter-layer bond strength are two advantages of the company’s products.In addition, the “P-filament 721 natural” 3D printed part has been certified according to DIN EN ISO 10993-5
biology
safety certificate.

PPprint’s polypropylene 3D printing solutions also include the world’s first polypropylene breakaway support material “P-support 279”, due in 2021, allowing for the 3D printing of highly complex structures including bridges, openings and overhangs. At high temperatures, the support material can be easily and cleanly removed from the printed part after the 3D printing process.

(responsible editor: admin)