Shapeways recently co-hosted a webinar with Covestro, a leading materials manufacturer, to put the spotlight on ‘High Performance Designing with PBT 3D Printed Material.’ Although some additive manufacturing users are still becoming familiar with Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT), many industrial companies are gravitating toward this new 3D printing material due to promising attributes like resistance to high and low temperatures, and excellent mechanical properties that lead to very structurally sound parts.
First developed by the British in 1970, PBT is a thermoplastic polymer frequently used as an insulator in electrical and electronics applications. Highly resistant to solvents and restricting shrinkage, PBT is a favorite for injection molding applications, also becoming noncombustible with the addition of flame retardants.
As Covestro spearheads technology advancements continuing at a quickening pace, PBT is now poised to move from 3D printing of functional prototypes to high-volume additive manufacturing applications.
“At Shapeways, we are 3D printing on a massive scale, doing six to eight thousand parts a day, and shipping all over the world,” said Steve Weart, Director of Customer Success at Shapeways. “One thing we are really proud of is being able to partner with some of the biggest materials companies in the world, like Covestro. They offer amazing materials for products you can 3D print with Shapeways today.”
Find out more about the webinar in these following five takeaways:
1. PBT Will Continue to Become More Pervasive
PBT is a proven player for traditional manufacturing methods, but a relative newcomer to additive manufacturing. Covestro was excited to announce PBT as the first material it was bringing to the additive market.
“While there remains a need for functional prototyping, manufacturers want to see more,” said Nirali Surati, global product manager for additive manufacturing at Covestro. “They want to see that we can make a part out of a material well-suited for mass manufacturing. PBT is perfect for a wide range of industrial applications, which also are ideal for additive manufacturing.”
Covestro’s PBT, called Arnite T AM1210 (P), is one of the first PBT powders commercially available for powder bed use and selective laser sintering (SLS). The substance is easy to process, has a high reuse rate and is recyclable, so it can be brought back to the powder bed process.
Covestro invested significant time, effort, and resources to ensure that PBT is extremely robust and processable, enabling it for use in high-temperature machines. The material can be processed at temperatures up to about 428 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius).
2. PBT Gains Favor in Automotive and Consumer Goods Applications
Traditionally, PBT has been used for housings in electrical engineering, but lately, the polymer is gaining attention due to its versatility for use in the automotive industry too. “The car is becoming like a giant smartphone,” said Surati. “The good news is, companies are willing to use newer technologies in vehicles, so we’ll see increased use of additive manufacturing in the automotive industry.”
The powder’s outstanding ability to sustain its shape and performance means such parts can endure the greatest of temperature variants.
“Whether a headlight lamp housing is in Alaska or Abu Dhabi, the material will maintain its integrity,” said Surati.
In many instances, consumer goods applications are also highlighting the powder’s superior resistance to wear and discoloration, along with exceptional UV and weather resistance. Overall, this trend points toward opportunities for more custom 3D printing in vehicles and a wide range of consumer goods.
3. PBT Gets High Marks for Eco-Friendliness
As the fragility of our environment continues to be a major concern, PBT also draws high marks for its eco-friendliness. Covestro found, through a third-party evaluation by Jabil, a leading manufacturing solutions provider, that its PBT offering has very stable mechanics as 70% of the material is reused and the rest is virgin powder.
The findings prove the powder has the same dielectric properties as material used in injection molding processes, making it a substance that engineers and designers alike are familiar with and prepared to use. This should accelerate its use in additive manufacturing while also increasing its maturation from producing hundreds of functional prototypes to high volumes of final production parts.
“It’s important that all members of the additive manufacturing community work hard to ensure their materials can be reused,” said Surati. “We focus on either sustainability from the feedstock or recyclability perspective.”
Developed for a wide sinter window, the powder is easy to print. Covestro’s research also revealed that PBT has a solid stable process window.
“You don’t see changes in crystallization behavior, there’s a very stable viscosity,” Surati explained. “That’s something of note because typically after a certain point in time in using common materials, they become quite viscous and can’t be processed further.”
4. Additive Manufacturing Should Be About Ecosystems—Not Walled Gardens
Additive manufacturing has proven beyond a lingering doubt that its superpower is delivering prototypes with speed and accuracy that cannot be duplicated with traditional manufacturing methods. Still, we have a way to go before the transition to 3D printing for large-scale manufacturing is widely accepted.
The fastest and smoothest route to mass production requires industry collaboration. For Shapeways and Covestro, it’s about creating, expanding and sustaining ecosystems—not retreating to walled gardens. This is how Shapeways has gained more than one million customers worldwide while producing over 6,000 parts a day.
For Covestro, growth has been fueled by a series of mergers, acquisitions, and investments since emerging in the 3D printing world Desotech in 1989. The company’s focus today is on sustainable and functional materials, such as PBT. Working in partnership with Shapeways, Covestro now is coming up with innovative solutions that present the best potential for high-volume digital manufacturing, including the economics that support expedient design practices.
Such ecosystem teamwork is demonstrated further by how Covestro brings its material solutions and street-business expertise to Shapeways, which then applies its proven cost models—a benefit for any manufacturing run—to produce finished parts in whatever volume is required.
5. There’s GreatPotential in Power Electronics
Making fuse boxes with PBT currently is a very common application with traditional manufacturing methods. Because the application is an electrical component, PBT’s electrical properties become important, even more so than the housing itself.
The end-effect is protection against power breakdown, so a dimensionally stable material like PBT is a must for these kinds of applications. Both Shapeways and Covestro share the vision that power electronics is a massive growth opportunity for additive manufacturing.
“Everywhere you look you see connected mobility,” said Surati. “Sometimes you also need components that you may not be able to make with traditional manufacturing techniques,” she added. “If you have more electronics, you need certain electrical properties and that’s where PBT comes in. The cost is basically the sweet spot for PBT.”
To meet the growing demand, Covestro is looking to add more functionality to its PBT, with research and testing focused on reducing brittleness while increasing material toughness. “We have plans to move forward and introduce more functionality,” Surati concluded. “There are so many choices, which is why we like working with Shapeways to help create the most expedient path to mass parts production using innovative materials and additive manufacturing.”