Polymaker is launching a new Nylon material called PolyMide CoPA. This engineering-grade filament is created with Warp-Free technology, which provides the mechanical advantages of Nylon without risk of warpage.
Polymaker, the 3D printing filament producer based in Shanghai, has been slowly moving itself towards the forefront of material innovation. Over the last year, the company launched two engineering-grade polyurethane materials and the PolyBox filament container, effectively expanding its reach towards the professional market.
Now, the Polymaker team is introducing what they’re calling one of their best materials yet…
Polymaker’s new PolyMide CoPA material is a Nylon co-polymer based filament that offers engineering-grade traits, namely high resistance to heat and mechanical stress. More importantly, the filament avoids one of the common issues that usually plague 3D printing with Nylon – a little thing called warping.
To solve this problem, Polymaker claims to have developed the PolyMide CoPA Nylon material with its special ‘Warp-Free technology’. This technology works by controlling the microstructure and crystallization of the material, which in turn releases the internal stress that is generated during the printing process.
While the producer hopes this new filament production technique will improve upon the issues regularly faced with printing Nylon, the PolyMide CoPA will be the very first Polymaker product to feature it.
“We are very excited about the material and the new applications it enables. It further bridges the gap between engineering plastics and desktop 3D printing,” explains Dr. Xiofan Luo, the CEO of Polymaker.
Warp-Free Technology Drastically Improves Nylon Prints
Not only is Polymaker claiming that the technology provides “near-zero warpage”, the strong mechanical properties of Nylon also remain unchanged. On top of that, no filler is required, so you don’t need to worry about wearing out the nozzle on your 3D printer.
Polymaker’s PolyMide CoPA should work with any FDM 3D printer that can reach a nozzle temperature of at least 250°C. In fact, the material doesn’t even need a heated chamber to print.
The company expects that the new material will be ideal for engineering applications, used to print jigs, moldings, and various automotive components. A research team from Tongji University recently created an eco-car to test the PolyMide CoPA , successfully joining the Nylon parts with carbon fiber panels.
Although this Warp-Free technology is just now getting its debut, the company is likely to be developing more Nylon filaments with this unique characteristic in the future.
Needless to say, Polymaker seems to be leading the way in developing new polyamides that offer exceptional mechanical and thermal properties, while also having the rare luxury of being easy to print with.
The material will be available in Europe starting January 15, 2018, and throughout the rest of the world on January 22. According to Polymaker, a Natural colored version of the PolyMide CoPA will also be available in March 2018.
Source: TCT Magazine
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