Data sheet Ultimaker PLA & PLA Tough

[Ecoprintartisanal 0]

Hello,

 

I compared the data sheets of the following Ultimaker materials: 

- PLA 

- PLA Tough 

- ABS 

 

Based on the descriptions, here is the classification of these three materials from the least resistant to the most resistant: 

1 - PLA 

2 - PLA Tough 

3 - ABS 

 

And here is the classification of these three materials according to the values indicated in the data sheets, from the least resistant to the most resistant: 

1 - ABS 

2 - PLA Tough 

3 - PLA 

 

Can you check the information in your data sheets please ? 

Do you have tensile test charts for these three materials ? 

 

Thanks for your feedback.

TDS PLA v3.011-fre-FR.pdf Fiche technique - PLA Tough Ultimaker.pdf TDS ABS v3.011-fre-FR.pdf

[gr5 2,172]

I have looked up tensile strength and tensile modulus for many materials in my research for my graph that shows these values for many materials.  Usually if you type a product name and "modulus" into google search you get the answer near the top of search results:

ultimaker tough pla

https://www.dynamism.com/download/2016/TDS Tough PLA.pdf

ultimaker pla

https://www.matterhackers.com/r/9EBLeA

ultimaker abs

http://www.novabeans.com/ultimaker/download/material-specification/UM180821-TDS-ABS.pdf

 

My interactive chart is here - you can zoom in and hover over different products and I put a few non filaments in there for comparison (e.g. wood, glass).  In the first chart stiffness is higher to the right.  More flexible (therefore tougher) materials to the left.  Stronger towards the top:

http://gr5.org/mat/

 

[gr5 2,172]

Oh wait - I just realized you posted the same 3 pdf files.  You want a chart as well?  What kind of chart?  stress/strain chart?  Almost no one publishes those.  I wish they would.  You can usually get 3 or 4 points off the graph and kind of guess the shape in between from the pdf files you posted if you have experience reading those published values.

[gr5 2,172]

I have a home built strain/stress tester but it's a pain to use and takes around 4 hours to test a material.  I've tested a few materials - some were crap.  Anyway most plastics have a similar shape.  So if you just know a few things (tensile strength, % elongation at break, ultimate strength, modulus) you can get pretty close to the actual graph.   I think it was Dupont or some other large plastics company that did an amazing job on their filaments where they did stress/strain graphs at multiple temperatures!  

[Ecoprintartisanal 0]

I actually have mechanical skills, I have a license (BAC + 3). I also have skills in stress calculation but only in linear statics. The figures given on the technical data sheets do not correspond to the recommended use of the material. They say PLA is less durable than PLA Tough but on paper the numbers say the opposite. Where is the truth ?

[gr5 2,172]

I'm pretty sure the materials were tested professionally.  But the people who wrote up the data sheet and other explanations don't know much about the language of stress/strain/toughness/durability.  So trust the numbers on those sheets.  Many test samples were used to calculate those numbers and they were tested by someone with expertise on those stress/strain machines and the other machines used.

 

They actually 3d print things like the "butterfly" parts because if they had injection molded the parts the numbers would be different.

 

So when you see a hardness number or modulus or tensile strength - those are real numbers from real samples.

[gr5 2,172]

Basically "tough" PLA should be slightly more flexible and have a lower hardness number.  But no stronger.

[gr5 2,172]

I recommend avoiding ABS if possible.  It's more difficult to print and you will usually get weaker prints (due to bad layer adhesion but you can overcome this with a lot of experimenting) and it smells very bad when printing.  What characteristics to do you care about the most?  Mechanical?  Chemical?  Everything?

[gr5 2,172]

1 hour ago, Ecoprintartisanal said:

They say PLA is less durable than PLA Tough but on paper the numbers say the opposite. 

So according to the datasheets "tough pla" is 24% weaker and 21% less stiff than normal pla.  It's the 21% more flexible part that makes it tougher.

 

If you use it as a braided rope, PLA is significantly stronger on a pull test.  But if you hit parts with a hammer, the tough pla is more likely to survive.

 

Also I've found that the shape of the stress/strain curve is not as linear for plastics as say steel.  They start to curve very early so the modulus is actually usually lower over the range of forces that a part is likely to receive.

 

It *is* strange though that the hardness measurement is almost identical.  I would have expected the PLA to be harder.

[gr5 2,172]

If you need something much more tough than PLA then I recommend Nylon.  There's many formulations and it's tough as hell.  Most nylon parts can be driven over with a car and will just squish and bounce back once the load is off.  Nylon is very hard to break with your fingers alone whether in the shape of a pencil or whatever.

[Ecoprintartisanal 0]

The properties that interest me are those related to mechanical stresses. 

My machine, a 2Go Ultimaker, cannot print nylon.

 

For Nylon parts, I would turn to a Markforged Onyx One for example. I do not dispute the figures which, as you say, were noted thanks to tests carried out by professionals according to the ISO 527 standard. 

 

It is the contradiction with the marketing discourse that bothers me. If the numbers have more credibility, the marketing department should review their copy and quickly. We cannot say that one material is more costly than another if the figures say the opposite .....

[gr5 2,172]

I'm not sure where the feedback should go.  I guess you need to be more specific about what exactly wording should change and then I'll try to get a UM employee to look at your suggestions.

 

I have 3 2go's and I love them.  All 3 have heated beds.  You can print nylon on them but the teflon part will wear out faster.  Still it's a cheap part and you'll spend less on those parts than on the filament.  I set the heated bed to 80C and cover the front (but not the top) of my um2go.  Still I usually use a different printer for Nylon.

 

Nylon is one of my favorite materials - it's not as pretty and not as precise and requires keeping it very dry and often I have to redry my spools but mechanically it's wonderful in many situations.  I have many 3d printed nylon components in products I ship to customers.  PLA is my favorite material.  For higher temp materials I like ngen which can be printed on a um2go just fine.

 

Nylon comes in many mechanical properties from Taulman.  "bridge" I find to be the easiest to print.