Now, with a loud yes, the question “can 3D printers print Silicone? Can now be answered.
There has been a whole lot of advancements in science and of course in technology too, so much so that even 3d printers have undergone one of the greatest breakthroughs in their field.
Not long ago, there has been a launch of a process that makes 3D printing with silicone quite possible.
All through history, inventions and breakthroughs we have seen the influence and the development of technologies affect societies and making a significant impact on our future is extremely high.
Now with silicone as a new material for 3d printing means production of tools, mechanical parts or even functional prototypes unlocked in a brand new level, for the manufacturing industry to design and innovate.
Silicone as we know is a synthetic rubber that has several characteristics for manufacturing.
It has a versatile chemical structure, making adaptability possible and creation of formula to fit various industrial applications such as seals, joints, medical devices, robotic grippers, cooking utensils, wearables, thermal and electrical insulation, and more.
Whereas before now, producing silicone parts was only possible through injection molding, casting and compression molding, which was an extremely expensive process owing to the high cost of molds.
This process was also not ideal for prototype creation, bio-models or small batches of products.
Most silicone products today are now manufactured through injection molding, compression molding, or casting. With advancements in 3D printing, many ask the question, “Can 3D printers print silicone ” The answer is yes!
Though Silicone’s can be printed with, it’s viscosity is quite high, making it difficult to 3D print precisely with.
Also, due to its nature it cannot be heated and extruded or cured with UV light like photopolymer materials (meaning that – 3D printing silicone is not typically as widely available as other materials yet.)
There are many 3D printing processes that offer 3D printing materials with silicone-like properties, which this article looks to cover, as well as how 3D printing can be used to create molds for molding silicone parts, bringing, the benefits of 3D printing to traditional silicone manufacturing methods.
Also Read: Can you 3D Print Clear Plastic
3D Printers print Silicone Alternatives and Processes
When proffering a solution to the question Can 3D printers print silicone? It also involves sharing the printing processes and alternatives available.
As of today, Silicone 3D printers and their alternative solutions can be categorized into three:
- Direct Silicone 3D printing: These consists of silicone 3D printers that can print with 100% pure silicone materials.
2. 3D Printing with silicone-like material properties: Common polymer 3D printing processes provide different materials with silicone-like properties to serve as alternatives for certain applications.
3. Casting or molding silicone using 3D printed molds: Fast tooling with 3D printing can fill in between prototyping and mass-producing silicone parts with traditional manufacturing methods.
While most 3D printing technologies have spanned for years or decades, silicone 3D printers have remained a relatively experimental field due to the complexity of printing with silicone.
Formlabs, last year, introduced the Silicone 40A Resin, the first accessible 100% pure silicone 3D printing material, made by the patent-pending Pure Silicone Technology™, and combines the outstanding material properties of cast silicone with the benefits of 3D printing.
FDM Material Alternatives to Silicone
For FDM 3D printing, while you may want to use silicone but may not be fully acquainted with how to handle it, here are FDM material alternatives to silicone.
First are – ‘elastomers’ these refer to thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). They are currently the most flexible alternative materials to silicone.
These materials are available in commercial quantities at Shore 45A to Shore 90A hardness, which covers the harder end of the silicone hardness range.
The pros associated with these alternatives are found in the general affordability and availability of FDM 3D printers and materials compared to pure silicone.
These alternatives certainly have their downsides, which include:
- Low resolution
- Lower precision and dimensional accuracy
- Lower quality
- Limited design freedom that may restrict real-world usability.
Silicone-like FDM materials are generally less durable than standard silicone, and this is expected because of course they are alternatives.
These materials are also not food-safe and offer limited color and no real translucency options, but they have qualities that are biocompatible and skin-safe.
SLA Material Alternatives to Silicone
Stereolithography 3D printing is another popular material among professionals when 3D printers print silicone are mentioned. It is known for its high precision and wide range of functions.
SLA 3D printing makes great alternatives to silicone that empower manufacturers to prototype silicone-like parts and manufacture end-use parts with the type of flexibility, elasticity, and durability of silicone.
SLA parts offer the smoothest surface finish and greater design freedom than FDM.
Conclusion
Though, there 3D printers print silicone, it’s obvious that more is still expected in development and availability of these printers for relatively as much ease in usage and mastery as it is in other printer types.
