AM Waterproofing agents - Dichtol

The Dichtol line of waterproofing products from Diamant presents an advanced, ready-to-use polymer impregnation system designed for the effective and swift sealing of micropores, porosities, and hairline cracks encountered in rapid prototyping, 3D printing, and additive manufacturing. Notably, Dichtol's exceptional capillary activity ensures that the polymer deeply penetrates the workpiece, hardening from within to seal and impregnate the surface comprehensively. This impregnation enhances the workpiece’s integrity by fortifying the internal structure, providing a robust solution for maintaining component quality under various manufacturing conditions.

Image 1: The different formats of the Dichtol AM products. Source: Diamant.

Beyond merely sealing, the high-performance polymer of Dichtol integrates itself firmly within the treated material, ensuring reliable sealing even under fluctuating temperatures. This process not only improves the surface finish but also enhances the fundamental properties of the workpiece, such as increasing the strength of brittle materials and maintaining dimensional stability. Furthermore, Dichtol is highly resistant to physical, chemical, and thermal stresses, preserving the technical properties of the workpiece. This makes it an ideal solution for a range of applications, including rapid prototyping, rapid manufacturing, and rapid tooling, significantly benefiting various processes and materials through post-treatment with Dichtol infiltrate.

The available variants

The Dichtol line is licensed for use in 3D printing and it offers a diverse range of impregnating products tailored to meet specific application needs and material characteristics. The variants include AM, AM Makro, AM Hydro, and AM UV Protection, each designed with unique properties to address distinct challenges in additive manufacturing. These variants are available in many different formats, ensuring compatibility with different treatment requirements and facilitating optimal performance across various use cases.

AM (#2567) / AM Spray (#2568) / AM Makro (#2569) / AM Makro Spray (#2570)

Due to their special formulation, AM and AM Spray are ideal for fine porous structures from 0 to 0.1 mm whereas AM Makro and AM Makro spray is more suited for the effective sealing of larger pores from 0.1 to 0.5 mm. Dichtol AM penetrates and seals autonomously without the need for vacuum or pressure, and cures under ambient conditions. AM Makro, thanks to its slightly higher viscosity, ensures high pressure tightness even in complex structures. Both variants (AM and AM Makro) are PMMA-based.

Video 1: Dichtol AM Makro. Source: Diamant.

Thanks to the versatile spray and can formats, both AM and AM Makro can be applied via dipping, injecting, brushing (only #2567 and #2569), or spraying (all). Thanks to their portable and convenient format, the spray variants offer the benefit of being used to ensure temporary corrosion and transport protection. Furthermore, both AM and AM Makro guarantee a permanent temperature resistance of -40 ºC to +300 ºC, and are approved for drinking water and food use.

AM Hydro (#2589)

Dichtol AM Hydro is a ready-to-use, water-based single-component system designed for the impregnation of metals, coatings, and especially for various 3D printing processes. Thanks to its bottle format, AM Hydro offers versatile application methods, including dipping, brushing, and injecting, enabling reliable impregnation even for complex components. What's more, AM Hydro is RoHS and REACH compliant.

Video 2: Dichtol AM Hydro. Source: Diamant.

With a high resistance to solvents and a permanent temperature resistance up to +130 ºC, Dichtol AM Hydro is suitable for both selective serial and individual impregnation of large components or surfaces, ideal for 0-0.2 mm pores. For optimal results, the object temperature should not exceed 40 ºC to guarantee full penetration of the sealer. It should be kept in mind that AM Hydro has a shorter shelf life (1 year) in comparison to other AM products (5 years).

AM UV Protection (#2546)

Dichtol AM UV Protection is a very low-viscosity, PMMA-based impregnating agent designed for additively manufactured components with a porosity of 0.1-0.5 mm. It provides gas- and liquid-tight sealing while offering UV protection through a thin protective layer that absorbs harmful UV rays, preventing discoloration in materials like SLS printed polyamide.

Image 2: A 3D printed part impregnated with AM Hydro (left) and without impregnation (right). Source: Diamant.

Just like AM Hydro, AM UV Protection comes in a bottle format and with versatile application methods such as dipping, brushing, and injecting, it ensures efficient material consumption and temporary corrosion protection. #2546 cures quickly at room temperature without the need for additional heating, and has a permanent temperature resistance of -40 ºC to +300 ºC. Dichtol AM UV Protection is ideal for the sealing of poropus graphite and ceramic components, as well as the deep impregnation of micropores, hairline cracks, and porosities.

Property overview

This table offers an overview of the properties of the Dichtol AM products, including features such as pore size, viscosity, chemical resistance or compatible filaments and 3D printing technologies. This table will help you choose the right AM solution for the desired application and object characteristics.

Table 1: An overview of the AM impregnating and sealing solutions. Source: F2P.

*** good resistance/compatibility | ** medium/limited resistance/compatibility | * low resistance/compatibility

In the Downloads section various documents can be downloaded, such as technical datasheets for each AM product or a very detailed table (extension of table 1) comparing properties of the AM products. In the technical datasheets the user can find detailed storing and usage tips from the manufacturer.