3D Magic PPGW20

Convena is a company that bases its philosophy on bringing solutions to companies. Since its foundation in 1994, Convena has become the largest independent trader of fluoropolymers in Europe, offering materials in different formats such as powder, pellets or filaments.

The materials distributed by Convena are made using raw materials of the highest quality, and all its products are subject to strict controls in order to offer high performance solutions.

This is the case of 3D Magic PPGW20, a filament manufactured in Japan by Nanodax following the highest quality standards in its production. 3D Magic PPGW20 is a PP (polypropylene) based filament reinforced with glass wool, which makes up 20% of its composition. The use of glass wool as filament filler is the result of a process of innovation and development that culminates in this filament with differentiating properties compared to other polypropylene filaments.

Image 1: Part 3D printed with the 3D Magic PPGW20 filament. Source: Filament2print.

Polypropylene (PP) is a thermoplastic polymer belonging to the polyolefin group with a semi-crystalline structure. This material offers very interesting properties for technical applications, such as a certain flexibility, excellent flexural and chemical resistance and low density, as well as a high softening temperature.

Despite its interesting properties, PP is a difficult material to process. This has been a problem even in the production of filaments. Some manufacturers have succeeded in producing such filaments, but many of them have major warping problems.

Due to this problem, the different manufacturers of 3D printing filaments have sought solutions so that users of FDM 3D printers can enjoy a material with such interesting and versatile properties as PP. Nanodax has found this solution by adding a percentage of glass wool (20%) to the filament composition.

An innovative and sustainable filament

Glass wool is a fibre made from small strands of glass bonded together with a binder. The free space between the fibres increases the resistance to heat transmission. Thus, it is a non-combustible, low heat conductive compound with excellent sound deadening properties. Glass wool is commonly used in the building industry as a thermal and acoustic insulator, but it is also used in other sectors. After use, glass wool is discarded, posing an environmental risk.

Image 2: Roll of glass wool. Source: Volcan.

The 3D Magic PPGW20 filament uses this waste glass wool to complete its composition, making it the first material in its segment to reuse used glass wool. Through a recycling process, this glass wool is processed into a by-product suitable as an additive for polypropylene.

Improved dimensional stability and properties

The addition of glass wool to the base polymer makes it possible to obtain a PP filament suitable for processing with desktop FDM 3D printers, maintaining some of the intrinsic properties of PP and obtaining enormous advantages over the use of standard PP filament.

The 3D Magic PPGW20 filament inherits the low density of polypropylene, making it a very useful filament for the manufacture of prototypes or lightweight parts. This property is ideal for the manufacture of templates, allowing the redesign of the product to lighten its weight. On the other hand, the 3D Magic PPGW20 filament has excellent chemical resistance to acids and alkaline substances.

In addition to these properties, thanks to the glass wool, the 3D Magic PPGW20 filament offers:

• High dimensional stability: Drastically reducing the warping effect compared to standard PP filaments.
• Good adhesion between layers: Allowing the manufacturing of resistant parts.
• Heat correction: It is possible to correct the shape of the product by heating the part.

Thanks to the development of technical filaments such as 3D Magic PPGW20, professional users in various industries can manufacture parts in-house, enabling them to reduce costs and lead times. In addition, thanks to this innovative material, companies can reduce the weight of 3D printed parts and manufacture parts that cannot be made by injection moulding.