Flexibility in Materials Choice
Northworks printers are capable of printing a wide range of materials and supports an open material platform. Here are just some of the materials we have worked with. Moreover we have worked directly with our customers to develop processes and procedures for a wide variety of materials and applications to ensure their success. For each material we developed a detailed print profile, which we then make available to all of our customers. Please contact us if you have questions on a specific material, print profile, or type of object print.
Plastics
ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), PLA filament (Polylactic Acid), nylon, HIPS (High-impact Polystyrene), PVA and medical grade among others.
Ceramic
This unique filament is a combination of ceramic powder and polymer. When heated further after extrusion by use of a kiln, the polymer portion will debind (250-500C), allowing the remaining ceramic portion to sinter (1200C). Sintering will cause the object to shrink about 20-25 percent. Once this process is complete, the print can then be glazed.
PLA Metal
Thermoplastic aliphatic polyester derived from renewable resources.
Conductive
Simple circuits and touch sensitive devices, hooks, hand-tools, and parts which require tooling for telecommunications, hospital equipment, medical devices, enclosures, packaging, aerospace and automotive.
Wood
PLA-based composite 3D printer filament made from recycled wood fibres, providing a realistic wood colour, finish and even smell. Works for post-processing wood prints – such as sanding, varnishing and coating – to make eye-catching, decorative wood objects.
Carbon Fiber
8x stronger than ABS and 20% stronger than the yield strength of aluminum.
Wax
For lost wax casting, can be polished, machined, and carved easier than plastic filaments. Softer than traditional plastic filaments.
Rubber
Specially formulated thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), ideal for making parts like phone cases, watch bands or even shoes. Enables you to make anything that requires some bend and flex while maintaining strength, including twisting, squeezing, stretching.
PEEK
ThermaX™ PEEK (PolyEtherEtherKetone) is one of the highest-performance polymers in world. PEEK has exceptional mechanical, thermal, and chemical resistance properties making it a go-to material in some of the most demanding applications.
Carbon Fiber PEEK
CarbonX™ PEEK+CF10 Carbon Fiber reinforced PEEK 3D Printing Filament is one of the highest performance polymers in the plastics world. This material has outstanding mechanical, thermal, and chemical resistance properties – making it ideal for some of the most demanding applications in any industry.