Additive Manufacturing

Looking for a cutting-edge 3D printing and additive manufacturing service provider to meet your manufacturing and prototyping requirements? Advanced Automation’s state-of-the-art 3d printing technology and expert team of engineers can product complex and intricate parts with precision and speed, using a wide range of high-quality materials, including advanced plastics and composites.

Our 3D printing service is specifically designed to meet the needs of technical industries such as aerospace, automotive, and defense, where precision, reliability, and quality are paramount. We utilize the latest CAD/CAE tools to design and optimize parts, while our advanced printing equipment ensures accuracy and consistency, while minimizing waste.

At Advanced Automation, we are dedicated to providing our customers with the best possible 3D printed parts, tailored to meet their exacting technical and performance requirements.

Base Material Information

Composite base materials print like conventional FFF thermoplastics. They can be printed themselves, or reinforced with any of our continuous fiber materials including Carbon Fiber, Kevlar, and Fiberglass.

Nylon

Nylon parts are smooth, non-abrasive, and easily painted. They can be reinforced with any continuous fiber and work best for non-marring work holding, repeated handling, and cosmetic parts.

Carbon Reinforced Nylon

Carbon reinforced nylon is a micro carbon-fiber filled material. It is 1.4 times stronger and stiffer than ABS and can be reinforced with any continuous fiber. Carbon Reinforced Nylon sets the bar for surface finish, chemical resistivity, and heat tolerance.

Flame Resistant

Flame Resistant CR-N

Flame resistant carbon reinforced nylon is a Blue Card certified UL94 V-0 material that posses similar mechanical properties to Carbon Reinforced Nylon. It is best for applications in which lfame retardancy, light weight, and strength are required.

ESD

ESD CR-N

EDS Carbon reinforced nylon is a static dissipative safe variant of carbon reinforced nylon. It meets stringent ESD safety requirements while offering excellent strength, stiffness, and surface finish. It is best used in applications that require ESD safe materials.

Flextural Strength

  • Nylon (50MPa)
  • Carbon Reinforced Nylon (71 MPa)
  • Flame Resistant Carbon Reinforced Nylon (71 MPa)
  • ESD Carbon Reinforced Nylon (83 MPa)

Continuous Fiber Support Material

Continuous Fiber reinforcements are laid down on the inside of parts through a second fiber extruder. They cannot be printed by themselves — instead, they are used to reinforce parts printed out of a compositbe base like Carbon Reinforced Nylon

Carbon Fiber

Carbon Fibers have the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any reinforcement fiber we offer. Six times stronger and eighteen times stiffer than Carbon Reinforced Nylon alone. Carbon Fiber reinforcement is commonly used for parts that replace machined aluminum.

Fiberglass

Fiberglass continuous fibers provide high strength at an accessible price. 2.5 times stronger and eight times stiffer than Carbon Reinforced Nylon alone. Fiberglass reinforcement results in strong, robust tools.

Kevlar

Kevlar® aramid fiber possesses excellent durability, making it optimal for parts that experience repeated and sudden loading. AS stiff as fiberglass and much more ductile, it can be used for a wide variety of applications.

High Temperature

HSHT Fiberlgass

High strength, high temperature (HSHT) fiberglass exhibits aluminum strength and high heat tolerance. Five times as strong and seven times as stiff as Carbon Reinforced Nylon alone. It is best used for parts loaded in high operating temperatures.

Flextural Strength

  • Fiberglass (200 MPa)
  • Kevlar (240 MPa)
  • HSHT Fiberglass (420 MPa)
  • Carbon Fiber (540 MPa)

Testing Notes:

  • Tensile Modulus per ASTM D638
  • Tensile Stress at Yield per ASTM D638
  • Tensile Stress at Break per ASTM D638
  • Tensile Strain at Break per ASTM D638
  • Flextural Strength per ASTM D790
  • Flexural Modulus ASTM D790
  • Heat Deflection Temperature per ASTM D648B
  • Flame Resistance per UL94
  • Izon Impact notched per ASTM D256-10A
  • Surface Resistance per ANSI/ESD STM 11.11

Note(s):

  • ASTM D790 testing per similar test. Composite base-only parts do not break before end of flextural test.
  • UL 94 testing on flame resistant carbon reinforced nylon is UL 94 V-0 Blue Card certified down to a thickness of 3mm.
  • ANSI/ESD STM11.11 surface resistance measured on multiple part surfaces using recommended print settings by an accredited third party test facility.