After rebranding and new financing, Chinese filament manufacturer Polymaker has quickly become one of the leading materials providers in the world, releasing new functional and exotic filaments on a regular basis and partnering with some important players. The latest big line from the company is its polycarbonate material Polymaker PC, developed in partnership with Covestro (formerly known as Bayer Material Science). To demonstrate just how powerful their new PC-Plus material is, Aussie reseller 3D Printing Solutions has shown off the polycarbonate filament in some pretty impressive strength tests.
The first sees a 3D printed car jack made from PC-Plus lifting two concrete blocks, weighing at 240 kg each. The firm from Down Under says, “We were really impressed as the 3D printed polycarbonate jack showed no signs of breakage or fatigue after the lift. While we do not recommend the use of polycarbonate as a replacement for steel car jacks, it thus demonstrate that polycarbonate is strong enough for industrial use.”
Next, 3D Printing Solutions performed a “tensile strength shootout”, pitching different materials against one another as in a UFC cage match. 3D printing a series of chain links in PLA, ABS, enhanced PLA, and PC-Plus, and put strain on the chain until one of the links broke. You may have already guessed, but, in the end PC-Plus took home the over-sized belt.
And who said that 3D printing wasn’t good for nothin’?
