Formlabs® Nylon 12 GF
Formlabs®
High-performance SLS material for in-house production of stiff, stable, functional parts
Nylon 12 GF Powder for the Formlabs Fuse 1 3D printers is an SLS material for stiff, thermally stable prints that can maintain dimensional accuracy under load. It is ideal for applications where structural rigidity and thermal stability are critical.
Scale in-house production with Nylon 12 Glass-Fiber
Nylon 12 GF SLS powder is Formlabs’ third material designed specifically for the Fuse 1 ecosystem. This material combines the utility of Nylon 12 with the rigidity and heat resistance of glass filler. It is the go-to choice for applications that require sustained load-bearing or elevated thermal resistance, such as stiff, functional prototypes, robust jigs and fixtures, replacement parts or parts with threads or sockets.
Material Performance*
ULTIMATE TENSILE STRENGTH
38 MPa
TENSILE MODULUS
2800 MPa
ELONGATION AT BREAK
XY: 4%
Z: 3%
HEAT DEFLECTION TEMPERATURE @ 0.45 MPa
170°C
Refresh Rate
One of the SLS 3D printers advantages is that they’re able to print with a mix of fresh, new powder and recycled powder from previous prints. The recommended refresh rate is the percentage of the new cartridge that is ‘refreshed’ with new, unused powder. In the case of Nylon 12 GF, the minimum refresh rate ranges from 30% to 50% and can be adjusted to minimize material waste, optimize cost per part, or improve part finish. The Fuse Sift manages the actual post-processing, dosing, and mixing of new cartridges.
Performance Scale
| Strength | |
| Thermal Stability | |
| Stiffness |
Material Type
Applications
In the automotive industry, brackets hold heavy car body models at an angle while they’re painted or additional components are affixed. If the type of model car changes, the brackets often need to be switched out, meaning that low-volume, custom-sized brackets are always in demand but expensive and slow to make. Because so many automotive parts are metal, a lot of welding happens during assembly, and all manufacturing aids are subjected to high-heat environments. Printing end-use brackets in Nylon 12 GF Powder is a low-cost, quick, and low-waste solution.
The high tensile modulus of Nylon 12 GF Powder renders it an ideal choice for electronic enclosures requiring stiffness and mountability. This attribute proves particularly advantageous for companies like KUHMUTE, which specializes in producing charging stations for electric transport vehicles such as scooters, mopeds, and e-skateboards. By facilitating the direct integration of mountable battery charging enclosures, Nylon 12 GF Powder empowers greater flexibility in design.
Its suitability for mountable components allows for creating enclosures using a single material, eliminating concerns about incorporating separate mounting brackets of varying materials or geometries.
In manufacturing, particularly in design and jewelry making, the creation of parts often necessitates specialized tooling and fixtures to secure them during processing, frequently in environments with high temperatures. Typically crafted from wood or metal, these fixtures can be costly and time-intensive. As a result, producing custom or one-off pieces becomes prohibitively expensive for manufacturers. However, by internally developing thermally stable custom fixtures, manufacturers and designers can optimize their workflows, enhancing efficiency and the quality of manufactured parts.
In the healthcare industry, the most common applications are strong, stiff, stable medical devices, specifically customizable end-user medical device components.