More Info

Advanced 3d Printing Technology

All of our printed parts are manufactured using the HP® Multi Jet Fusion Process which uses a special Nylon PA 12 material to provide the high quality parts with a great finish and durability to flex, heat and UV light. You can learn more about the MJF process below.

The Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) Process

In the Multi Jet Fusion printing process, the printer lays down a layer of material powder on the printing bed. Following this, an inkjet head runs across the powder and deposits both a fusing and a detailing agent onto it.

An infrared heating unit then moves across the print. Wherever a fusing agent was added, the underlying layer melts together, while the areas with detailing agent remain as a powder. The powdery parts shed off, which produces the desired geometry. This also eliminates the need for modeling supports, as the lower layers support those printed above them.

To finish the printing process, the entire powder bed – and the printed parts in it – are moved to a separate processing station. Here, the majority of the loose unfused powder is vacuumed up, allowing it to be reused instead of producing excess waste.

Multi Jet Fusion is a versatile technology that has found use in several industries across the board. It has helped manufacturers in all parts of their development processes, from prototyping to parts production and internal housing design.

Nylon HP® PA 12 Powders

HP® PA 12 (also known as Nylon 12) is a good general-use plastic with broad additive applications and is known for its toughness, tensile strength, impact strength and ability to flex without fracture. PA 12 has long been used by injection molders due to these mechanical properties. And more recently, PA 12 has been adopted as a common material in additive manufacturing processes for creating functional parts and prototypes.

HP® PA 12’s density is similar to common plastics, such as ABS. However, the flexibility afforded by designing for additive manufacturing allows for producing strong and durable parts that are lighter than traditionally-manufactured plastic components. In fact, the material’s high fatigue resistance (i.e., its ability to withstand repetitive loading cycles and vibration) makes it a great fit for parts in the aerospace and automotive industries.