Industrial additive manufacturing will only grow if and when manufacturers have the functional materials that bring the required properties to their applications - at time of printing as well as throughout the application’s lifetime. It is widely known that most polymer materials lose their initial properties due to aging, and choosing the right material is therefore key for product performance. Testing can help to evaluate the material properties in varying conditions but depending on the test method chosen, test results can be misleading.

The choice of the right aging test is critical to understand the material performance that is used in a range of applications. For example, there are recognized standards for testing – such as the Society of Automotive Engineers SAE J2527 for exterior applications a.k.a. “Xenon Arc Weatherometer”.
Property stability is a core feature and means that materials must maintain their properties in the application environment which may involve variations in temperature, light exposure, and humidity. Weather resistance is a key part of functionality and can be assessed when looking at the three weathering factors: solar radiation, heat and water. To be considered functional, the 3D printed parts should exhibit environmental durability to meet application requirements.

In this session Covestro Additive Manufacturing will present the results of testing different commercially available AM materials. The findings will demonstrate why it is so critical to use the right (and recognized) testing methods and educate the audience on how to select the right materials for their applications.