What is SBS plastic for 3D printers?

Styrene-butadiene copolymer, SBS, is a thermoplastic filament for printing spatial objects on a 3D printer. The material is distinguished by its elasticity, resilience, ability to withstand temperature fluctuations, lack of toxicity, resistance to aggressive chemicals. One of its important characteristics – high transparency (90%).

Purpose

Due to its characteristics SBS plastic is recommended for the creation of:

  • products for medical use;
  • toys;
  • interior items;
  • Dishes and bottles;
  • Spare parts for various devices.

The spatial elements obtained by printing are durable and attractive.

Important! If transparent product made of SBS-plastic is processed accordingly it will not differ from glass product visually. In this case its performance characteristics will be higher, and the price – several times lower.

What printers work with this plastic?

According to the specifications, declared by producers of filament, when printing SBS-plastic it is necessary to set the temperature of extruder in the range of 225-240 ° C, the working table – 85-100 ° C. Any printer capable of maintaining these settings will work with filament. Preferably, the printer should be able to adjust the pinion pinion pressure roller.

Many printers meet the above requirements.

Domestic:

  • Anycubic – Mega Zero 2.0, Mega S, Chiron;
  • Creality – Ender 3, Ender 5 Plus, CR-10S Pro V2;
  • Wanhao D9/500 and some others.

Anycubic Mega Zero 2.0 3D Printer

Number of extruders 1
Max operating temperature 8ºC – 40ºC
FDM/FFF printing
Heated platform Yes
Extruder temperature max. 255 °C
Layer thickness 0.05-0.3 mm
Working area 220 x 220 x 250 mm
Speed 20-100 mm/sec (60 mm/sec recommended)
Layer thickness from 100 µm
Filament diameter 1.75 mm
Nozzle diameter, mm 0.4

Professional:

  • FlashForge Creator Pro 2;
  • Picaso Designer Classic;
  • Wanhao GR2 (closed case);
  • Anycubic 4Max Pro 2.0;
  • QIDI Tech X-Plus and others.

3D-printer Wanhao GADOSO REVOLUTION 2 (GR2)

Body material Steel
Number of extruders 1
Material ABS, PLA
FDM printing
Accuracy of axes X, Y, mm X:0,05 mm; Y:0,05 mm; Z:0,05 mm
Working chamber area 200x200x175 mm
Speed 30 mm/s – 100 mm/s
Layer thickness from 100 µm
Filament diameter 1,75 mm

Important. Each type of filament requires a special presetting of printing device. Plastic manufacturers indicate approximate printing parameters in the accompanying documentation. Quality is achieved by printing several test models. Different printers will give different results with identical slicing parameters.

Difference from other types of plastic

SBS differs from other filament types:

  • lower modulus of elasticity – this makes it possible to print more flexible parts;
  • Increased (2.5 times) elongation at break;
  • highest transparency;
  • good adhesion to the printer’s work table;
  • quality adhesion of layers at correct print settings.

One of the main advantages is absence of toxic fumes, like PLA, and durability, like PETG.

Main features

  1. Accuracy.
    With the right settings in the SBS slicer you can get models with the desired accuracy. When creating a digital model, you should take into account a slight shrinkage of a cooled down spatial element, correct for the shrinkage of the finished copy, or scale the object in the slicer, the approximate compensation is +0.2-1.1 %.
  2. Smell.
    SBS plastic does not emit any odorous substances during printing. A person with a keen sense of smell might notice a faint odor if the extruder is filled with colored polymer – the substances contained in the dyes evaporate. Non-dyed plastic does not smell at all.
  3. Storage.
    The hygroscopic properties of the filament tend to zero, i.e. it does not absorb moisture. Plastic coils are recommended to be placed in bags or containers with a lid to protect them from dust. It is not necessary to be airtight, silica gel is not necessary.

Setting up the Cura slicer for SBS Glass Fd Plast

The SBS plastic printer program settings below are average settings and should be adjusted depending on the make and model of the 3D printer and the digital image of the part.

Layer heights. The first layer is 300 microns, the subsequent ones are 200 microns; the parameter can be reduced to 100 microns to increase accuracy. The number of start and end layers – 5.
Filling density. The higher the strength of the part is required, the higher the percentage of filling – maximum 100%. To reduce the consumed filament volume and printing time the density is set in the interval from 20 to 30 %.
Margins. To increase the contact area of the model (especially small) with the surface of the working table, it is necessary to set the margins of 5 mm in width.
Contour outlining (brim). It is enough to make a run of plastic in one layer and three repetitions, to get rid of possible misses in the filament.
Supports. Exposed if overhanging elements need to be printed.
Help. By default, this option is always on in the slicer. You can leave it unchecked, as supports will not be created if it is not necessary.
Printing Speed. It is recommended to choose the default settings for PETG plastic, keeping in mind the following principle: when the nozzle is set to 100-300 microns, the maximum printing speed is 40 mm/s.
Temperature. Set the initial settings to 240 °C on the extruder and 80 °C on the table.
The SBS plastic does not need to be blown heavily, otherwise delamination may occur. However, it is not advisable to switch off the fan completely, as the flow of the material may distort the geometry of the model. If the wall thickness is minimal, the fan speed should be turned off, and if the thickness is increased, the fan speed should be set to 30%.
Depth and speed of retract should be reduced.
Important. To increase the transparency of a future model, such as a vase or bottle, it is printed with the highest layer height, the wall is expanded to one perimeter and the finished object is treated with chemicals – limonene or dichloromethane.

Material Advantages and Disadvantages

Thermoplastic SBS has found wide application due to its positive characteristics:

  • transparent;
  • flexible and pliable;
  • has zero hygroscopicity;
  • Safe – products can contact with food.

Users note only one disadvantage – insignificant shrinkage within 1%.

* * *

SBS excels over ABS or PLA, and at a slightly lower price beats the increasingly popular PETG. Due to its versatility, excellent performance and visual characteristics of the resulting models, this new filament claims to be promising in 3D-printing. Owners of a wide range of 3D printers can consider this plastic as a material for FDM printing.

Like this post? Please share to your friends:
3dprinter.net