Tech Breakdown: 3DXTECH's 3DXSTAT ESD Safe Material
Electronics are highly sensitive to electrostatic discharge and 3DXSTAT by 3DXTech is here to help with their ESD safe materials.
If you’ve ever worked with electronics, you are familiar with electrostatic-sensitive devices and the need to protect against static when near circuitboards and microchips. 3DXSTAT ESD-Safe filaments by 3DXTECH are the perfect choice when you need to ensure that jigs, fixtures, and cases for your electronic projects safely dissipate static.
Let's break it down-
Material Choice
3DXSTAT comes in a variety of different thermoplastic bases like PLA, PETG, ABS, or PolyCarbonate, which gives you the freedom to choose the material that has the right properties for your specific use case. PLA would be ideal for a quick and easy print, whereas PolyCarbonate would excel at extreme temperature resistance.
Printing Properties
The magic making this filament ESD-safe is the cutting-edge, multi-wall carbon nanotube technology. Unlike carbon-fiber filled filaments, which are designed for enhanced strength and rigidity, 3DXSTAT is not nearly as abrasive as those filaments. One or two spools of 3DXSTAT and your brass nozzle should be fine, but if this is your new go-to filament, it would be the right idea to upgrade to a hardened steel, vanadium steel, NozzleX, or Olsson Ruby nozzle for sustained performance.
Tuneable
The electrical resistance of a material will determine if it classifies as conductive, dissipative, or insulative, and 3DXSTAT is no exception. Depending on your 3D printer’s specific hardware and print settings, your finished 3D prints can have completely different, but predictable resistance. Typically the lower the temperature you print at, the more resistance of the finished part, and the higher temperature, the less resistance. A couple tests with a surface resistance meter and you can find the sweet spot for your setup to keep it within the ESD-safe range.
Ensuring that you are ESD-safe, from procedures to materials, whether it’s a small scale project or part of a large scale production is important when working with electronics.. To learn more and to order your spool today, check out the 3DXSTAT product collection.