3D printing technology, as a revolutionary breakthrough in modern manufacturing, has been widely used in various fields. Among them, wood filament as a special printing material, because of its unique wood texture and environmental characteristics are favored. However, when using wood filament for 3D printing, heat treatment is a key link that can not be ignored, which directly affects the molding quality and stability of the printed part.

The basic characteristics of wood filament

wood filament is usually made from wood fibers mixed with thermoplastics (such as PLA), which have the texture of wood but also inherit the plasticity of plastic. However, due to the presence of wood fibers, wood filament is more sensitive to temperature during the printing process. High temperatures may cause the material to break down, forming bubbles and deformation; The temperature is too low will affect the fluidity of the material, resulting in discontinuous printing.

Application of heat treatment in 3D printing

Heat treatment in 3D printing mainly plays a role in adjusting material temperature, controlling cooling speed and improving print quality. For wood filament, proper heat treatment ensures that it maintains stable physical and chemical properties during the printing process.

Preheating treatment

Preheating is an important step before 3D printing, which enables the wood filament to reach the ideal molten state before entering the print head. The preheating temperature is generally set between 180 ° C and 220 ° C, and the specific temperature needs to be adjusted according to the formula of the filament and the characteristics of the printer. Insufficient preheating will lead to incomplete material melting and blockage during printing; Excessive preheating may cause material decomposition.

Temperature control during printing

During the printing process, it is necessary to keep the temperature of the print head stable within the optimal extrusion temperature range of the wood filament. Typically, this temperature range is between 190 ° C and 210 ° C. High temperature will make the material too soft, easy to produce deformation and bubbles; Too low temperature will lead to poor extrusion of the material, affecting the printing accuracy.

Cooling treatment

The cooling process is critical to the molding quality of wood filament. Proper cooling allows the print to cure quickly, keep the shape stable, and reduce deformation. Typically, the printer is equipped with a cooling fan to speed up cooling. The wind speed and opening time of the fan need to be adjusted according to the printing speed and height to ensure that each layer of printing has sufficient cooling time. For particularly fine or thin-walled prints, it is recommended to reduce the printing speed and increase the cooling time.

Common problems and solutions

Print distortion
Deformation is usually caused by inadequate cooling or improper temperature setting. The solution is to check whether the cooling fan is working properly, increase the fan wind speed appropriately, and adjust the printing temperature. If the problem persists, consider using a cooling plate or ice water bath on the printing platform to speed up cooling.

The print has a rough surface
The roughness of the surface may be caused by the uneven melting of the material or the excessive cooling rate. You can try to increase the temperature of the print head, so that the material is fully melted, while adjusting the wind speed of the cooling fan to control the cooling speed. In addition, the use of higher quality wood filament can also improve the surface quality of the print.

Print interrupt
Print interruptions can be caused by material blockage or temperature fluctuations. First, check the print head for blockage and, if necessary, clean it up. Secondly, ensure that the temperature of the print head is stable to avoid excessive temperature fluctuations. In addition, the use of high-quality wood filament to reduce impurities in the material can also effectively prevent print interruptions.

Sum up

Heat treatment is one of the key technologies for wood filament application in 3D printing. Through reasonable preheating, printing temperature control and cooling treatment, the molding quality and stability of the printed parts can be significantly improved. In actual operation, heat treatment parameters need to be constantly adjusted and optimized according to the specific printing equipment and material characteristics to achieve the best printing results.