Service Life in a Real-World Test
PKD Nozzles in 3D Printing of High-Performance Plastics

This is what a successful partnership from Swabia looks like: Malping GmbH is boosting its productivity and process reliability in 3D printing of PEEK with the DIANOZ Pro diamond nozzle from Gühring.

Industrial 3D printing of high-performance and high-temperature plastics places the highest demands on process stability, component quality, and wear resistance. Malping GmbH, headquartered in Neuhausen auf den Fildern near Stuttgart, specializes in these demanding applications and manufactures functional and production parts from materials such as PEEK, CF-PEEK, GF-PEEK, and PPS-GF, as well as carbon-fiber-reinforced polyamides (PA6-CF, PA12-CF). The company uses FFF filament printing on systems from Vision Miner and Prusa, as well as FGF granule printing on the ExAM 510 from NEW AIM3D GmbH.

Nozzle Wear in High-Performance Plastics

3D printing with high-temperature plastics places the highest demands on the nozzles used. Processing temperatures of up to 450 °C, abrasive fillers such as carbon and glass fibers, and long production cycles often lead to nozzle wear, inconsistent print results, and increased maintenance requirements when using conventional hardened nozzles. Due to the enlarged nozzle orifice, the extrusion cross-section gradually changes, compromising dimensional accuracy and repeatability before wear even becomes visible. For Malping, it was clear: Only a durable and thermally efficient nozzle can consistently ensure high quality standards in additive manufacturing for customers in the mechanical and plant engineering, chemical and process industries, medical technology, as well as the pharmaceutical, defense, and automotive industries.

DIANOZ Pro from Gühring is the solution

To meet all these requirements from its industrial customers even more efficiently, Malping relies on Gühring’s DIANOZ Pro nozzle for contract manufacturing based on customer drawings. The DIANOZ Pro combines the key characteristics required for industrial 3D printing: Thanks to its PCD insert, it delivers outstanding wear resistance even when processing the most abrasive materials. Its excellent thermal conductivity ensures uniform and stable material feed, which in turn results in high dimensional accuracy and consistent print quality over long service life. Because replacement intervals are longer than with conventional steel nozzles, customers also reduce their downtime with the DIANOZ Pro. Through this combination, Malping achieves significantly higher process reliability in its daily production operations.

Printing PA6-CF in Continuous Operation

The extent of the difference is demonstrated by a documented comparison from ongoing mass production. Carbon-fiber-reinforced polyamide (PA6-CF15) served as the reference material; due to its high fiber content, it is considered particularly abrasive. Printing was performed on a Prusa Core One L printer with a nozzle diameter of 0.4 mm, using a hardened steel nozzle with a special wear-resistant coating for the comparison.

Processing more than 20 kilograms of PA6-CF15 plastic without any noticeable wear means a service life more than four times longer than that of the previously used nozzle—and the maximum service life has not even been fully exhausted yet. This is particularly significant for a 0.4-mm bore: The smaller the cross-section, the greater the impact that fiber-induced expansion has on the extrusion cross-section and, consequently, on dimensional accuracy. What matters most here is not so much the cost savings on printer nozzles as the consistent component quality throughout the entire production run. This is especially important for production runs with recurring components, as it ensures the necessary repeatability.

Print 20 kilograms without wear and tear

The benefits illustrated in this example are also evident across Malping’s entire range of high-performance plastics. For Malping, this means nozzle technology that works across the entire material range, rather than a separate wear part for each material. By using the DIANOZ Pro, Malping has been able to sustainably optimize its manufacturing processes. The nozzle ensures greater process stability with demanding high-temperature materials, extends service life, and reduces maintenance requirements. At the same time, users benefit from improved reproducibility of print results and higher system productivity. Particularly for complex, delicate PEEK components, the continuous material feed—combined with the DIANOZ Pro’s high wear resistance—enables cost-effective and reliable production. This allows the high quality requirements of industrial customers to be met consistently.

This is also the conclusion reached by Bastian Gaedike, Managing Director of Malping GmbH: “Printing more than 20 kilograms of PA6-CF plastic with a 0.4-mm nozzle without measurable wear is not just a laboratory result for us, but a reality in our production process. This enables us to reliably supply our industrial customers with high-quality components and to further increase our productivity.”

You can also get technical advice and support quickly and directly by calling 07431 17 21477 or by email to shop@dianoz.com.