Carbon material
Carbon material, also referred to as carbon filament, is a composite material for 3D printing. This means that it does not consist of just one material, but combines a base printing plastic such as PLA, PETG or nylon with short chopped carbon fibers. The addition of these filaments fundamentally changes the properties of the resulting print. The main benefit is a significant increase in the stiffness and strength of the part. The print is less flexible and better able to resist deformation under load compared to the same part printed from a pure base plastic. In addition, carbon fibre improves the dimensional stability of the material during printing, which means less tendency to twist and shrink. The parts are thus dimensionally more accurate. The surface of carbon filament prints is typically matte, and the texture of the filaments helps to hide the individual printed layers, resulting in a visually cleaner appearance. When working with this material, its high abrasiveness must be taken into account. Carbon filaments are very hard and will quickly wear out a standard brass print nozzle. It is therefore necessary to use a nozzle made of hardened steel or other abrasion-resistant material to prevent damage and degradation of the print.
