How the FDM printer works
A (often plastic) material is fused together layer after layer. This material is wrapped like a wire on a spool and is led to the print head with the help of motors in the printer. The print head heats up the material, making it liquid and mouldable.
A part to be printed is divided into layers using software. The part is then built up in layers by the printer. During printing, the printer places all lines of molten material on a special developed surface, so that a layer is built up. The surface is the area on which the product is printed. The material in this layer solidifies, after which the printer can lay a new layer on top of it. The thickness of the layers can vary from 0.1mm to 1mm, depending on the settings. With this technique, the shape for a product can be built up layer after layer.
The materials that can be used with FDM printers are very different. For example, it is possible to use different types of hard plastics such as: PLA, ABS, PETG, Nylon or PC. But also rubber-like materials such as TPU and TPE and metals such as stainless steel, aluminium, brass and steel. Van Raam mainly uses ABS. This is a plastic material that is highly resistant to UV light (such as sunlight) and various weather conditions. Because of this, the parts made of this material will last a long time on the bikes.