When to pick this combination
Pick PA12-GB when you need stiffer brackets, fixtures, and housings than unfilled PA12 can deliver, without moving to a more expensive engineering polymer. Tensile modulus roughly doubles vs unfilled PA12 at modest cost premium.
- Stiff jigs, fixtures, and assembly aids
- Light-duty load-bearing brackets
- Housings where unfilled PA12 deflects too much
- Mid-volume production (10s to 100s of parts)
Typical defects and how the model accounts for them
Glass-bead distribution can be non-uniform near supports and at corners. Z-built parts are 20–30% weaker than X-Y due to inter-layer bonding limits. ForgeCast applies a Z-direction de-rating when the principal stress is aligned with the build axis.
Required post-processing
The allowables above assume the full post-processing chain. Skipping any step degrades the row by 15–35 %.
- Cool in build cake to 80 °C
- Bead-blast to remove cake powder
- Optional dye for cosmetic surface
- No anneal required
Suggested build parameters
Starting recipe; tune against first-article inspection on geometry-sensitive features.
- Layer: 80 μm
- Energy agent saturation: 70%
- Build chamber: 175 °C
- Cool cycle: 24 h
Frequently asked questions
Is PA12-GB watertight?
Roughly — porosity is 1–3% and water will weep through over hours under head pressure. For watertight enclosures, dip-seal with polyurethane or pick SLA tough resin.
Sources
- HP MJF PA12-GB technical data sheet
- ISO 527-1 — Plastics tensile properties