Polymaker PC-Max User Manual

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Polymaker PC is a new family of polycarbonate based filaments designed specifically for extrusion based (i.e. FDM/FFF)

3D printing. It offers superior printing quality, excellent mechanical strength and heat resistance, with moderate printing

temperatures and great warping resistance.

Parts made with Polymaker PC show significantly improved

mechanical strength compared to ABS and PLA under almost any

deformation mode.

Polymaker PC-Plus™ shows good optical clarity,

rendering parts with an attractive crystal shine!

Polymaker PC offers better heat resistance than almost

all other 3D printing materials currently in the market. It

can withstand temperatures well above 110 º C.

• Intrinsic flame retardance (V2 based on UL94:2006)

• Good chemical/solvent resistance

• High printing quality



*Tests performed with 3D printed specimens (100% infill, standard Vicat conditions)

Tested with 3D printed specimens (100% infill)

Polymaker PC-Max™ offers outstanding fracture toughness that is

simply unobtainable from other 3D printing materials of similar

stiffness. This makes Polymaker PC-Max™ an excellent choice for

real-world, engineering applications.

Before you start for the first time, check the following to ensure you are fully prepared

for printing with Polymaker PC:

Your printer is equipped with an enclosed printing chamber

(It is not a must, but having an enclosed printing chamber can lead

to more consistent prints. If an enclosed printing chamber is not

available, try to avoid large variations in environmental temperatures

during printing)

The extruder of your 3D printer can operate in the temperature range of 250 – 270 º C

(While printing at less than 250 º C is also possible, it is recommended that Polymaker PC (both PC-Plus™ and PC-

Max™) be printed at 250 ºC or above for better layer adhesion and consistency)

Your printer is equipped with a heated build plate (HBP)

(Printing with a non-heated build plate is possible, but a HBP is

generally recommended)

*The build plate is covered with a BuildTak™ sheet

(Highly recommended. Other build surfaces such as the blue tape,

Kapton tape, glass, etc., are not ideal for Polymaker PC )

Your printer is well calibrated

(Special care should be taken to ensure that the “zero” distance between the nozzle and the build plate is not

overly small, especially when BuildTak™ is used; otherwise the adhesion may be too strong and removal of

printed objects can be difficult. 0.3 – 0.4 mm or 1-2 “business card thickness” should be good)

Design by Daniel Noree

https://www.myminifactory.com/object/openrc-

65t-spur-gear-vase-12628

Temperature settings

 Nozzle temperature (for 0.2 mm layer height):

250 - 270 º C

(255 º C was found to be optimum on most

printers we have tested and is therefore a good

starting point)

 HBP temperature: ~ 80 º C

Model cooling fan

 If your printer is equipped with a model cooling fan,

turn it off completely or disable it in your slicer.

(Unlike PLA, Polymaker PC solidifies rapidly and

therefore does not need extra fan-cooling; over-

cooling can lead to poor interlayer adhesion)

Raft settings

 Always print with a raft

A raft ensures both good adhesion and easy

removal from the build plate

 Separation distance between the raft and the

part: 0.2 - 0.3 mm

This relatively large value is to ensure easy

removal of the raft after printing

Printing speeds

 Various depending on printers; in general 30 - 90

mm/s

(In most circumstances the default speed

settings of your printer should be good for

Polymaker PC)

 Temperature Settings

• Set the extruder
temperature to 255 º C

• (Note: you have to delete
the old settings first)

 Cooling Settings

 Raft Settings

• Set the HBP
temperature to 80 º C

• Disable the model cooling fan

by setting the speed to “0”

• Check to enable
the use of raft

• Important: set the separation distance
to between 0.2 - 0.3 mm for easy
removal of the raft after printing

* Only key settings are shown here; you can

adjust other settings (e.g. speeds, Infill,

shells, etc.) based on your needs

 Why Annealing

 During 3D printing, the material is rapidly heated, extruded and cooled. This process can often times generate

internal stress in 3D printed parts, resulting in compromised mechanical, and possibly other properties. Such

an effect is more pronounced for polymers with high glass transition temperatures (Tg’s) such as Polymaker

PC-Plus™ and PC-Max™.

 Annealing is a commonly used technique to reduce or eliminate the internal stress of polymers. It typically

involves holding the material at an elevated temperature close to, but lower than its Tg, during which the

polymer chains undergo a process known as “relaxation” to substantially relieve the internal stress. In fact,

annealing is widely used in conventional processing methods of polycarbonate, such as extrusion, injection

molding and machining. Annealing can also be applied for 3D printing. Our study has shown that annealing

parts printed with Polymaker PC (both PC-Plus™ and PC-Max™) can lead to improved mechanical properties

and reduced tendency to crack or delaminate.

 How to Anneal Parts Printed with Polymaker PC

 Annealing is quite simple to perform. What one needs is a convection oven that can heat to 100 º C or higher.

Below is a recommended annealing procedure:

① Pre-heat the convection oven to 90 - 105 ° C

② Place the part(s) in the oven and leave them for 1 hour

③ (Recommended but not critical) Slowly cool (with a cooling rate between 10 - 30 C/h) the parts down to ambient

temperature.

 Tips

① Try to shorten as much as possible the time between 3D printing and annealing; mechanical properties may

deteriorate over time if parts are left unannealed.

② Maintain the temperature below the Tg (112 - 113 ° C) of Polymaker PC; Part deformation may occur if

temperature surpasses the Tg.

 My printed parts appear stringy, any suggestions?

 That means either the retraction settings are insufficient, or your printing temperature is too high. First check your

retraction settings, and if needed, reduce your printing temperature.

The “fine positive features” model by Andreas Bastian is a good testing model for retraction settings:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:533472

 I found it difficult to remove the part from the build plate, what shall I do?

 As we mentioned earlier, you should always print a raft with Polymaker PC. If the part is difficult to remove even with

a raft, try increasing the initial nozzle-plate distance.

 Why is the removal of the raft from the printed part so difficult?

 You need to correctly set the distance between the raft and the model (~ 0.3 mm recommended). Under the correct

settings the raft should peel off easily. If you still experience difficulty with removing the raft, try increasing the

distance (e.g. by 0.05 mm increment) until the result is satisfactory. However the distance cannot be overly large as

adequate adhesion between the part and the raft is still needed to prevent part warping.

 I printed a tall part and found the interlayer adhesion in certain areas to be rather poor, what shall I do?

 For tall parts (> 10 cm), as there is less heat compensation from the HBP for taller sections, it is recommended that

the printing temperature be slightly raised (e.g. 260-270 º C) to ensure better interlayer adhesion. Or if the slicer allows,

you can increase your printing temperature with increasing heights.

Having an enclosed printing chamber can greatly minimize this issue, and therefore is essential for getting consistent

results particularly for large, tall parts.

Model shown in the background:

Design by loubie

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:238806

Shanghai - New York - Utrecht - Tokyo

www.polymaker.com