Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is a common occurrence that we’ve all encountered from the first time we rubbed our feet on a carpet to shock an unsuspecting sibling with static electricity. And while it might be a harmless prank when it comes to annoying your sister, it can cause irrevocable harm to sensitive electronics.
ESD can damage PCBs and electronics, leading to costly recalls. There are many tried and tested methods for manufacturing ESD-safe components, such as injection molding and CNC milling. However, injection molding is only economically viable for high volume and mass production. Machining components with CNC can incur high costs and long lead times. 3D printing is more suitable for custom parts and low volume production.
Here are a few examples where ESD-safe 3D printing is likely your best option:
The common denominator here is custom, low volume, or one-off production, along with an ESD-safe requirement.
Printing ESD-safe components with additive manufacturing can have significant benefits to your production lifecycle, with rippling effects throughout your business.
Compared to traditional manufacturing methods like injection molding and CNC milling, 3D printing ESD parts significantly reduces material waste and labor costs. This is ideal for low-volume or custom prototypes, tools, and production parts without the need for costly molds or machining setup.
3D printed ESD-safe production aids and parts can be ready within hours or days, compared to weeks for machined parts. With easy design modifications, you can quickly refine and optimize designs. Not only does this mean you can get your production aid in use sooner, but it also allows for more design optimization (as each iteration is so much quicker). That means you will be getting a production tool which is more ergonomic, efficient, or just well-designed.
Along those lines, additive manufacturing can create strong, durable parts that are lightweight as well. This is accomplished by using both lighter materials as well as the ability to produce parts with internal lattice structures and infill patterns which are not possible with traditional methods.
Multiple components can also be combined into a single, optimized part, reducing assembly time and failure points.
3D printing is great for onshoring and for managing on-demand digital inventories. Onshoring reduces lead times and is essential to mitigate political and economic turbulence. If you can produce the parts in-house, you don’t have to be reliant on external suppliers. This is also beneficial in any case where you want to keep your company IP well-guarded.
A digital inventory is great for minimizing storage costs for spare parts. Printing on demand is also inherently more sustainable, as you don’t make what you don’t need.
At Stratasys, we have two technologies which support ESD-safe materials:
Each of these methods offers unique advantages when producing static-dissipative parts, depending on specific application requirements.
FDM is an extrusion-based 3D printing process which uses thermoplastic filaments. These filaments can be infused with material to make it conductive or dissipative to convert it to an ESD-safe filament. FDM can be used for large, durable ESD-safe parts like production aids, fixtures, and electronic housings.
Benefits of using FDM 3D printing for ESD applications:
This resin-based process cures layers of liquid photopolymer with digital light projection, resulting in high-precision, isotropic parts with smooth surface finish. DLP is ideal for small, intricate electronics enclosures, connectors, and high-accuracy components where precision is critical. Parts can hardly be distinguished from injection molded parts.
Benefits of using DLP 3D printing for ESD applications:
Picking the right material can save you a lot of time and headache in the long run. The main consideration is of course to match the material specifications with your application requirements. Before this, however, you might want to step back and choose the 3D printing technology that will best suit your needs.
The following table is a very high-level comparison of industrial-grade FDM and DLP printing technologies. For the sake of simplicity, the table consists of wide brushstrokes. For particular specifications or details, view our website or contact one of our experts.
At Stratasys, we have four materials suitable for ESD-sensitive applications: three FDM materials and one for use with DLP printers. The following comparison table summarizes the main features of each of these materials. For more information, contact your local Stratasys representative.
|
Parameter |
Antero® 840CN03 | |||
|
ESD Range [Ω/sq] |
106 – 108 |
104 – 109 |
104 – 109 |
104 –109 |
|
Smallest Feature [µm] |
90 (XY) 100 (Z) |
127 (Z) |
127 (Z) |
127 (Z) |
|
Elongation at Break [%] |
2 |
12 (XZ) 1.9 (ZX) |
3.4 (XZ) 1.59 (ZX) |
5.2 (XZ) 2.7 (ZX) |
|
Yield Strengh [MPa] |
45-50 |
93.9 (XZ) 53.1 (ZX) |
35.4 (XZ) No yield (ZX) |
49.4 (XZ) 37.9 (ZX) |
|
Modulus [GPa] |
2.8-3 |
2.94 (XZ) 2.88 (ZX) |
2.69 (XZ) 2.28 (ZX) |
1.96 (XZ) 1.81 (ZX) |
|
HDT |
>200 °C |
~ 155 °C |
~ 100 °C |
~ 145 °C |
|
Cost |
Lower |
Higher |
Lower |
Lower |
|
Other |
|
Low outgassing, chemically resistant |
|
|
ESD materials are mainly used in electronics manufacturing, including electronics housings and enclosures. Any market where electronic components are utilized – which includes almost everything these days - needs ESD protection: from aerospace and defense, to automotive, transportation, and consumer electronics.
Choosing to 3D print with Stratasys ESD materials over traditional manufacturing offers several advantages:
The ESD lifespan is equivalent to the lifespan of the part, provided there is no significant physical or chemical damage to the part.
Injection molding carries a very high upfront cost of mold design. This makes it great for mass production – the higher the volume, the lower the cost per part becomes, since the upfront cost can be spread over more parts. 3D printing ESD parts on the other hand costs the same for the first part as for the thousandth. This is ideal for low-to-mid-volume production or custom prototypes, tools, and production parts.
Depending on the geometry and size of your part, 3D printing is typically more cost-effective for batches of up to 5,000 parts. If you have a specific part in mind, our experts can calculate the tipping point for you. Talk to An Expert
Siemens AG used ESD 3D printing for robot grippers which interact closely with sensitive electronics in their process automation plant.
Liberty Electronics found ESD 3D printing to be the optimal solution for creating a fixture to mount a ceramic capacitor and temperature sensor during a high-temperature cure cycle of a structural epoxy.
Lockheed Martin used ESD 3D materials to create parts that could withstand the strictest requirements for space flight. In their words, 3D printing achieves the trifecta of technical performance, cost, and speed. In traditional manufacturing, the adage has always been, “pick any two.”
Learn more about Stratasys ESD-safe 3D printing materials or contact us to find the best solution for you.
Effy Shafner is a dedicated content marketing writer at Stratasys. With a degree in electrical engineering and over a decade of experience in writing technical marketing content, Effy brings a unique blend of creativity and strategic thinking to his work. He has published high-level articles on industry platforms, blog posts for company sites, and technical documentation. Prior to his current role, Effy worked on R&D projects focusing on laser measurement devices and authored a blog where he shared insights on measuring various aspects of lasers, as well as working on technical documentation in the telecommunications industry. Effy is always eager to learn, taking complicated topics and making them engaging, accessible, and easy to understand.
