The Leader in 3D Printing Polycarbonate

As new, lower cost desktop 3D printers have made their way into the market over the last few years, more and more of them claim to print polycarbonate successfully. While the technology certainly has improved, the fact still remains: The Airwolf 3D AXIOM series is the only desktop 3D printer on the market under $50,000 to print LARGE polycarbonate parts flawlessly (with a little help from Wolfbite Mega, of course).

Mastering the Art and Science Behind A 3D printer that prints polycarbonate

Why is Airwolf 3D top dog when it comes to polycarbonate 3D printing? Because printing advanced engineering-grade materials is embedded in the very fabric of our identity. If you look back at our history, you can see that we’ve been fervently innovating for the last five years to perfect the process and deliver a 3D printer that achieves its true purpose: to serve as a high-performance tool for demanding applications.

When it comes to 3D printing polycarbonate, Airwolf 3D’s first claim to fame was back in 2014 when we released the HDx, the first commercial desktop 3D printer with a hot end capable of printing polycarbonate.

Never content to rest on our laurels, however, we did a complete clean-sheet design and released a printer fully optimized for demanding applications: The AXIOM. Outfitted with an industry-leading high temperature hot end and patented enclosed build chamber, the AXIOM was designed to meet the challenges of not only printing in high-temperature materials like polycarbonate, but also printing LARGE parts in high-temperature materials.

Up until the AXIOM, there was no 3D printer that had an enclosure that effectively provided the stable ambient printer temperature required to prevent large polycarbonate and ABS parts from cracking or deforming while printing.

Wolfbite Mega solves the problem of polycarbonate warpage

Based on customer feedback and extensive internal testing, we also knew that another key element was needed to master polycarbonate printing: effective bed adhesion. So our R&D team went back to the drawing board and formulated Wolfbite Mega Bed Adhesion Solution.

Wolfbite Mega successfully solves the problem of polycarbonate warping while 3D printing. By applying a thin coat of the solution to the print bed before printing, you can ensure that the polycarbonate stays stuck to the bed while printing, but then releases easily once completed and cooled.

Then we decided to manufacture polycarbonate filament, too…

After optimizing the process of 3D printing polycarbonate, we realized that we needed to perfect the polycarbonate filament itself. So we decided to start manufacturing it ourselves. Unlike the polycarbonate blends used by lower-cost 3D printers who claim to print “polycarbonate,” Airwolf 3D Polycarbonate Filament is pure. From painstakingly sourcing the best materials to developing a proprietary extrusion process, we finally achieved our goal of creating a universal polycarbonate filament that meets even the highest quality standards.

When you use Airwolf 3D’s technology, printing polycarbonate is as easy as printing PLA. Your settings are already preloaded in APEX. All you have to do is load your polycarbonate filament, apply a coat of Wolfbite Mega, and hit print.

Learn More About Polycarbonate 3D Printing →

Download our Guide "The Key to 3D Printing Large Polycarbonate Parts"

This guide is intended to shed light on many of the methods we have used since 2014 to master polycarbonate printing on the desktop. In particular, we will pay close attention to temperature requirements, bed adhesion, printer configurations, and best settings practices.

Reading time: 15 minutes