Understanding Technical Data Sheets

Understanding a Technical Data Sheet (TDS) can be daunting, especially if you're not familiar with the technical terms used to describe the mechanical properties of materials. Here, we'll break down the key terms: tensile strength, tensile modulus, elongation at break, notched impact, and viscosity into easy to understand language and provide practical examples to help you relate these properties to our two 3D printing materials: Creator Super Clear Resin and Creator Tough Resin.

Tensile Strength

Tensile strength is how much pulling force a material can handle before it breaks. Imagine pulling on both ends of a rubber band; the point at which it snaps is related to its tensile strength. Practically speaking, think of a climbing rope. The tensile strength of the rope determines how much weight it can hold without snapping. A higher tensile strength means the rope can support more weight.

Plastics with a tensile strength of around 10-30 MPa are not as good for load bearing applications, while plastics that are closer to 40-100+ MPa are great for load bearing applications depending on what the requirements are.

In Our 3D Printing Materials:

• Creator Super Clear Resin has a high tensile strength, making it suitable for detailed parts that need clarity and load bearing strength.

Tensile Modulus

Tensile modulus measures a material's stiffness when it’s pulled. It's like stretching a metal spring; a stiffer spring is harder to stretch than a plastic one. Consider a stiff steel ruler versus a thin plastic one. The steel ruler bends less under the same force, indicating a higher tensile modulus. A structural/rigid material is over 3000 MPa while a low modulus for flexible/pliable parts is below 1000 MPa. In the middle of 1000-3000 MPa is a nice balance between rigidity and flexibility.

In Our 3D Printing Materials:

• Creator Tough Resin has a tensile modulus of 1.4 GPa, allowing thinner features to be flexible and thicker features to be rigid. 

• Creator Super Clear Resin has a high tensile modulus of 2.3 GPa, allowing for a small amount of flexibility while maintaining strength.

Elongation at Break

Elongation at break is how much a material can stretch before it breaks. Picture how far you can stretch a piece of chewing gum before it tears. The elongation at break is the percent elongation that the chewing gum was able to stretch before tearing. An EAB below 10% is rigid material and an EAB over 90% is a flexible material that can be stretched.

In Our 3D Printing Materials:

• Creator Tough Resin offers good elongation of 34%, balancing strength and flexibility for functional parts, and thin parts that need to flex.

• Creator Super Clear Resin has lower elongation at break, meaning it will not stretch much before breaking, suitable for detailed and rigid applications.

Notched Impact Strength

Notched impact strength measures how well a material can absorb energy from a sudden force. Imagine a plastic cover on your phone. If it falls, the notched impact strength determines if it will crack or survive the drop. A part that is able to resist sudden impacts well has an impact strength over 40 J/m while a material that is less impact resistant is below 20 J/m.

In Our 3D Printing Materials:

• Both Creator Super Clear Resin and Creator Tough Resin offer moderate notched impact strength, providing enough resilience for lightweight and impact resistant parts.

Viscosity

Viscosity is a measure of how thick or thin a liquid is. Imagine pouring honey versus water; honey's higher viscosity makes it flow more slowly. In the sense of a 3D printing resin, simply put, the less viscosity a resin is the faster that you can theoretically print with it. The resin will be able to fill the void under the build plate faster than a much more viscous resin.

By understanding these key properties and how they apply to our materials, you can better select the right material for your 3D printing needs, ensuring your final product meets the desired specifications and performance requirements.