Multi-Material Printing with Element

Multi-material printing works only with select combinations of materials. All materials behave and interact with each other differently, and only certain combinations will adhere together well enough for successful printing.

When printing with support materials, a balance is needed between the material adhering together well enough for proper support, while still removing from each other easily once the print is completed. We have conducted extensive internal testing to determine the best support material combinations:

HIPS: ABS, ASA, FR-PC

Dissolve LT: PLA, ESD PETG, Matrix, Nylon

Testing is still ongoing for further material combinations, and this information will be continually updated.

Printing with incompatible materials will likely result in print head jams and other issues.

Printing with multi-material supports can be very useful, particularly for achieving high quality overhanging sections on parts. Supports should always be minimised, however, to reduce time and material spent. If a part can be printed without supports, or if same-material supports provide acceptable quality, we would always recommend avoiding multi-material supports.

When printing with support materials, in order to reduce the time and material spent on material changes, we recommend using dense support interfaces. This way, most of the support structure will be the same material as your part, and only the few layers where the supports touch the part will be a new support material.

The images below illustrate a part with support structures using dense support interfaces, compared to the same part with full support structures. The blue illustrates the part material, and the black illustrates the support material.

Part without supports

With dense support interfaces: 8 material changes, 2 hour print time

With full multi-material supports: 206 material changes, 17 hour print time

To achieve this, enable “Dense Support Interfaces' in the supports tab of your project settings, and select the support material. Ensure that your part material is selected under the regular “Supports” section, as below.

In order to achieve the best looking result with support specific materials, interface density should be set to 100%, interface thickness should be 3 or 4 layers, and the vertical gap from part should be 0. All of these settings can be changed based on the use case of the part and desired finish - contact your Account Manager or support@mosaicmfg.com for further help.

While many support materials are soluble, they should only be dissolved when absolutely necessary. In most cases, with Dissolve LT or HIPS, the supports can be easily removed from the part by hand without needing to dissolve it. This is preferable.

In the event that support material cannot be removed by hand, Dissolve LT can be dissolved in water, and HIPS can be dissolved in d-limonene. For Dissolve LT, ensure that the material of your part will not be affected by moisture before dissolving. When used with PLA, PETG, and ESD PETG, Dissolve LT can be dissolved in water without affecting the part’s strength significantly. In the case of Nylon and Matrix, prints can be done with Dissolve LT, but water significantly affects the integrity of the material, so it's recommend to break away the supports instead.

For HIPS with ASA or ABS, the part can be left in a solution of d-limonene to dissolve the supports if needed. However, with any other materials, it is unknown what the impact of d-limonene will be on the part, so it is not recommended.

When running multi-material prints with 3rd party materials, the onus is on the user to ensure materials work well together, and to tune the print settings. It's recommended to use Mosaic materials for multi-material printing.

If you wish to use 3rd party materials, it's best to consult with your Account Manager before printing. Next steps would be:

• Purchase 3rd Party NFC Tags from Mosaic
• Follow our 3rd Party Tags Guide to get set up
• Try printing a single material print with your 3rd party material first to ensure all the settings in the profile work correctly. If needed, try different settings until you are confident in the print quality
• To ensure that your two materials will print well together, run a very simple and short multi-material print first. Ensure that this print tests how both materials will lay on top of each other, and limit the number of material changes so that any issues can be caught before they create an irrecoverable print failure. Watch the print if possible to catch any failures and cancel the print if needed
• Once you have confirmed that both materials can print together successfully, slice your file and run the print, keeping in mind all tips discussed above

During multi-material printing, Element generates more densifier chips than during single-material printing. Make sure to check the densifier regularly - once a week, if printing daily.