Can i use chamotte, paper clay or other aggregates?

21 June 2022
|By Diego Villa

The aggregates within the printing mixtures can be useful for changing their properties and facilitating printing.

CHAMOTTE

Chamotte (also called grog) is a powder obtained from the ground ceramic material after firing. It can be added to clayey mixtures to modify its properties.

Recommended for use with large prints to avoid collapses and reduce deformations during cooking.

PAPER CLAY

Name used for clay-based mixtures with the addition of cellulose fibers (paper).

It can help during printing to reduce collapse and promote drying. During cooking the fibers burn leaving porosity.

MAXIMUM DIMENSIONS

In LDM 3D printing, the maximum grain size values ​​for the aggregates added to the mix depend on the type of extruder:
LDM extruder (3.0 and earlier): max diameter 0.2 mm
LDM XL extruder (2.0 and earlier): max diameter 0.5 mm

Particle size values ​​higher than those stated above can irreversibly wear the extruder and clog the printing nozzle.