3D Printing Materials

Yes. On the metals side, the most commonly 3D printed materials include aluminum, titanium, stainless steel, Inconel and cobalt chrome. Copper has historically been difficult to 3D print with laser-based systems, but innovations such as blue-light lasers make this possible; reflective metals like this may be easier to print using other methods such as binder jetting. An alloy suitable for one metal 3D printing method may not be appropriate for all such methods.

Yes, sand can be 3D printed through binder jetting to selectively adhere the grains together.

A thermoplastic is a plastic polymer that can be heated to pliability, shaped either in a mold or through extrusion printing and then cooled back to a solid form. The makeup of a thermoplastic is such that the process of heating, shaping and cooling can be repeated without damage to the material.

A metal matrix composite blends a metal alloy with another material such as ceramic.

The composite combines the light weight of aluminum with the strength, hardness and heat resistance of ceramic, making this material a promising choice not only for engines but also for applications in which high stiffness is needed for vibration control, or a low coefficient of thermal expansion is needed because of an extreme temperature range (the case with satellite parts). Yet the material’s very combination of heat resistance and hardness makes it difficult and costly to machine. Additive manufacturing addresses this problem because it is not just near-net-shape (true of a molding), but rather very near to net shape. Source: Metal Matrix Composite Demonstrates Additive Manufacturing’s Promise for New Materials