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3D Printed Lacrosse Balls: Will It Break or Bounce?

Each 3D Printing material has its own application, and many materials are known for their durability. We put 9 materials available through our 3D printing service to the test to see whether they would break or bounce in this high-velocity impact lacrosse experiment!

Xomety X
By Team Xometry
October 8, 2020
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At Xometry, we’ve tested the impact resistance of 3D printed parts in a few processes in the past, but now we're diving deeper and exploring more polymers and infill options.

We offer dozens of 3D printed polymers that you can instantly price online through Xometry's 3D printing service. They all have their strengths and ideal applications, but polymers, in general, are known for their durability.

So, how do we test that durability? High-velocity impact, of course! And sometimes the best way to do that….is by throwing stuff at a wall. To honor the start of the spring sports season, what better method than a Maryland favorite: lacrosse.

So grab your safety glasses and see what happens when we put balls-to-the-wall!

These are the materials we tested and what we suspected would happen:
ProcessMaterialHypothesis
Process

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

Material

Nylon 12, dyed green / Nylon 12, glass-filled

Hypothesis

No break / Possible chipping

Process

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)

Material

ABS-M30, solid / ABS-M30, ultralight / Polycarbonate, solid / Nylon 12, solid / Ultem 9085, solid

Hypothesis

No break / Dent or break / Chip / No break / No break

Process

PolyJet

Material

Multi-material rigid / Shore A 50 rubber-like

Hypothesis

Chip or shatter / Coarse tearing

Xomety X
Team Xometry
This article was written by various Xometry contributors. Xometry is a leading resource on manufacturing with CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing, injection molding, urethane casting, and more.