An interesting technique for the production of many thin, flat objects is multi-material stack printing. This method utilizes the different adhesion properties of different filaments to produce multiple parts in one printing process.
The YouTube channel Keep Making demonstrates this technique in a video using the production of assembly platforms for its Multiboard system. The key point of this method is the alternating printing of PLA and PETG layers. As these materials do not adhere well to each other, the individual parts can be easily separated from each other after printing.
The implementation requires a few tricks. Two columns are printed in addition to the actual objects. These prevent the slicer from combining all the layers into a single unit. The PETG intermediate layers are also printed slightly thicker than usual. This creates a physical seal with the underlying PLA layer without any chemical bonding.
This technique makes it possible to make optimum use of the entire printing area and produce several identical parts in a single pass. Multi-material stack printing is a good example of how the 3D printing community is developing innovative solutions to specific challenges. It shows that combining different materials can offer not only aesthetic but also functional benefits.
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