We recently received a new shipment of Nylon 12 GF and noticed a few unusual things.
Several of the containers have aluminum foil seals that appear discolored (gold-colored), as if they had been exposed to elevated temperatures at some point. In addition, two of the containers arrived with the foil seal not bonded to the container at all.
My main concern, however, is the condition of the powder itself. There are visible clumps in multiple containers, which is something we have never seen before with previous Nylon 12 GF deliveries.
I would therefore like to ask:
Is clumping in Nylon 12 GF considered normal?
Could this be related to moisture exposure, storage conditions, or transportation?
Would you consider the material safe to use, or would you raise a quality claim before processing it?
I’ve attached some photos of the containers and the powder for reference.
Any feedback or shared experience would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Hi! Thank you for sharing this! Please open a case with our Support team to flag this issue - they will clarify if this is a concern for print quality and arrange an exchange if necessary.
Hi, thanks for your reply. I have already contacted the Support team and am currently waiting for their response. I just wanted to share my observations here in case other users have experienced something similar. Thanks for looking into it!
Out of the 20 canisters I received, 15 show clearly visible clumping. In 4 containers, I also found foreign material (see attached pictures). Only 5 containers appear to be in acceptable condition at first glance.
However, all 20 containers have discolored aluminum foil seals/lids.
Unnaceptable, 15 3kg each that’s over $5000 USD in material that if used can and probably cause issues on part quality and waste because of failed incomplete builds.
The foreign particles look like pieces of aluminium foil, no?
It could be that the adhesive used to seal the bottles has an extremely strong hold, causing the aluminium foil to tear and crumble during opening. Alternatively, the foil itself looks quite thin and may not have enough plastic backing/support to peel away cleanly in one piece.
I’m genuinely more interested in the clumping, though. Any update on what’s causing that?
Hi all, thanks for following up on this! Just to update the thread: our Support team is already actively working on this case. We take material quality problems very seriously and are using the information provided to help prevent similar issues in the future.
As always, if you ever report issues with material that is determined to be defective, we’re always happy to replace it. We’re very sorry this happened!
The support team is handling the matter very professionally. They are currently reviewing their inventory to determine whether any additional batches may be affected. At the same time, they have arranged a free replacement shipment for me. I am very satisfied with the communication and the way they are addressing the issue so far, and I will share further updates as soon as I receive more information.
That was actually my first thought as well. Since the seals were discolored, I suspect that too much heat may have been used during the sealing process. As a result, the plastic backing/coating of the foil might no longer have been flexible enough when the seal was removed, causing it to break apart and fall into the powder.
As for the clumps, I honestly can’t explain where they’re coming from. Perhaps Sophia or the support team will be able to find out more while they investigate their inventory and check whether other containers from the same stock show similar issues.
According to Formlabs, they have now checked their inventory and unfortunately only have material from this same affected batch remaining in stock. The next delivery is expected to arrive in approximately three weeks. The affected batch has already been blocked from further distribution and is currently being investigated to determine the root cause of the issue.
For anyone planning to place a new order, it may be worth anticipating some delivery delays until replacement stock becomes available.
At the same time, I would like to give credit where it is due and commend the Formlabs support team for their communication and handling of this case. They have been transparent, proactive, and very helpful throughout the investigation. To be honest, that has not always been my experience in the past, which makes me especially appreciative of the excellent cooperation I’m seeing in this situation. Many thanks to everyone involved for taking the issue seriously and working towards a resolution.
