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May 18, 2015 | By Alec

While there are so many filaments on the market nowadays, the vast majority of 3D printing enthusiasts stick to what they know: ABS and PLA. Despite its brittleness, PLA has a slight advantage due to its biodegradable nature. But if an environmental approach is behind your choice of filaments, you will be happy to learn that there’s a new biodegradable alternative on the market that shares some of the convenient characteristics of ABS: Biome3D filament.

Now as you might know, PLA filament made from corn (with the addition of colorants and chemicals), and can therefore break down over time (unlike ABS). But this new Biome3D bioplastic is from a very different biodegradable source: potato starch. Made by the Ireland-based company Biome Plastics, it has already been around for a few months, but it looks like makers are finally getting to grips with the interesting characteristics of this new filament. One blogger named Jensa over at flashgamer.com has been thoroughly exploring the potential of Biome3D filament, and came to some interesting discoveries that could definitely benefit the rest of us.

Now of course Biome Plastics is understandably very enthusiastic about its own product, hailing it as the next generation of 3D printing filaments. ‘Like other plant-based plastics on the market, its thermal and flow characteristics allow you to achieve excellent printed detail, with minimal shrinkage, cracking or warping. However Biome3D runs at higher print speeds, giving you great results, faster,’ they write on their website. ‘Biome3D also gives you an exceptional print finish with the pleasing silky feel, reduced brittleness and increased flexibility normally associated with oil-based filaments.’

However a sales pitch is a sales pitch, and its only when you thoroughly test and repeatedly use a material that you begin to fully understand what you’re dealing with. And of course the real question is: is it better than PLA or is a similar alternative? But as Jensa explains, it’s a thoroughly different material that can be a very useful alternative, though that depends on what you’re after. ‘The first thing I noticed is that it's nowhere as brittle as PLA. This is a major advantage. When you take a piece of the filament and bend it, it acts more like ABS. It bends and becomes more white in color. You won't break it until you bend 10-12 times,’ he writes. Of course, it is nowhere near as strong as PET or similar 3D printable materials, but this definitely gives it a wider range of applications than the relatively vunerable PLA.

At the same time, it deals with heat very differently than PLA or ABS. Able to be extruded even at relatively low temperatures as 175 degrees Celsius, it is odorless and seems to store heat for very long periods of time. While this means heating won’t take as much time, it also makes cooling a bit problematic as means layers tend to become very visible. ‘If you follow the manufacturers recommendation and use a heated bed at 60-70C, you'll see the prints sag at the bottom (Elephant's foot). I've actually seen this in all my prints to some degree, despite lowering the bed temperature to 40C. Like said before - a lot of cooling is required when printing with this plastic as heat is "stored" in the plastic. In other words - extra fans may be required,’ Jensa advises.

But most importantly, Biome3D offers users a lot more post-printing processing options. While PLA will start melting even if you even think about sanding or polishing the material, Biome material has a high enough Glass Transition temperature to allow you to sand it down and polish it – very useful when dealing with unwanted layers. ‘I was even able to sand it using a Dremel as long as I kept moving to allow some cooling. It is impossible to polish the material to a shine like you can for ABS as it's matte by nature,’ Jensa says. He suspects the material’s Glass Transitition temperature is somewhere around 60 degrees, which means you cant use it for parts exposed to heat, but makes it perfect for added visual effects.

Aside from some inconsistences on the filament spool (especially a lump of plastic that would have clogged any extruder), Jensa is very positive about the material and we see nothing to cause us to disagree with that. Especially the material’s ABS-like characteristics (less brittleness and open to post-print processing) means that Biome3D filament could be perfect for your 3D printing arsenal. For why 3D print someone made from fossil materials when you can get the same results with a biodegradable material?

Interested in getting your hands on some of this filament? Go here for more information. Biome3D filament is available in purple, black, white, light blue, green, red and yellow.

Promo clip for Biome3D.

 

Posted in 3D Printing Materials

 

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