Jun 6, 2015 | By Simon
Along with all of the recent announcements for 3D printers and 3D scanners that we’ve been hearing within the last year some of the most exciting developments in the 3D printing industry have been in the materials that are used for 3D printing themselves.
Although 3D printing using a standard ABS or PLA filament material could satisfy the needs of a user for a long duration of time, experimenting with other materials can not only change the aesthetic appearance of an object but also provide different material properties that can actually add functionality to an object - such as the flexible properties of NinjaFlex filament, among others.
For those looking to switch up their material choices, 3D printing service i.materialise has recently announced that they will be letting users print using their new wood material starting later this year - however they are currently letting all users participate in the trial period by submitting their designs so that they can fine-tune the production processes, get customer feedback and make sure that your expectations are met. To help build up excitement surrounding the new material, the company is also announcing the i.materialise Wood Challenge.
Those that submit their 3D models to i.materialise between now and June 14th will be in the running for having their model 3D printed out of wood entirely for free.
“We are proud to announce that one of the world’s newest and most advanced manufacturing technologies for 3D printed wood will be in the hands of consumers, inventors, and designers like you,” said the company in a blog post. “We welcome every designer to participate in our trial period for 3D printed wood and submit your designs.”
Models that are printed using the wood material will have (an unsurprisingly) brown aesthetic that has a granular and slightly porous texture due to the powder that was made from wood chips.
According to the company, the material is perfect for complex models and it allows for interlocking and moving parts. The models will be printed the using a selective laser sintering (SLS) method that the company currently uses for other models.
Compared to other 3D printing materials, wood is considerably less-durable and thus, thicker walls (a minimum of 3mm) are recommended where possible. Similar to other 3D print models, it is also recommended to hollow out a model to avoid deformation during the printing process. Additionally, a hole with a diameter of at least 15 mm should be discretely added to the model to allow for excessive powder used during the sintering process to be removed - if possible, several holes are recommended.
If you think you have what it takes to win a free 3D print of one of your 3D models that are done using the new wood material, head over to i.materialise to find out more about the Wood Challenge.
Posted in 3D Printing Materials
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