www.3ders.org

Nov 9, 2015 | By Alec

We here at 3ders.org are always very happy to hear about new exciting 3D printer filaments, because there’s only so much you can achieve with PLA or ABS. The only problem with filament alternatives is that they can be a bit complicated to print, and nothing is more frustrating than tons of failed 3D prints made out of your exclusive filaments. That should probably not be a problem with the just-announced T-Lyne, a new material by filament maker taulman3D and chemical giants DuPont. Very durable, flexible, crystal clear and printable onto any surface, it seems like a perfect addition to any maker’s arsenal.

What’s more, this filament is interesting for more than just its characteristics. It also marks the first time that one of the chemical industry’s giant players recognizes the 3D printing community as a target market, and as Tom from taulman3D explains they even assigned resources for engineering and development to this collaboration. ‘DuPont selected taulman3D to help develop and move forward in releasing new materials to the 3D Printing community and we now have an excellent working relationship with both major materials divisions at DuPont,’ he tells us.

Taulman3D has been working with DuPont since the summer on a flexible material suitable for just about any print bed. The results seem to to be worth the effort, as T-Lyne is quite an interesting 3D printing filament. This is especially the case because it uses DuPont’s Surlyn ionomer, the material used to coat golf balls and bowling pins to make them extremely durable, leading to some fascinating results. ‘T-lyne is a unique, crystal clear polyethylene copolymer developed specifically for high durability, flexibility, unique viscosity and a wide temperature range. Glass-like aesthetics can easily be obtained at high layer sizes using low speed and low temperatures in the range of 190 C to 210 C,’ Tom says. ‘Utility style parts are easily printed faster at standard layer sizes using higher temperatures up to 245 C,depending on nozzle size.’

This means that this filament has a very high impact resistance as well, and even a small perimeter of 3D printed T-Lyne can withstand a lot of impact and pressure – perfect for projects that are exposed to serious use. It can, for instance, be used for prosthetics.

However, the material’s thermal characteristics offer a wide range of making abilities too. ‘Most notably, DuPont™ Surlyn® in T-lyne meets FDA 21CFR 177.1330(a) and can potentially be used in prosthetics where the most unique feature is the ability to immerse a part into hot water, make some minor adjustments, then cool the part and the part will maintain the adjustments as if it were printed in final form. The clarity of T-lyne allows one to see into or through a part with as many as 5-8 perimeters and determine where adjustments may be needed. This same clarity is used for non-destructive evaluation of any printed utility part as internal adhesion is paramount,’ we are told.

What’s more, it’s been quite a process: ‘More work has gone into testing and development of T-Lyne at taulman3D than any other material except Alloy 910,’ the chemical engineer adds. Working with DuPont’s David D. Zhang while developing and testing the Surlyn for 3D printing, it was quite a team effort. ‘David was a significant help in defining the best Surlyn® polymer to be used in 3D printing with the best overall bed adhesion of any material to date,’ Tom says, adding that it can be 3D printed on cold and warm (40 C) surfaces, such as clean glass, PEI, Ultem, Borosilicate glass, acrylic, BuildTak, GeckoTek and more.

Combined, those features both during and after printing mean that T-Lyne is a 3D printer filament definitely worth checking out.

 

 

Posted in 3D Printing Materials

 

 

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