May 12, 2017 | By Benedict

Lots of 3D printing materials came out this week, with some popping up at the RAPID + TCT 3D printing show in Pittsburgh, PA. Here are five of them, including new 3D printing filaments from Formfutura, Extrudr, 3dk.berlin, Chemson Group and BigRep.

1. 3dk.berlin introduces k-top, ‘first 4D filament for standard printers’

  • Material: PLA
  • Price* per 100 g: $8.14 (800 g at $65.09)
  • Diameter: 1.75 / 2.85 mm
  • Printing temperature: 240 - 260°C

3dk.berlin, a Berlin-based business branch of the BERNHARDT plastic processing company, announced this week the launch of k-top, its new “4D printing” filament for FDM 3D printers. The material remains stable at temperatures up to 230°C.

According to the German materials company, the new k-top material is suitable for building models, and also for industrial appliances such as small series, prototypes, and “tightly measured objects.” It is said to be “mechanically stronger” than ABS and PLA.

That magical fourth dimension pertains to how the material changes when it crystallizes, a process that triggers a structural change in the material, leading to a thermal resistance of 200°C. If crystallization does not take place, that thermal resistance stays at 80°C, but the material remains highly impact resistant and able to take “huge mechanical loads.”

k-top is available in black, white, and gray, in either 1.75 or 2.85 mm diameters. It costs €29.90 for a 320 kg spool.

“Temperature resistant objects near motor compartments or hotends can be printed reliably now,” commented Volker Bernhardt, CEO of 3dk.berlin.

2. BigRep brings out Pro HT in 3 new colors, 4 new spool sizes

  • Material: BioPolymer
  • Price per 100 g: $5.79 (750 g at $43.42)
  • Diameter: 1.75 / 2.85 mm
  • Printing temperature: 195 - 205°C

3D printer manufacturer BigRep, also from Berlin, added three new color options to its Pro HT filament this week. The filament, a biodegradable material is weatherproof thanks to its extreme UV and heat-resistant capabilities, is now available in black, silver, and natural, in 0.75, 2.3, 4.5, and 8.0 kg spools.

“With 3D printers that have an open and unheated build chamber, such as the BigRep ONE, low printing temperature is the limiting factor when it comes to producing heat-resistant prints,” BigRep says. “With the BigRep Pro HT (HT = high temperature), we provided a high-performance filament as an ABS alternative that can easily be used in low-temperature printers, providing even better thermic and mechanic properties.” 

The BigRep Pro HT filament is made up of 100% of renewable and naturally pure raw materials, making it a non-toxic alternative to conventional filaments. The material offers “excellent adhesion to the print bed,” and minimizes shrinking and warping.

3. Chemson Group showcases 3DVinyl filament

  • Material: Thermoplastic PVC
  • Price per 100 g: unknown
  • Diameter: unknown
  • Printing temperature: unknown

One 3D printing materials company showcasing its wares at RAPID + TCT was PVC stabilizer additives company Chemson Group. A year after first announcing its new 3DVinyl material, billed as the world’s first thermoplastic PVC formulation for 3D printing, Chemson has brought out a product that has undergone rigorous testing and numerous redesigns.

Dennis Planner, 3DVinyl Product Manager and co-inventor, says the company is planning “to establish new professional and industrial relationships to better understand customer needs,” adding that it wants to “engage and collaborate with industry to help us further improve the current formulation within the context of industrial and product manufacturing use cases that can't be effectively emulated in our lab and previous field testing environments.”

Chemson says it has worked with a group of 3D printing experts and hardware manufacturers, including Titan 3D Robotics, Push Plastic, and 3DMatter, to improve its new material. The company says this collaboration has helped it address critical aspects of Z-axis interlayer adhesion, warpage, impact resistance, and thermal stability, consistently improving performance of the material.

4. Extrudr rleases TPU Flex Line of 3D printing materials, available in soft, medium, and hard

  • Material: Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) 
  • Price per 100 g: $4.35 (750 g at $32.59)
  • Diameter: 1.75 / 2.85 mm
  • Printing temperature: 190 - 230°C

Austrian 3D printing materials specialist Extrudr has just released a new line of filaments. Its TPU Flex Line comes in soft, medium, and hard, giving makers a high level of flexibility (or not!) when setting up a print job.

“The Extrudr TPU Flex line with different degrees of hardness has been developed mainly for industrial applications,” Extrudr says. “The chemical resistance, which prevails in the machine environment, was taken into consideration. As a result, depending on the application area or industry, individual solutions can be offered.”

Hard (Shore hardness of D58) has been designed for high mechanical and thermal applications, Soft (A82) for flexible objects such as shock-absorbing parts, and Medium (A98) as an “allrounder.”  All types are available in black, white, gray, and red, in both common diameters.

5. Formfutura drops ReForm recycled 3D printing filament

  • Material: PLA / PET / ABS
  • Price per 100 g: $2.71 (1 kg PLA at $27.09) or $3.25 (1 kg PET or ABS at $32.51)
  • Diameter: 1.75 / 2.85 mm
  • Printing temperature: varies

Two days ago, Netherlands-based filament specialist Formfutura unveiled its latest 3D printing material: ReForm, a recycled version of some its most popular filament variations. Creation of the filament range is part of a “new sustainable initiative within Formfutura to efficiently manage residual extrusion waste streams and re-use them into high-end upcycled filaments.”

According to Formfutura, ReForm actually encompasses several materials—rPLA, rPET, and rTitan—which are based on the same formulations used in the company’s EasyFil PLA, HDglass, and TitanX filament ranges. The difference is that these ReForm filaments are made out of residual extrusion waste streams which are “re-compounded and homogenized into high-end filaments with significantly less environmental impact.”

Other companies to have released 3D printing materials this week include 3D Systems and EnvisionTEC.

*Prices vary depending on spool size, currencies adjusted from euros as of today’s rates.

 

 

Posted in 3D Printing Materials

 

 

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don wrote at 5/12/2017 10:34:00 AM:

Dear 3ders.org I guess we all need more specifications for a detailed description of a filament than only Material: PLA / PET / ABS Price per 100 g: $xy Diameter: 1.75 / 2.85 mm Printing temperature: varies It would be very helpful to get chemical and physical data. May be that this project https://www.kickstarter.com/proje cts/603457801/see-with-linksquare-sdk-like-your-eyes-but-better?ref=thanks could be a a big help. Besides a database where you can lookup for criteria etc. to get the right filament. This would be a great 3ders addon - Thx



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