ABS Plastic On The Way Out?

We’re beginning to notice a significant trend. When looking at new emerging personal 3D printers we are seeing fewer that offer ABS plastic as an option as a 3D printing material. 

 

ABS was among the very first materials used by historic personal 3D printers,  as it was commonly available due to its heavy use in large-scale manufacturing. It made sense at the time. 

 

However over time problems persisted. The main issue is, of course, thermal warping. ABS has the peculiar characteristic of shrinking around 8% in each dimension as it cools from melt temperature. This results in not only scale issues (“Hey, why doesn't fit together?”) but also failed prints (“My object keeps popping off the print bed!”)

 

The solution is to heat the print operation and cool it down gently all at once when the printing is completed. But most manufacturers cannot do that because the heated chamber method is patented by Stratasys. 

 

So what do 3D printer makers do? They offer alternative plastics, like PLA, which don’t warp nearly as much and can often be successfully 3D printed in room temperature air. PLA smells much nicer when printing, too. 

 

But there’s another insidious problem with ABS: fumes. If you’ve ever 3D printed in ABS you’ll know what we mean. ABS fumes are supposedly not toxic, but they are definitely unpleasant, particularly in a closed room such as most personal 3D printers are being installed within these days. 

 

We’ve found personal 3D printer manufacturers shying away from ABS for the warp problem, but now we’ve seen at least one vendor who’s officially dropping support of ABS plastic due to fumes. While this manufacturer has included an air filter in their device, it just doesn’t do the job. 

 

We suspect manufacturers may be positioning against future lawsuits from consumers claiming damages from “toxic” ABS fumes. If you don’t support ABS, you won’t get sued. 

  

ColorFabb's Focus on 3D Printing

We had a chat about filament with Sander Strijbos of ColorFabb at the recent 3D Printshow in London. While there are quite a few vendors marketing filament, most of their innovations involve new colors of PLA and ABS plastic. Not so with ColorFabb, who explore the edge of the envelope in filament technology. 

 

Strijbos explained that their Dutch company, Helian Polymers, has been preparing plastics for the molding industry for many years - and has gained significant experience in the chemistry and mechanics of many plastics. 

 

Recently Helian opened a new brand focused on filament for the 3D print industry: ColorFabb. They're taking their significant plastic expertise and now applying it to filament production. 

 

What's so innovative? We found these examples in their product shelf: 

 

PLA/PHA Combo: ColorFabb's PLA filament offering isn't actually PLA. It's a blend of PLA and PHA, another biodegradable polymer. The presence of PHA in the mix permits their "PLA" filament to be "less brittle and tougher". If you've had experience with your PLA filament snapping (and, oh boy, have we ever had that problem) you might want to check out their precision quality PLA/PHA filament.

 

_XT: No one else seems to offer this type of filament, which is said to be a "special amorphous copolyester". It's a low-warp, stronger-than-PLA plastic that's mostly transparent and has a wonderfully soft feel with a shiny look. These very tall prints were made from _XT. Evidently you can carefully dip your _XT prints in acetone to significantly clear the transparency and even make it flexible. 

 

WoodFill: There have been other wood-based filament before, but ColorFabb offers two styles: "Coarse" and "Fine". We've seen examples of both and coarse prints look more like a true wood object than the fine. These can be drilled, sanded and painted just like wood. They even smell like wood! 

 

Does ColorFabb produce ABS plastic? They do not and apparently have no known plans to do so. It's just as well, since PLA is much easier to print with on personal 3D printers. 

 

Currently ColorFabb is developing a network of resellers to delivery their product worldwide. 

 

Via ColorFabb

Inexpensive, High Quality 3D Printer Resin?

Most personal 3D printers are filament-fueled extrusion machines, but there are a number of resin-based machines, such as the Form 1, the Nautilus, the mUVe 1, the B9 Creator and others. There's also several open source plans for resin-based machines. 

 

But there could be a problem. Resins used by some of these machines can exhibit a number of less-desirable properties: 

 

• Low polymerization speed 
• Bad accuracy 
• Significant shrinkage 
• Medium mechanical properties 
• Low shelf-life 
• High viscosity  
• Limited color range 

 

And they cost too much, too. 

 

Polymer consultant Jemmel Belkacem hopes to solve these issues by developing "affordable high-resolution photo-polymer for 3D printers".

 

Hold on a sec. Is this Belkacem fellow qualified to do this work? It sounds like it, based on his LinkedIn profile: 

 

I am a polymer consultant with a Master of science, expert in organic chemistry and polymer materials, over 10 years research experience, such as organic synthesis, liquid crystal, photo-polymer formulation, thermoset, bio-materials, coating, 3D printing and materials characterizations. I have a strong background in polymer formulation and organic synthesis.

 

And he's done this type of work for 3D Systems, Kevvox and Huntsman. Also: 

 

I was the main inventor of a patented resin formulation for the stereolithography in 2010 (Europe Patent #10186358.7 - 1253 / EP2436510). This invention relates to a system and a resin for rapid prototyping and manufacturing of 3D objects (Araldite Digitalis® project).

 

Ok then! Belkacem has launched a Kickstarter project to raise funds for this project. He requires the necessary equipment to formulate and produce the resin. He has detailed plans to resolve each of the issues mentioned above and hopes to ship resin product in November. 

 

You'll be able to receive kilograms of resin in a "range of colors" for as little as €85 (USD$112) per kg, depending on how much you order. 

  

If you have a resin-based 3D printer, or hope to have one in the future, we recommend you support this project. With patents expiring, we expect to see more resin 3D printers in the near future, and they'll all need high-quality, inexpensive resin. 

  

Via Kickstarter

OpenFab's Visionary Goal: Multi-material Objects

Developed by MIT and presented at this year's SIGGRAPH conference, OpenFab proposes a way to more easily produce incredibly complex milt-material objects. 

 

OpenFab is not a 3D printer; it is a software "pipeline" of steps that enable the creation of complex, multi-material 3D models that can then be printed on a 3D printer capable of mixing materials during printing. 

 

At this time, only Stratasys/Objet has the technology to mix materials with their patented PolyJet process. It permits two different materials to be mixed on the fly in up to 13 different mix ratios. However, it's very likely future 3D printers will be able to mix more than two materials. 

 

And that's where things get complicated. How do you handle models that involve mixed materials? Did you ever wonder why PolyJet sample prints usually have only one or two mixes of materials on only a couple sections of the model? There's a reason why. The MIT team identified these challenges: 

 

• Poor specification methods
• Lack of scalable software architectures
• Giga- and Tera- voxels per volume
• Continuous gradation between materials
• Reusable material definitions
• Resolution and printer independence

 

Imagine a 3D print of an organic object that includes numerous hard and soft areas, flexible joints, internal stress-carrying features, with multiple textures and colors, all flowing seamlessly and gradually throughout the entire model. How would you go about producing such a 3D model? You can't. 

 

It sounds difficult to solve, and it is. Nevertheless, OpenFab describes a multi-step process for handling these issues to produce multi-material 3D models. 

 

Obviously, this is research work and you can't make much use of this today. However, we believe this research will lead to a vastly more powerful 3D printing world in the future. 

 

Via MIT

HYREL Achieves Multi-Part 3D Printing

In almost every 3D printer we've seen, even those with multiple heads, only one print head is actually used at a time. First you print the model material, then you print support material, layer by layer, one extruder at a time. But now that's changed. 

 

HYREL, notable for 3D printing clay, Sugru and other squishy substances, now offers a way to print multiple objects simultaneously. In other words: More than one extruder is active during printing. Don't believe us? Check out this video: 

 

 

Evidently the HYREL 3D printer can manage up to four extruders simultaneously. While it's obvious each extruder must perform the same motions, it means that up to four identical copies of an object can be produced in the time it normally takes to produce one. 

 

This is a very significant speed advantage, something quite important as the slowness of 3D printing is one of the technology's major drawbacks. 

 

Could other manufacturer's machines accomplish this feat? Perhaps, but extra extruders means more complexity and more cost. Somehow HYREL has done it. 

 

Hm, does HYREL have a patent for this approach? 

 

Via HYREL

Are You Ready To Mold 3D Prints?

Most 3D printers produce objects in a very limited set of materials, typically only one or two. But what if there was a way to make items from many kinds of materials? That's exactly what you can do by combining your 3D printer with ComposiMold, a system for making molds. 

 

ComposiMold is a reusable solid material that melts when heated to +130F (+55C). The system includes sprays to easily free molded objects and to reduce bubble formation during molding. You'll need to bring your own plastic tubs and mixing sticks unless you purchase one of ComposiMold's complete molding kits. 

 

Making molded objects with your 3D printer is easy with ComposiMold. Printed items are placed in a tub, which is then filled with melted ComposiMold. After cooling you remove the master printed object and you've made yourself a mold of it. 

 

The mold can accept a variety of pourable materials, including plaster, concrete, plastics, chocolate, candle wax and soap. In fact, any pourable substance that won't distort the mold from heat will likely work. Even then, ComposiMold lists techniques for molding hot casting material. In the video below you'll see how to make rubber tires for your 3D printed model. 

 

We believe molding and casting is a natural extension for those experimenting in 3D printing. Molding significantly grows the possibilities for personal making and ComposiMold is a very easy way to get started. 

  

And make your own personal chocolate bars. 

 

Via ComposiMold

Shapeways To Gain Even More Materials?

A posting on Shapeways blog solicits applications for a new position at the 3D print service. The position? Here's what they say: 

 

We are looking for a someone to help us to find and introduce new 3D printing materials and processes to Shapeways.

 

This can only indicate they mean to dramatically increase the number of materials they offer on their 3D print service, which today ranks perhaps near the top among consumer-focused 3D print services. That can only be good for everyone. 

 

An interesting comment to the post by "JBR" suggests Shapeways add an Envisiontec Perfactory device, which is capable of printing many different materials. Perhaps this is one avenue Shapeways will pursue? 

 

Via Shapeways

$2M Worth of 3D Printing Pens and a Big Implication

The amazing 3Doodler 3D printing pen seems to be rather popular: it's Kickstarter fundraising campaign has now passed the USD$2M mark and it's still rising. 

 

At this rate, the USD$75 handheld 3D printing device could potentially raise USD$4M or more. Now that's a lot of 3D pens! 

 

More importantly, if there are suddenly 50,000+ 3D printing pens in the world, there are also suddenly 50,000+ additional plastic filament customers that will need a supply. Perhaps this is a good time to stock up on a few spools? 

 

Via Kickstarter

Objet's Flexy Materials

An interesting video from Objet shows off many of their latest materials. While many Fabbaloo readers have 3D printers capable of printing in hard plastic, the items in this video demonstrate what can be achieved when you are able to print in flexible material. 

 

Oh, did we say that Objet has an almost perfectly clear material, too? You'll see that in the video. 

 

Someday such materials may be available to personal 3D printer owners, but for now you'll have to use Objet's technology. 

 

Via Objet

Fabbster's Flexy Experiment

We've just viewed an interesting video of what appears to be a 3D print of a very flexible material, evidently performed on a Fabbster. You'll recall Fabbster; the personal 3D printer that accepts pre-made plastic "sticks" of different materials and colors. 

Apparently they've somehow made sticks out of a flexible plastic material and printed out an object. In the video you'll see the ultimate comparison between a flexy print and a standard ABS plastic print - performed with a hammer. Ouch! 

We checked out the Fabbster site and could not find said material for sale, but if a successful experiment has been done you can bet that the product will become available sometime in the near future. 

Via YouTube (Hat tip to WebJumper)

EnvisionTEC Unveils New Materials

EnvisionTEC, Inc. will showcase the company's expanded range of 3D printing materials at the IMTS exhibition in Chicago. EnvisionTEC announced the launch of its new AB Material resins, with the first two commercially available offerings: ABflex and ABStuff. Both are used with the company’s DLP 3D printers.

 

Read More at Engineering.com

MakerBot's New Colors

3D printer manufacturer MakerBot has announced the availability of no less than nine new colors of plastic filament, suitable for use in not only their 3D printers, but any others that use the same diameter of plastic filament. 

 

The new colors are pretty awesome: 

 

• Slate Gray
• Stone
• Helsinki Sky (a very light blue)
• Green Sea
• Grape Candy
• Navy Wool
• Dark Sanguine Red
• Acid Lake (a very light turquoise)
• Deep Dark Teal

 

We suspect they're marketing these new colors to complement the ongoing development of multicolor printing on their two-extruder Replicator machine. What could be better than printing a bust of your neighbor in Helsinki Sky and Dark Sanguine Red? 

 

Via MakerBot

How to Pick a 3D Printer Material

I’ve written two blog posts about the importance of materials to the future of 3D printing. The bottom line is that without a material that performs as needed, speed, cost and quality are irrelevant.

Read More at Engineering.com

Sculpteo Alumides!

3D print service Sculpteo announced the availability of a new 3D print material: Alumide. What is Alumide? It's a mix of polyamide and aluminum powder yielding 3D prints that are stronger than just plastic but weaker than metal. Like plastic and some metals, it can actually bend slightly, making it useful for objects undergoing minor stress. It's ideal for those 3D prints requiring a bit more strength than usual. 

 

Sculpteo is not the first 3D print service to offer Alumide. Shapeways has offered Alumide for some time now, as does i.Materialise. 

 

Sculpteo's Alumide offering offers a maximum build size of 308 x 308 x 600mm and an excellent resolution of 0.1mm. The minimum feature size is 1mm. Sculpteo's pricing appears to offer Alumide as slightly less expensive than their plastic options. 

 

Via Sculpteo

The Materials Project

We're not sure how useful this is to most Fabbaloo readers, but it is very cool. The Materials Project is an online database of, well, materials. Once you register for free you can access the service by entering a chemical formula and the service returns you a wealth of information about the selected material. You can also search for partial formulas or specific properties. They also include a Reaction Calculator, Phase Diagrammer, Li-Ion Batter Explorer and a Structure Predictor. Not being chemists, we don't know what those mean, either! 

 

The project is a collaboration between MIT and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and appears to be slightly experimental at this stage, at least when you look at the signup disclaimer:  

 

I understand that the data in this database is computed, and may not be accurate enough for my application. I agree not to hold the developers, contributors, and hosts of the Materials Project liable for any accuracies in the data, or consequences thereof. I agree not to use automated scripts to collect large fractions of the database and disseminate them. If you are interested in large datasets, please contact the developers.

 

Via MaterialsProject

The End of 3mm Filament?

An increasing number of personal 3D printer manufacturers are switching their products from using standard 3mm plastic filament (either ABS or PLA plastic) to a smaller size: 1.75mm. One of the early converts was PP3DP's Up! 3D printer, which came with a 1.75mm extruder and smaller nozzle to match. In those early days 1.75mm filament was hard to find and Up! owners typically purchased their material directly from PP3DP. Since then we've seen MakerBot, RepRap and just recently BotMill have converted to this format. 

 

Why has this change occurred? What's the big deal with 1.75mm and correspondingly smaller extrusion nozzles? Here's some things to consider:

 

• Thinner filament can be heated faster because it takes less time for heat to penetrate to the centre of the filament, implying faster printing and less hefty heating elements
• 1.75mm filament weighs less per unit length and thus the extruder mechanism has less mass to worry about when shifting to and fro
• Thinner filament can be bent more easily, implying smaller tighter and smaller coils and possibly smaller storage mechanisms
• Smaller nozzles are more capable of avoiding ooze when the flow can be slightly reversed by the extruder's stepper motors

 

No doubt this is a good move for the manufacturers and 3D printer owners. But can you buy 1.75mm filament? Yes! There seems to be plenty of choices now from shops such as MakerBot, MakerGear, 3D Ink, Ultimachine and many others, who currently offer spools in varying sizes ranging from US$15-22 per pound (US$33-48 per kg). 

 

Now then, what are we going to do with that seventeen pounds of green 3mm filament? 

Imagined Shopping For 3D Printer Materials

Objet just announced another amazing material for their Connex and Eden 3D printers. This new material, called "High Temperature Material", not surprisingly provides 3D prints that can withstand high temperature exposure. 

 

It can withstand a temperature of +65C (149F) right out of the printer, but if you post-process the object with a "short oven-based, post-thermal treatment" it can withstand a near boiling +80C (176F). Pretty impressive! Objet's news release went on to say that their company now offers an amazing total of 68 different build materials. 

 

Sixty-eight materials! That got us thinking. Let's contrast this with the state of personal 3D printing materials: with a few exceptions, you must typically choose three things:

 

• Material Type: A choice of either ABS or PLA plastic. Occasionally you'll see a unique support material offered, such as MakerBot's water soluble PVA. 
• Filament Size: Either 3mm or 1.75mm, depending on the extruder your machine uses. So it's not really a choice.
• Color: We like blue. 

  

So other than color, the choices are already made as they depend on your situation. You need ABS or PLA? Simple, right? 

 

It is for now. But we envision a future where things get more complicated. A world where 3D printers are plentiful and affordable, where gadget shops stock and sell material cartridges for them. What will the supply shelf of the future look like? Today's ink cartridges typically occupy multiple shelves to merely cover off printer model and the four CMYK colors. The future 3D printer cartridge shelf might be unimaginably complex as it may have to cover not only colors and printer models, but also different materials. If the affordable 3D printers of the future can handle 68 different materials, or even 12, the shelves will be overflowing with options. 

 

Via PRNewsWire