Motorcycle suspension part

As we add more materials to our portfolio we see more possibilities. With our proven XT-CF20 and the recently added Igus Iglidur I150 for instance. We printed a motorcycle suspension linkage prototype:

Design by colorFabb

Both materials were printed on the Ultimaker 2+ with the Olsson Ruby Nozzle. Both components were press fitted together with a tight tolerance. This model was made as a fitting prototype and was not part of a working motorbike. We used the following print settings:

XT-CF20
Nozzle diameter: 0.4mm
Layerheight: 0.2mm
Printing speed: 40mm/s
Nozzle temperature: 255C
Bed temperature: 80C
Infill: 90%

Igus Iglidur I150
Nozzle diameter: 0.4mm
Layerheight: 0.2mm
Printing speed: 40mm/s
Nozzle temperature: 255C
Bed temperature: 90C
Infill: 60%

About the filaments

XT-CF20 is our first Amphora based special filament, launched nearly two years ago, made with colorFabb_XT and 20% carbon fibres. More information can be found here. XT-CF20 has received some really good reviews on our website. It may not be the easiest filament to print with, but the results can be stunning. The functionality, stiffness and the matte finish are true selling points of this material.

A special point of attention is the abrasive nature of the carbon fibers. In general these fibers will accelerate the nozzle-wear of brass nozzles, much faster than unfilled filaments. Therefore we  recommend to use hardened steel nozzles. XT-CF20 is available online

 

igus filaments are all about functionality. The iglide® range of filaments are 3D printing materials for maximum service in moving applications. You can create custom parts with significantly higher wear resistance than standard filament. The iglide materials benefits include:

  • High degree of wear resistance, similar to that of injection molded iglide® components
  • Igus has more than 30 years of experience in the development of high-performance plastics for moving applications
  • Tested in Igus’ own laboratory

Components made of igus® Tribo-Filament are up to 50 times more wear-resistant than standard materials for 3D printing and therefore have an extremely long service life. Due to their excellent tribological properties, they are suited for 3D printing of replacement parts, for example bearings, drive nuts, gears and other wear parts. The igus® Tribo-Filaments can be processed on 3D printers that are based on the fused-deposition-modelling method (FDM/FFF) and that allow the nozzle temperature to be set as required.

Jerrycan

Real size prototyping can be a problem on most desktop 3D printers. With build limits of 30cm squared, at best, the size of the print needs to be small – or one has to start chopping up the print and assemble it later. With the Stacker S4- XL one can print prototypes in their real size, like this jerrycan:

Design by Langgeng (Grabcad link)

The 10 liter jerrycan took 77 hours to print on the Stacker S4-XL and consumed 1kg of filament. For the filament, we used our Color on Demand Traffic Red, RAL 3020.

About Stacker 3D Printers

The Stacker 3D printers are industrial grade FFF 3D printers. Recently the even larger Stacker S4 XL was added to the portfolio. Multiple print heads and a large build volume make them versatile printers. Small series production or large scale prototyping are no problem for the Stacker printers! This US based printer is very reliable and is a perfect match for any professional looking for serious 3D printing. You can find the full product specifications on our dedicated Stacker page.

For Stacker the term “industrial grade” is not a hollow marketing term. It means their printers are designed for extra long service life, extremely low maintenance and that the printer will maintain its positional accuracy throughout its life cycle. This printer has been designed to be used in a professional environment, be it for large prototypes or small series production.

The Stacker printers on display in our print lab

As many of you know, we are the distributor of Stacker 3D printers in Europe. We have been working with Stacker ever since their first prototype and now have several in our print lab. In the past 6 years we have seen 3D printing emerging from a hobby market to more professional uses. A lot of our users are using 3D printing to make a living or at least support their business in one way or another.

Interested? Get a quote or contact us!

 

About Color on Demand

With Color on Demand we have already matched hundreds of colors. We have published the RAL references (over 100 already) online which can readily be ordered. But we can match more than only RAL colors. Some customers send us physical references, others send us well-known color references like CMYK, Pantone or other standards which we then try to match as close as possible.

RAL 3020 is one of the brightest and most stunning reds in our portfolio

With Color on Demand we re-invented the way makers can choose colors. No longer you are bound to the colors that have been pre-selected by filament manufacturers anymore. Now you can order the color you actually need and want.

We have already matched over 100 RAL colors, which can easily be ordered online. Click here to see our collection. You can order as from one 750 grams spool! If we have not matched your favorite color, request it by using our online form. Starting from a 2kg spool we match the specific color you want, based on RAL, other well-known color references or a physical reference.

With Color on Demand you can say “yes” to that print job which needs a specific color or a look you have been waiting for. Stun your colleagues, family or other makers with your prints. You could already print one-of-a-kind designs, now you can also make them look unique!

Check out more recent Color on Demand prints by clicking here. Make sure you read our color disclaimer. Want to know more about Color on Demand, check our our FAQ page.

Jet engine nozzle

3D printing is first and foremost an excellent tool for prototyping and modelling. Especially for complex prints. With that in mind we have printed an example of a jet engine nozzle, the variable-area nozzle for use on EDF RC airplanes designed by Marco Colucci to be more specific. Benefits of 3D printing are how complex designs can be seen, held and assessed early in a development process.

Design: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2991269

As Marco explains in his Imgur post how this project came to be: “The idea for this project came from a friend and RC airplane enthusiast suggesting the “crazy” idea of mounting a variable-area nozzle on his next build. Of course, me being me, as soon as I heard the word crazy he had my full attention.” You can find more information in his detailed post on Imgur.

This model consists of 23 individual parts and it is an excellent example of a complex print with moving parts. A Hackaday article has been written about the functional application of the jet engine nozzle as it was designed.

We printed all parts on the Ultimaker 2, using PLA Semi Matte Black and colorFabb_XT Light Gray and Dark Gray. As for the settings we used the standard PLA settings for PLA Semi Matte Black and we used CPE settings for colorFabb_XT.

We launched colorFabb_XT almost 4 years ago at the London 3D Print Show together with Eastman Chemical Company. Eastman is our material partner for co-polyesters. colorFabb_XT is made with Amphora AM1800 and has a unique formulation for 3D Printing that features excellent properties: High strength and very high toughness, odor neutral processing, high Tg / improved temperature resistance, styrene free formulation, FDA food contact compliance and BPA (Bisphenol A ) free formulation.

colorFabb_XT is available in 14 colors, including clear.

Our range of Amphora based co-polyesters are perfectly suited for a project like this. In 2014 colorFabb teamed up with Eastman Chemical Company to develop unique grades of co-polyesters suited for 3D printing. Eastman Amphora™ 3D polymer are a low-odor, styrene-free choice that is uniquely suited for 3D printing applications. With Amphora, items can be created that are more functional, more durable, more efficient, and attractive.

More information can be found in the blog we wrote about co-polyesters last summer.

 

 

When developing our PLA Semi Matte Black we’ve been looking for a solution which doesn’t involve fibers to achieve a less glossy surface finish. We did not want to loose the ease of use our PLA and keep print settings and parameters as close to regular PLA setttings. For a full matte finish our XT-CF20 and PA_CF Low Warp do the trick, but they need a hardened steel nozzle to print with. The brand new PLA Semi-Matte Black, released earlier this year, will bring a new aesthetic quality to our range of PLA filaments.

If you’re looking to upgrade your 3D printed projects to the next level, our PLA Semi-Matte will do the trick.

This filament contains no fibers and prints at regular PLA temperatures and settings. The material is as reliable and easy to work with as any other PLA type material.

PLA Semi-Matte Black is available now.

Drill Case

With dual nozzle printers come great possibilities. Two colors, two different materials even. And what if we had a great support material? And what if we already happen to have such a material in our current portfolio? In between moving our entire company our print lab team started testing with using nGen as a support material for colorFabb_XT. A first test resulted in easy break away support with minimal scarring on the model.

For this test we used the GrabCAD’s Drill Case, which was originally designed for injection molding.

Design: https://grabcad.com/library/drill-case-1

We used the dual nozzle Ultimaker 3 with 0.2mm layer height for this print. The surface finish of the colorFabb_XT is fantastic.

Printing a part designed for injection molding is challenging. But with the right settings and some material experimentation we got a great result. To all designers and engineers modeling for injection molding: checkout what you can do with an Ultimaker 3 and colorFabb materials. These results give much more freedom for designing for 3D printing and using functional materials for the best results.

We launched colorFabb_XT over 2 years ago at the London 3D Print Show together with Eastman Chemical Company. Eastman is our material partner for co-polyesters. colorFabb_XT is made with Amphora AM1800 and has a unique formulation for 3D Printing that features excellent properties : High strength and very high toughness, Odor Neutral processing, High Tg / improved temp. resistance, Styrene free formulation, FDA food contact compliance, BPA (Bisphenol A ) free formulation. It will allow the user to produce 3D printed functional products in a safe way.

nGen has proven itself to be a very versatile material that can be used for a lot of applications and now being a support material is one of them!

nGen is an all-round filament which has many advantages over PLA. The temperature resistance is over 80 degrees C and it works on most printers with a heated build plate.  nGen is a low-odor, styrene-free material uniquely suited for 3D printing enthusiasts, particularly those who need the flexibility to print within a wide processing temperature range. With nGen you will have good flow properties through the printer nozzle—even at lower temperatures than some other polymers require. These properties make nGen more workable at a wider breadth of temperatures, producing reliable results and resulting in less waste. You can find more information on our dedicated landing page.

Both colorFabb_XT and nGen are made with Eastman Amphora™ 3D polymer. With Amphora, items can be created that are more functional, more durable, more efficient, and attractive.

 

Both nGen and colorFabb_XT are available in our webshop. You can find more information about co-polyesters in general in last year’s blog. Below is a handy chart which explains the differences between the rigid co-polyesters in our current portfolio:

Coke bottles

Our nGen filament is a great material for visual prototyping. Recently we used nGen to print Coke bottles in various colors:

Design: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1594463

We printed these bottles on the Swiss made Delta Tower with a 0.2mm layer height. The smooth surface and consistency of the filament, make nGen an ideal material to print large prototypes with. These models were scaled up to nearly 30cm.

We printed this model in 6 colors, but did you know that we offer nGen in 17 colors (including a clear one)?

You can find the full portfolio of nGen in our webshop.

nGen is made from Eastman Amphora™ AM3300 3D polymer. Like colorFabb_XT, colorFabb_HT and nGen_FLEX, it is part of Eastman’s Amphora range of copolyesters for 3D printing. We work closely with Eastman to bring the best materials to the market. Find more about co-polyesters, what they are and what the advantages are by visiting our previous blog.

Ever since launching late last year nGen has seen a rapid adoption amongst experienced and new users alike. An early review by 3D Printing For Beginners still holds true to this very day. The ease of use and higher temperature resistance (twice that of PLA!) should make this a go-to filament for everybody who wants to get more from their print.

nGen is a low-odor, styrene-free material uniquely suited for 3D printing enthusiasts, particularly those who need the flexibility to print within a wide processing temperature range. With nGen you will have good flow properties through the printer nozzle—even at lower temperatures than some other polymers require. These properties make nGen more workable at a wider breadth of temperatures, producing reliable results and resulting in less waste. Find out how to print with nGen in our handy tutorial.

Amphora 3300 has been made into high-quality filament that exhibits advanced overhang ability, excellent looks, and large printing temperature range—empowering large panel of users to create durable and useful items. With the unique combination of a low processing temperature and an elevated temperature resistance, nGen can quickly print creations that are functional, durable, efficient and attractive.

You can find more information about nGen by clicking here.

 

Until the end of the year you can benefit from the Buy 4, Pay 3 promotion! Use coupon code colorfabb4you on our website to get the fourth spool you order for free! Some conditions apply though: cheapest spool is for free and samples and PLA Economy are exempt from this part of the promotion.

Ultimaker hand drill

Recently, Ultimaker launched their latest printer: the Ultimaker 3. It is no secret that we print a lot with our Ultimaker printers: the original, the Ultimaker 2 and the 2+ are all printers we frequently test our filaments on. So it was only natural that we would also give the latest Ultimaker 3 a spin. One of the primary features of Ultimaker’s latest machine is the dual extrusion ability. We thought it would be a great opportunity to give our nGen filament a spin and make a very cool dual nozzle print.

colorfabb_ngen_ultimaker_3-7

Design: https://www.youmagine.com/designs/hand-drill

colorfabb_ngen_ultimaker_3-3

Printed on the Ultimaker 3 with nGen Black and nGen Silver Metallic at a 0.1mm layer height. This print succeeded on its first try and the entire print, made in one go, lasted 4.5 days. Yeah, we do have that kind of time. Rest assured that more prints will be made on this printer in the near future!

We found nGen to be a perfect material for Ultimaker’s latest printer!

 

colorfabb_ngen_ultimaker_3-6

nGen is one of our most successful materials. It was developed with Eastman Chemical Company and based on their AM3300 co-polyester. After launching it last year, it has been widely adopted by 3D printer users all over the world as a go to material and replacement for PLA. You can find all information you are looking for on our dedicated landing page.

nGen is made from Eastman Amphora™ AM3300 3D polymer. Like colorFabb_XT, colorFabb_HT and nGen_FLEX, it is part of Eastman’s Amphora range of copolyesters for 3D printing. Find more about co-polyesters, what they are and what the advantages are by visiting our previous blog.

 

colorfabb_ngen_ultimaker_3-4

nGen is a low-odor, styrene-free material uniquely suited for 3D printing enthusiasts, particularly those who need the flexibility to print within a wide processing temperature range. With nGen you will have good flow properties through the printer nozzle—even at lower temperatures than some other polymers require. These properties make nGen more workable at a wider breadth of temperatures, producing reliable results and resulting in less waste.

Amphora 3300 has been made into high-quality filament that exhibits advanced overhang ability, excellent looks, and large printing temperature range—empowering large panel of users to create durable and useful items. With the unique combination of a low processing temperature and an elevated temperature resistance, nGen can quickly print creations that are functional, durable, efficient, and attractive.

nGen is available in 17 colors.

Don’t forget we have a Black Friday promotion going on: Buy 4, Pay 3 and on top of that 15% on all our filaments. You can find all the details in yesterday’s post. Click on the banner below to go directly to our website.

blackfridaydeals_rev2-07_webshop