nGen_LUX excellence on the Robo R2

When thinking about applications for nGen_LUX one of the first area’s we see huge potential for this material is 3D printed awards and trophies. A quick search for examples on Thingiverse resulted in many cool models, but we specifically liked the YouTube Diamond Play Button reward designed by Jeffrey122. When Youtube creators get 10 miljoen subscribers, Youtube will reward them a “diamond play button” as recognition for being one of the most popular channels.

YouTube Diamond Play Button
by Jeffrey122

The facets on this model will work really well with the reflective surface quality of nGen_LUX. We printed this model on the Robo R2 at a 0.2mm layerheight. The model was positioned upwards and at a slight angle so the front facing plane could be printed without supports.

nGen_LUX was announced recently as the brand new high quality filament that we will launch later this year. Stay tuned for this new material that we first showcased during the TCT Show in Birmingham about a month ago.

The Robo R2 printer is available at colorFabb and ships from stock. As recently announced we act as Robo’s distributing partner in the Benelux and you can order the Robo R2 now with a free spool of nGen! We feel that the right combination of hardware and material makes for a great user experience and with the Robo R2 combined with our nGen we have once more found this synergy.

With a printer like the new Robo R2 you have a reliable machine that works flawlessly with our nGen filament, enabling end users to make durable and good-looking parts! The compact, but professional looking printer allows for prints of 20x20x25cm & accepts a lot of different materials. Together with Robo we are currently testing all of our materials on this printer.

The Robo R2 is currently available in our brand new webshop and we ship from stock. For € 1399 (excluding VAT) you get a terrific printer with a free spool of nGen filament to make that awesome print right away!

The Robo R2 retails for €1399.00 excl. tax (€1692.79 incl. tax) + 1 FREE SPOOL

GET ONE TODAY

A wooden cup barrel on the Replicator+

We’ve been searching Thingiverse for great models to show the aesthetic quality of woodFill filament. One model we particularly  liked is this Cup Barrel. It’s a cool model and we can see this being used for many different purposes. It could be used as a dice cup, a desk organizer for pens and pencils and perhaps even a planter.

Cup Barrel
design by kevin Grijalva

This model is printed on the Replicator+ using the Makerbot Labs Experimental Extruder equipped with a 0.6mmm brass nozzle.

The Makerbot Labs Experimental Extruder

As a leader in the 3D printing materials space, we at colorFabb were excited to be part of the beta-test program that included a select group of MakerBot’s Thingiverse power users. During this time the new Experimental Extruder was tested using a range of colorFabb specialty materials – including the corkFill, copperFill, bronzeFill, and woodFill.

Robo C2 3D printing transparent PLA colors

Yesterday we posted the faceted vase, designed by billbo1958, today we continue with the faceted bowl on the Robo C2.

Faceted Bowl and Vase
by billbo1958

 

Awesome layering on the Robo C2 with transparent Orange PLA.

The transparent colors work really well on this design. As the designer also states, he was going for the cut glass look when creating the vase and bowl models.

 

 

 

The Robo C2 retails for €799.00 excl. Tax (€966.79 incl tax) + 1 FREE SPOOL

GET ONE TODAY

nGen_LUX on the Robo R2

Our latest print on the Robo R2 involves nGen_LUX and a vase model with many beautiful facets, perfect to highlight the surface finish of the nGen_LUX.

Faceted Bowl and Vase
by billbo1958

This model is printed at 0.2mm layerheight using the special mode ‘spiralize outer contour’. A spiral toolpath allows the Robo R2 to print the model without any visible z-scar. This method is perfect for 3D printing vases, cups and other hollow models which don’t need top surfaces or infill.

For more information on ngen_LUX we suggest to read this article.

The Robo R2 is in Stock

colorFabb is keeping stock of the Robo R2, be sure to secure one before the holiday season starts!


GET ONE TODAY

 

corkFill Fish vase

Makerbot recently announced the new Experimental Extruder and surfaced various colorFabb materials on their landing page for Makerbot labs. We’re excited to be working with Makerbot on this endeavour.

Meanwhile at colorFabb 3D printing lab we’re busy with printing more models which show the potential of our materials using the new Makerbot Labs Experimental Extruder.

Fish Sculpture Vase
by 3DWP

Printed with the 0.6mm brass nozzle using our one of a kind corkFill filament. The texture of the print is smooth and silky and shows a great surface finish.

The four materials which we selected with Makerbot to surface for the Experimental nozzle are listed below.

colorFabb corkFill

 

colorFabb woodFill


colorFabb bronzeFill

colorFabb copperFill

 

Robo C2 is in stock!

We’ve got good news for those looking to buy the Robo C2. This small but feature rich desktop 3D printer has finally arrived at our warehouse, ready to be shipped to our customers.

The Robo C2 retails for €799.00 excl. Tax (€966.79 incl tax) + 1 FREE SPOOL

GET ONE TODAY

 

Robo C2 Features
Although the Robo C2 is compact in size it’s loaded with features seen on bigger and more expensive units. The Robo C2 works great with colorFabb PLA/PHA, colorFabb Economy PLA. For the more experienced users the C2 will also work with our pla based special materials such as bronzeFill, copperFill, brasFill, woodFill, corkFill.

  • Wi-Fi connectivity
    Connect Robo C2 to your home or workplace Wi-Fi network from your mobile device and the Robo app for the most accurate 3D printing experience.
  • Automatic self-leveling print bed
    Spend more time making without having to manually adjust the print bed — plus it’s removable.
  • Filament run-out detection
    Lets you know when you’ve run out of material and automatically saves your 3D print.
  • Print from your phone 
    Easily print everything you make right from your smartphone or mobile device using the Robo app.
  • Integrated model slicing
    Simplifies the path to every finished print, giving each layer more customized and controlled attention to detail.
  • Compact Size
    Small footprint fits any space, giving you the freedom to make just about anywhere.
  • Total Print-Smart Control
    Take control of every detail in real time with the built-in 3.5” color touch screen and precision sensor technology.

Printing colorFabb PLA/PHA Mint Turqoise and woodFill on the Robo C2.

 

 

 

The MakerBot Labs Experimental Extruder

The MakerBot Labs Experimental Extruder.

The MakerBot Labs Experimental Extruder is an exciting new offering that brings MakerBot’s current selection of 3D printers into the world of experimentation and custom creation.

As a leader in the 3D printing materials space, we at colorFabb were excited to work with MakerBot on this endeavour. Over the course of several months, we participated in a beta-test program that included a select group of MakerBot’s Thingiverse power users. During this time the new Experimental Extruder was tested using a range of colorFabb specialty materials – including the corkFill, copperFill, bronzeFill, and woodFill.

The new MakerBot Labs Experimental Extruder like all MakerBot Labs products is community supported, and allows users to swap nozzles and comes complete with two nozzle wrenches and 4 nozzles:

  • 0.4 MM Brass
  • 0.6 MM Brass
  • 0.6 MM Stainless Steel
  • 0.8 MM Brass

These new nozzles are the key to printing in this new range of materials. We recommend that users use the 0.6 mm brass nozzle for woodFill and corkFill, and the 0.6mm steel nozzle for bronzeFill and copperFill.

The new MakerBot Labs Community will allow advanced users of MakerBot 3D Printers to share new Custom Print Modes – allowing users to now save and share their custom settings from MakerBot Print.

Our profiles.

We’ve been testing various settings for our materials and will share the profiles we liked best on Makerbot Labs. You can share your own profiles for our materials at Makerbot labs with fellow users.

Augustus by CosmoWenman printed on the Replicator+ using the 0.6mm steel nozzle.

bronzeFill and copperFill

bronzeFill and copperFill are a special type of PLA filament which is infused with metal powder. It will print with settings very similar to normal PLA filament, so users will be able to get a first print quickly.

When the 3D printer is done printing the model, the surface will look matte and dull. With some post processing such as sanding and polishing the parts will start to look like real polished metal. For more information on post-processing our metal infused filaments have look at this article – post-processing-gcreates-rocket-ship.

Apart from the unique aesthetics of the material, it’s also three times heavier than a regular PLA material. The added weight makes every print feel much more real and valuable.

Apart from polishing these materials there’s also an aging technique which will make your prints look like true antiques with a beautiful patina. Have a look at this article to learn more about this method.

Boot Planter by MakerBot

 

woodFill and corkFill
woodFill and corkFill are a special type PLA filament which is infused with very fine pinewood and cork fibers, which make up for about 30% of the content. It will print with similar settings to PLA.

The texture of printed parts are one of a kind, objects no longer look like shiny plastic, but have a great matte texture. During printing users can even notice the subtle smell of wood.

Users are recommended to keep good flow of material while printing, 0.2m – 0.27mm layer height at 50 mm/s – 65 mm/s will serve as a good starting point. Our profiles for the Replicator+ have been developed with this in mind.

Boot Planters printed with 0.6mm nozzle using the Replicator +.

Good to know.

The standard colorFabb spools will not fit the Makerbot Replicator+ machines. This means users will need to top mount our spools for easy and efficient unloading of filament. There is many variations on thingiverse to topmount filament spools on your Replicator+ and these can be found in the Hardware Mods section of MakerBot Labs on Thingiverse.

When printing woodFill and corkFill, we’ve found that applying blue painters tape to the surface of the Replicator+ platform can improve adhesion, resulting in less warping.

With bronzeFill and copperFill we’ve seen good adhesion on the grip surface that is standard on the Makerbot Replicator+.

For more information on Makerbot Labs visit: https://makerbot.com/labs/

ATTRIBUTIONS

Moai by ET-Huang
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:144668

Propeller by dreyfusduke
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:986079

Fibonacci Vase by mnemo80
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1054598

Boot Planter by MakerBot
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:293223

Augustus by CosmoWenman
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:196044

 

New intern learning how to print!

In August of this year our intern started with his 6 month internship. We challenged him to 3D print two models containting multiple parts, without ever having 3D printed a part before. PLA/PHA and PLA Economy are perfect materials for novice users, so we selected these for his project.

The Jet propulsion pump by toto45  is a great design with many parts which can be bolted together. Ofcourse the parts need to be printed accurate to ensure all parts fit together as one assembly. It’s a very cool model to explain how Jet propulsion works.

 

Our second project is the Powerful 3d printed Water-pump designed by Adolph Smith his design also features multiple parts which need to be assembled to form one part. Our intern added his own motor design, with colorFabb in 3D attached to the side of the surface.

For these two projects we used the Ultimaker 2 and Ultimaker 2+ machines. Getting to know the Ultimakers makes a lot of sense, after this introduction it’s easy to move onto different machines and materials.


PLA/PHA 

Our first development for the 3D printing market was a tougher and less brittle PLA filament. Through a process called compounding a polyhydroxyalkanoate is added to a carefully selected PLA. The result of this process is a completely homogenous blend, which is the base material for our PLA/PHA filament.

PLA/PHA filament is available in 30 colors with great brilliance and excellent opacity.

With increased toughness and better layer-to-layer adhesion, PLA/PHA is a premium filament.

PLA Economy

PLA Economy is our solution for those users looking for a reliable source of quality material available on large spools. For this material a specific PLA type is selected which features great quality at reasonable cost. Five popular colors have been selected for this range of PLA Economy material.

It’s the perfect material for high volume users which require reliability and constant performance.

Ancient Greek Helmet

Back in August we came across the Instagram account of Andreas Mielonen and were immediately blown away by the work he had posted there: An ancient Greek helmet, printed with bronzeFill on his Ultimaker 2+:

All images in this blog post by Andreas Mielonen

We contacted Andreas to share a bit more about this fantastic print and he was very gracious in sharing his pictures and the process of printing. Andreas (31) lives in Stockholm, Sweden, and has been interested in 3D graphics since watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Andreas: “I was 3D-modeling as a hobby until five years ago when it became my job. Since then I’ve been involved in making commercials, illustrations for science articles and infomercials. A couple of years ago I started getting interested in 3D-printing and started to go to 3D-printing meetups in Stockholm which spurred my interest even more.”

After attending some workshops he decided to buy an Ultimaker 2+.

About the fantastic print of the Greek helmet he says: “I got the idea for the helmet when I got a roll of colorFabb’s bronzeFill and checked out what other people had done with it and saw how good it looked with the blue/greenish patina. So, instantly I thought of the amazing greek bronze helmets. I  designed the helmet in Maya and sculpted in the details in Mudbox. Before I started to print the helmet in bronzefill I made a test print in standard PLA in 1:4 scale, the scale I wanted for the bronzefill version was 1:3 but knew that if the helmet prints well in 1:4 scale the larger version won’t be a problem.”

The settings Andreas found working best on the Ultimaker 2+ were:

Layer Height: 0.2mm
Speed: 30mm/s
Temperature: 215C
Material Flow: 108%

Andreas used the Olsson Ruby Nozzle. Although not necessary for bronzeFill, he used it nonetheless. Also because the stand was printed with our carbon filled XT-CF20 which requires nozzles that can withstand extra wear due to its abrassive nature. (We wrote about our experiences with the Olsson Ruby Nozzle before).

 

Post-processing

Of course where bronzeFill, and our other metal filled filaments truly shine, is in the post processing of the prints.

Andreas explains the way he worked: “I started the post processing with sanding under water to prevent heat buildup using grit 240 sandpaper and finishing off with grit 600. When I was happy with the sanding I made a mixture of salt and vinegar sprayed the helmet two times a day for a week with the mixture, and kept it in a bucket with a lid to contain the smell and enhance the effect of the salt-vinegar mixture. After one week it had a nice patina and I used black oil paint to make the finishing touches.”

“I like the look of the ColorFabb XT CF20 both when it comes straight off the print bed and when it’s been sanded, so I choose that to print the stand for the helmet.”

We thank Andreas for all his input and the images he so kindly provided to us! Please follow Andreas on Instagram (link here) to see his latest creations. As you can see his love for Lord of the Rings has also translated into a terrific print of a small salt box from the Two Towers, made with woodFill. We will write another post about this soon!

 

bronzeFill was our first truly special filament, launched over 3 years ago and still one of our most popular filaments. The added weight and unique aesthetic properties have made this an extremely popular material. Before this fantastic ancient Greek helmet we have seen other great projects come to life in this year alone made with bronzeFill like the enormous Octolamp and the stellar fountain pen.

If you want to have more information on how to print with bronzeFill, visit our handy tutorial: How to print with bronzeFill

If you are looking for more tips and advice regarding post-processing bronzeFill and our other metal filled filaments, we have a nice collection of articles collected on our site.

Interested in bronzeFill? It is readily available in our webshop as 750 grams and 1500 grams spools.