ColorFabb Learn - Featured Print Archives

Small Part Storage Crates

With so many projects going on in our print lab it is sometimes hard to keep track of all the parts that we use to finish prints. Especially big prints like the Formula 1 car we printed a few months ago or the Moveo Robotic Arm we are working on right now. To organize all the screws, the nuts, the bolts and fasteners we need, we print our own little storage things. Earlier this summer we posted about the little hinged boxes but now we have printed little drawers: the Scifi Small Part Storage Crates, designed by Andrew Bougie.

Design: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1489606

We printed these small crates on the MakerBot Replicator 2 in our print lab, using standard print settings. We used our new PLA Economy filament for these prints.

PLA Economy was launched only a month ago and we’ve been sold out ever since. With all the back orders having shipped now, we are creating a stock situation. We have been printing quite a lot with our new PLA Economy line. A few examples are:

An XL spool holder
A model light house
Our very own mascot Sir Fill
An Apple Watch Dock

We have been testing this material for the better part of the summer and have found this filament a great alternative those customers who need a lot of PLA. We are initially releasing PLA Economy in four colors: White (RAL 9010), Black (RAL 9005, Red (RAL 3020) and Silver (RAL 9023). This PLA grade has been tested extensively and is being produced and shipped by the same colorFabb team you are used to so you know we are not compromising on quality. You can rely with this filament on the same high standards that colorFabb is known for. It is available only on 2.2kg spools.

PLA Economy is an addition to our range of PLA/PHA, which is available in 30 colors (and on 750 grams spools).

And remember, for the remainder of the year, because it is colorFabb’s fourth anniversary, we continue our 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. Since it is less than two weeks before Christmas, don’t forget to order in time!

Moveo

About a month ago we gave you a sneak peek of the Moveo Robotic Arm that was designed by BCN 3D Technologies in Barcelona. A fully functional robotic arm, entirely open source, printed with our range of co-polyesters. We are ready to share more and where we are now.

Design: https://www.bcn3dtechnologies.com/en/bcn3d-moveo-the-future-of-learning/

We are now printing with colorFabb_XT Yellow (and some Dark Gray for the details) on various machines: Of course the BCN 3D Sigma, but we are also printing on the Stacker S4 and Ultimaker 2 to speed up the process, since the BCN Sigma is currently being used for multi material testing.

Since we’re using mostly parts from an old 3D printer we modified the CAD files in SolidWorks to accomodate these new parts. BCN3D’s open source working method also applies to this robot arm design, so all the files are available on BCN’s github page. With most parts being printed or already finished we are now starting to assemble this impressive project and rig up the controlling electronics. For this we plan on using an Azteeg X3 Pro Printer Controller that is powered from a 24v power supply.

We will keep you updated on the progress of this project!

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.

So far we have launched four grades, starting with colorFabb_XT in 2014, which is a fantastic functional engineering material. Late 2015 we follow this up with nGen, our next Generation general purpose filament and a drop in replacement for PLA. A wide processing window and perfect reliability make this filament a very popular one in our portfolio.

Earlier this year we followed that up with colorFabb_HT, a high-temperature resistant filament that allows for functional engineering projects that need lasting parts. Recently at the TCT Show in Birmingham we introduced nGen_FLEX to the market, a flexible filament with a Shora A hardness of 95 allowing for functional and flexible parts to be printed.

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

You can find our entire portfolio of co-polyesters in our webshop or via our distributors and resellers worldwide of which BCN 3D in Barcelona is one!

And remember, for the remainder of the year, because it is colorFabb’s fourth anniversary, we continue our 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. Since it is less than two weeks before Christmas, don’t forget to order in time!

3d printing bcn colorfabb colorfabb_xt functional moveo robot arm stacker ultimaker

Lodewijk van der Grinten Prijs 2016

Our special filaments are perfectly suited for special occasions, like awards ceremonies. Last night was such a night and a special night for entrepeneurs in our region in and around the Dutch city Venlo, colorFabb’s home town. Every year the Lodewijk van der Grinten prize is awarded to a local entrepeneur or local business who has done something special for and within the city and the region.

Please note: links in this article mostly link to a Dutch language site.

This year there were three nominees: Cabooter Group, Scelta Mushrooms and Pulse Business Solutions. Being nominated is already an honor and all three nominees were awarded with a special trophy to commemorate their nomination. The trophy was custom designed and printed with colorFabb’s special filaments.

The nominees

The big winner of this evening, receiving the big award was Jan Klerken from Scelta Mushrooms for their work in R&D in the world of mushrooms! We congratulate Jan and his team at Scelta Mushrooms with winning this year’s award!

The trophy for the nominees

A little bit about the award…

The Entrepreneur Award is named after Lodewijkvan der Grinten (1831 – 1895), founder of the current Océ. The name is not chosen without reason. Océ has become one of the biggest economic powers in Venlo and its region. The award is an initiative of the Foundation Lodewijk van der Grinten Business Award, in which LLTB Horst Venlo, Venlo Small and Medium Businesses (MKB), Entrepreneurial Venlo and the city of Venlo participate. It is handed out during a ceremony ever since 2010. The award is also made possible by sponsors, of which colorFabb is one.

The city if Venlo is located in the south of the Netherlands, next to the German border and in between the big harbors of Rotterdam and Antwerpen on one side and the German Ruhr area and Central Europe on the other side. Venlo and its surrounding region has been called one of the (if not the) best logistics hubs of Europe! With so much business in the area it is hard to stand out, which makes winning the award such an achievement!

The trophy

The trophy for the nominees was designed by Van Alles Wat Ontwerp. It was then printed by the colorFabb print lab team on the Ultimaker 3 using both bronzeFill and copperFill with a 0.2mm layer height – which dual nozzle system was especially suited for this task. It took 38 hours to print every trophy.

After that, we have post-processed the prints further by sanding the outer edges roughly and quickly. After that we used a polishing wheel to do the bulk of the polishing and finalized the print by polishing the details manually with some steel wool.

Check the video below for how the print was designed and printed (not in real time, of course):

Our special filaments have proven themselves to be quite award worthy, after seeing our woodFill, bronzeFill and copperFill have been used for the bioPlastics award only 2 weeks ago! You can read the post on that here.

colorFabb’s entire range of special filaments are available in our webshop and through our network of distributors and resellers worldwide. If you are interested in post-processing the metal filled filaments, look no further than the article we wrote earlier this year about post-processing! But if you decide to look further, there is a nice collection of articles and blogs to be found here.

And remember, for the remainder of the year, because it is colorFabb’s fourth anniversary, we continue our 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. Since it is less than two weeks before Christmas, don’t forget to order in time!

3d printing award bronzeFill colorfabb copperfill lodewijk van der grinten specials trophy ultimaker 3 van alles wat ontwerp venlo

Car door handle

Last week we posted about the oil funnel we printed with nGen_FLEX on the Lulzbot mini. This week we have printed another, more crucial car part. for a Mitsubishi Space Wagon a replacement car handle was needed and again we wondered: Why not print it? For this print we used colorFabb_XT.

Based on the real part, this is a custom design and printed on the Kossel XL with a 0.12mm layer height.

Initially a test version was made in colorFabb_XT Yellow with the final part being printed with colorFabb_XT Black.

colorFabb_XT has the right properties for this print which need strength and toughness.

We launched colorFabb_XT 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.

You can find the data sheets and other documentation on our website: http://colorfabb.com/Materials/

colorFabb_XT is available in 14 colors, including clear, and was the first in our range of co-polyesters to be launched. It has been widely adopted by prosumers and engineers as one of their go-to materials for functional prototyping. You can find more about how to print with colorFabb_XT in our tutorial. If you want to learn more about co-polyesters, don’t skip our blog on these functional materials made with Eastman Amphora™ 3D polymers.

And remember, for the remainder of the year, because it is colorFabb’s fourth anniversary, we continue our 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. Since it is less than two weeks before Christmas, don’t forget to order in time!

3d printing car door handle colorfabb colorfabb_xt functional kossel xl mitsubishi

Puzzle Draudi dual print

With a wide range of filaments in our portfolio it is only natural that we are drawn towards dual extrusion. Recently we made the Ultimaker drill on the new Ultimaker 3, but we have been printing a lot with our trusted BCN Sigma as well. A print we made a while ago on this printer from Barcelona was the dual print with nGen and nGen_FLEX on the Sigma, showing that two different materials can be printed as one object.

Today’s print highlights our brand new PLA Economy and is BCN’s signature Puzzle Draudi:

Design: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:948575

This print was made on a 0.2mm layerheight.

The new economy line of PLA filaments by colorFabb delivers a good quality PLA filament in four great colors at very reasonable pricing. ColorFabb PLA Economy is not a standard PLA. It has been modified for better layer adhesion and flow properties to get better performance over other basic PLA filaments. Because it’s made with the same processing technology used for other premium colorFabb products, this PLA Economy will be just as reliable.

PLA Economy is only available on 2.2kg spools, in a limited amount of colors, but very competitively priced. Perfectly suited for printer owners who use large volumes of PLA.

You can order PLA Economy right now from our webshop. It has been an overwhelming success ever since launching and our production team is currently catching up with the large demand. Order now to make sure you will receive your filaments as soon as possible.

And remember, for the remainder of the year, because it is colorFabb’s fourth anniversary, we continue our 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.

3d printing bcn colorfabb dual gaudi puzzle pla economy sigma

Slipper

“These shoes are made for printing, and that’s just what we do…”

Or something similar. Anyhow, we ran into the fine people of MassPortal recently at the Formnext a couple of weeks ago and they showed us a design of a slipper that impressed us. We immediately found the design a perfect match for our nGen_FLEX filament!

Custom designed by the MassPortal team, this print is fully functional! We used our nGen_FLEX and of course printed it on the MassPortal Pharaoh ED printer. The file will be posted soon by MassPortal.

We used the following settings:

0.2mm layerheight
35 mm/s (for overhangs)
240C
100% cooling (for overhangs)
80C Bed + buildTak

The slipper size we printed is 19.1cm / 7.5inch, which is similar to the following shoe sizes:

US Size = 13
EURO Size = 31
UK Size = 12

Our brand new semi flexible nGen_FLEX was launched a little over two months ago during the TCT Show. With a Shore A hardness of 95 and the high glass temperature of 120+ degrees C this is a truly functional 3D printing filament.

nGen_FLEX is our first foray in flexible filaments. We aimed for a more functional, semi-flexible filament. The first reactions after launching were unanimously positive and we have seen fantastic prints with nGen_FLEX in the wild ever since.

nGen_FLEX is a new elastomer material added to our existing range of co-polyester functional 3D printing filaments. It is made from Eastman Amphora™ Flex 3D Polymer FL6000 and the fourth filament in our range of Amphora based co-polyester, following colorFabb_XT, nGen and colorFabb_HT.

nGen_FLEX is available in our webshop: Click here. You can also obtain our filaments through our network of distributors and resellers. Click here for the one nearest to you.

nGen_FLEX is best described as a semi-flexible material with good printability on most 3D printers eliminating the use for specialized flex extruders. By adjusting infill and perimeter settings it’s possible to influence how flexible a part should feel after printing. You can find more information on our dedicated nGen_FLEX landing page.

And remember, For the remainder of the year, because it is colorFabb’s fourth anniversary, we continue our 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.

3d printing colorfabb massportal ngen_flex slipper

Oil funnel

An oil funnel is one of those often overlooked, but necessary things you need with your car. And if you need one, print one. We needed an oil funnel for the Toyota Prius, one of our company cars, and printed it with nGen_FLEX.

Design: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1916234

The oil funnel was designed by Joshyu and has proven itself to be quite handy! Printed in colorFabb’s nGen_FLEX. Although you could also print this in a more rigid material, using a semi-flex material ensures that it lasts longer and can be dropped from time to time without any consequences.

We printed the funnel on Aleph Objects’ Lulzbot Mini. Although we recommend a Buildtak sheet for nGen_FLEX we have found that small parts print pretty well on the PEI sheet that is standard on the Lulzbot printers. We printed this part with a 0.16mm layer height.

Our brand new semi flexible nGen_FLEX was launched a little over two months ago during the TCT Show. With a Shore A hardness of 95 and the high glass temperature of 120+ degrees C this is a truly functional 3D printing filament.

nGen_FLEX is our first foray in flexible filaments. We aimed for a more functional, semi-flexible filament. The first reactions after launching were unanimously positive and we have seen fantastic prints with nGen_FLEX in the wild ever since.

nGen_FLEX is a new elastomer material added to our existing range of co-polyester functional 3D printing filaments. It is made from Eastman Amphora™ Flex 3D Polymer FL6000 and the fourth filament in our range of Amphora based co-polyester, following colorFabb_XT, nGen and colorFabb_HT.

nGen_FLEX is available in our webshop: Click here.

nGen_FLEX is best described as a semi-flexible material with good printability on most 3D printers eliminating the use for specialized flex extruders. By adjusting infill and perimeter settings it’s possible to influence how flexible a part should feel after printing. You can find more information on our dedicated nGen_FLEX landing page.

And remember, For the remainder of the year, because it is colorFabb’s fourth anniversary, we continue our 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.

3d printing colorfabb lulzbot mini ngen_flex oil funnel

Bioplastics Award

The feature print we want to show today is special in more than one way. Normally, our prints are for in-house use and showing off what our filaments are capable of on a wide variety of platforms. Today’s print however has been made by us to be presented as an award: The Bioplastics Award!

The Bioplastics Award is annually given during the Bioplastics Conference to a company who has achieved something special in the field of bioplastics. This year, the jury selected a project on which three companies had collaborated: the new bioplastics wrapper of the Snickers bars. The project started when a product manager at the Mars factory in Veghel, the Netherlands, approached Rodenburg, the Dutch bioplastics producer, with a challenge: Could Rodenburg develop a biobased packaging material for Mars’ candy bars that was just as good as the one the company was currently using?

The answer was “Yes!” and after some trials the product was approved, resulting – amongst others – in the Bioplastics Award 2016. You can read the full article here.

Bioplastics Magazine is the leading magazine in the world in regards to bioplastics. They have published about colorFabb before, which you can read about here and about Stacker as well. The magazine organizes the annual Bioplastics conference which was held this year on November 29 and 30 in Berlin.

The award was printed by us with colorFabb special filaments: woodFill, bronzeFill and copperFill. The base polymer of these materials is our very own PLA/PHA, which has been the basis of a wide range of filaments, both a portfolio of 30 colors and our special filaments, for the past four years.

The woodFill base plate was printed no the Swiss made DeltaTower while the bronzeFill and copperFill parts were printed on the MassPortal Pharaoh and post-processed afterwards.

You can find more information about post-processing in our dedicated blog here and in a collection of articles.

colorFabb’s entire range of special filaments are available in our webshop and through our network of distributors and resellers worldwide. For the remainder of the year, because it is colorFabb’s fourth anniversary, we continue our Buy 4, Pay 3 promotion. Use coupon code colorfabb4you on our website to get the fourth spool you order for free!

3d printing award bioplastics bronzeFill colorfabb conference copperfill deltatower massportal rodenburg specials woodfill

Mixee wallet

Today’s featured print is the Mixee wallet by Nancy Yi Liang, which we printed in multiple colors with our ever popular nGen filament!

Design: https://www.youmagine.com/designs/mixee-wallet

In Nancy’s own words: “This is a beautiful, geometric wallet with 3D printed “fabric” that folds at the hinges. All these little hinges are printed in place so minimal assembly is required.” You can find more information on the YouMagine page by clicking here.

Every side is printed separately in one piece with one color with nGen filament. We printed the Mixee Wallet on our Ultimaker 2+ with a 0.12mm layer height.

You may notice that we print a lot with nGen and there is a good reason for this: It is a fantastic material to print with! This next generation 3D printing filament was launched a year ago and has become an all-round filament which we use a lot in our print lab. It works extremely well on a lot of platforms and has shown to be extremely popular with our user base.

Curious? Check out this tutorial on How to print with nGen!

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.

You can find all information you are looking for on our dedicated landing page. nGen is available in 17 colors.

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.

Although the Black Friday / Cyber Monday promotion (15% on all filaments) has ended, we still have the Buy 4, Pay 3 promotion going on our website. It’s colorFabb’s fourth anniversary and we celebrate this with you! Use coupon code colorfabb4you when choosing 4 spools (or more) and get every 4th spool for free. Conditions apply though: cheapest spool is for free and PLA Economy and sample spools are exempt from this promotion.

3d printing colorfabb mixee wallet ngen ultimaker 2

Flexbot quadcopter

A little over a week ago we posted a tweet regarding a print we were making on the Leapfrog HS with nGen orange. We are now presenting you the result, the Flexbot Quadcopter With FlexCam V2.0:

Design: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1383918

The FlexBot is designed by FlexLab. Consisting of 3 parts, we used nGen for this print in two colors: Orange and Silver Metallic. The combination of the Leapfrog HS with nGen is superb.

Keep an eye out on FlexLab’s activity on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

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.

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.

Today, Monday November 28th aka CyberMonday is the last day where you can benefit from our 15% discount on all our filaments. You can check the full details in our previous Black Friday blog post. Note that this 15% discount will end at midnight CET tonight.

3d printing colorfabb drone flexbot flexlab leapfrog HS ngen quadcopter