Dodecahedron with XT-CF20

A few weeks ago we printed a Rhombic Dodecahedron Derived Figure with nGen Light Blue. You can find the original post here. We use this model, made by Fred Bartels, a lot lately to test our filaments with. The print we want to share today is the same dodecahedron, but printed with XT-CF20.

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Design by Fred Bartels: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:539489

We introducted XT-CF20 early 2015, containing 20% carbon fibres with colorFabb_XT.

Due to the abrasive nature of XT-CF20 we always used hardened steel nozzles to print this filament. In recent weeks, however, we have been extensively testing with the Olsson Ruby nozzle, provided to us by 3DVerkstan, our distributor in the Nordic region and producer of these new nozzles. You can find the Death Gun mask here and Robot Action figure here for examples printed with this new nozzle that will be released in November.

As you can see we have had fantastic results with this new nozzle.

We printed the dodecahedron on an Ultimaker 2 at 0.1mm layer height.

XT-CF20 is available now in our webshop.

Robot Action Figure

Robot Action Figure steelFill

For a little while we’ve been testing The Olsson Ruby, a truly very special nozzle. With a real gemstone at the tip of the nozzle this is one of the most abrasion resistant nozzles made. As expected it fits right into the Olsson heater block which makes it easy to swap between other nozzles.

The olsson ruby

We’ve been running two of our abrasive filaments XT-CF20 and steelFill to see what these nozzles are made of. The temperatures we’ve used during printing have been very similar to regular brass nozzles, so it seems no big temperature difference are expected using The Olsson Ruby.

In this case we printed the Robot Action Figure designed by le Fab Shop for the 2014 Paris Maker Faire. Print quality looks great with nice details and good layer adhesion.

We’ll be printing a lot more with The Olsson Ruby in the next few weeks to really put it through its paces. If you’re interested in more information on The Olsson Ruby project visit the 3D printing forum.

3D printed pennyboard

3d printed pennyboard

If a 3D printed pennyboard is strong enough for a person to stand on, why not print the trucks and wheels as well?

So that’s what we did. We used the beautiful Pennyboard designed by Andrew Askedall as the base and designed trucks and wheels based on pictures found on the internet. Not a single person in our colorFabb organization knows anything about skateboarding or designing skateboard parts, but we think it turned out well enough to share with you.

 

The board was printed on a Delta Tower with colorFabb_XT. The model was placed at a slight angle instead of straight up to increase the layer cross section and improve strength. We used a 0.8mm nozzle for best toughness possible. The trucks have been printed with colorFabb_HT using the Mass Portal. The parts turned out very tough and have not yet been replaced, because we used 80% infill and 3 perimeters in combination with a 0.6mm nozzle.

All the nGen-FLEX parts have been printed on the Mass Portal, using a buildTak sheet.

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With nGen_FLEX you can make a lot more then just skateboard wheels, by varying infill and perimeter settings you can determine if a print needs to be stiff or flexible. We used this trick on the 3D printed bushing to get he right stiffness in the truck assemblies.

Want to make your own 3D printed pennyboard? Get the files:

  1. Z-18 Penny Skateboard
  2. Trucks for Z-18 Penny Skateboard

Other things you’ll need:

  • 8x 608 bearings for the wheels
  • 2x M8 threaded rod for the axle
  • 8x M5 bolt for mounting the trucks (holes might not align perfectly with board so drilled these out)
  • 8x M5 nut for mounting the trucks
  • 4x M8 lock nut for mounting the wheels
  • 2x M5 for mounting the two pieces of a single truck together

Hex Key Holder in nGen Dark Gray

3d printed hex-key holder colorfabb

Misplacing hex-keys is a thing of the past with this handy 3D printed hex-key holder which is designed by AngelLM. We 3D printed this in nGen Dark Gray on the Ultimaker 2 at 0.15mm layerheight and this resulted in a beautiful and functional 3D print. For the perfect fit we had to scale it up a tiny bit which gives a firm yet easy fit.

3d printed hex-key holder colorfabb

nGen is available in 17 beautiful vivid colors which will give life to any project you can think of. Keep an eye out for specific color which are on sale every week because you might just find the color you need for a great deal.

Scissor Snake with our colorfabb_XT

We found the very handy scissor snake on Pinshape by Richard Swika and printed it with our colorfabb_XT. This design “enables people with limited use of their hands to manipulate small objects at a distance in a fun and effective way,” according to Swika.scissor-snakeThe original design can be found on Pinshape: https://pinshape.com/items/25747-3d-printed-scissor-snake-easy-grip-custom It can easily be customized according to your needs.

We printed this design as one single print on the Ultimaker 2, using colorFabb_XT Light Blue as our material of choice with a layer height of 0.15mm. 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/

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colorFabb_XT is available in 14 colors, including clear.

colorFabb gift box

Recently at the TCT Show we finally caught up with Tony Short. Tony has been using colorFabb’s special filaments with great effect and we have been following his impressive work for quite a while now. You can find a few examples of his work on Twitter: here, here and here. We are always happy to meet up with our users at shows, but Tony had a surprise for us in store: a printed giftbox made with our special filaments, based on the colorFabb logo. A typographer by trade, Tony put in his best effort and came up with a truly stunning print:

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We’ll let Tony explain in his own words how he made this beautiful gift box:

“Since I began 3D printing I’ve been a big fan of Colorfabb’s more exotic materials. I’ve been creating artworks with them for the last year or so, and I was very pleased to find that colorFabb loved my designs / prints as well. I decided to make one of my printed fancy boxes, using CF’s wood and metal filaments. Normally my work has a typographic flavour (given that’s my background) but in this instance I designed a box using the ‘petal?’ device from the CF logo.”

“I designed the box using Moments of Inspiration (MoI3D) software. Starting with the ‘wooden’ shell first, and creating the holes for the inset ‘metal’ panels.  On my Ulitmaker2 printer the Woodfill filament has always been slightly less than perfect, but I don’t mind that because it gives the finished job some defects, which makes it look more natural. They are printed at 0.3mm layers with a 0.6mm nozzle, so don’t take much time. Afterwards the minimal supports for the inset holes are removed, and because they will be covered with panels I don’t need to worry about the surface finish there.”

“I finish Woodfill prints with multiple passes of sandpaper, usually 120, 180, 400, 1500, 4000 grit, and then a couple of coats of acrylic lacquer.”

box-5

“For the three metal panels I wanted to create patterns that related to CF, ending up with a Dutch townhouse scene, a more traditional tulip pattern and an abstract design based on the CF logo letterforms. I did think that using tulips might be a bit stereotypical, but given that CF use windmills on their packaging I thought I would be fairly safe.”

“All three patterns we built as 3D objects in MOI3D, then repeated, merged and flattened to create the finish 3D files. They were printed in Copperfill and Bronzefill, 0.1 layer height, 0.4 nozzle. No supports are needed, and finishing is a lot easier than the Woodfill sanding!”

“The townhouses and tulips were given a rough sand down to remove any stray bits and blobs. Then sprayed with black matt paint, fairly thick to get into all the nooks and crannies. This is then wiped off with a rag, whilst still wet, to give an aged look. Once dry these are then brushed with a brass wire brush, and finished with some high grit paper. The lettering panel was roughly brushed, but then treated with some oxidising liquid which accelerates the ‘verdigris’ process. Left overnight it was bright green the next day, so some strategic sanding and polishing knocked back the effect to look more realistic.”

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“The metal panels were simply glued into their holes, and the box given a final coat of lacquer to protect the metal finish, and stop any additional oxidisation. I use a lacquer designed for covering gilding with metal leaf, but I guess any would do.”

“The way the box is printed with Woodfill gives a realistic wood grain effect, and the 3D printing means you can make designs that would be very difficult using traditional techniques.”

box-4

We once again thank Tony for his beautiful gift box and using our materials to such a great effect.

We have seen great use of our special filaments and post-processing possibilities. We have collected several blogs about post-processing metal filled filaments in one place, which you can visit here.

Tony’s work can be followed on Twitter, via his account. Follow him and be amazed by his work.

Our special filaments are available online and throughout our worldwide distributor and reseller network. Enquire locally for availability. We also offer a special filament value pack online, where you can choose 8 special filaments in one package.

Death Gun (Desu Gan) masks with XT-CF20

It was time for a comparison print. With Halloween coming up we chose the Death Gun (Desu Gan) mask from ferreusveritas. The material we used is our XT-CF20, colorFabb_XT with 20% carbon fibre added.

The big mask was printed on the Ultimaker 2 and the small mask on the Hephestos 2. Both masks were printed on a 0.1mm layer height. We roughened up the small mask with sandpaper afterwards.

death-gundesu-gan

Original design: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:525610

Originally released early 2015, XT-CF20 has been a hit since day one. We have found a lot of practical uses for this stiff material, like printing parts for a bike, an RC Truggy car and even parts of our recently released F1 scale model. However, one feature that has been commented on before is the beautiful matte finish that XT-CF20 brings. In short, XT-CF20 is a functional material with stunning looks.

XT-CF20 is an abrasive material wearing out a brass nozzle quite fast. For the print made with the Ultimaker 2 we used the new Olsson Ruby nozzle, generously provided by 3DVerkstan, our distributor in the Nordic region and manufacturer of the nozzle. In the words of Daniel Ljungstig, CEO of 3DVerkstan: “After more then 10 months of testing, we are happy to target a November release of this exciting upgrade for desktop 3D Printing. The Olsson Ruby is a high-tech nozzle with a carefully designed ruby tip, which makes it have unique properties. The ruby nozzle is designed by Anders Olsson, inventor of the popular Olsson Block that is also part of the Ultimaker 2+ 3D Printers. He designed it to be able to print extremely hard materials for scientific research at Uppsala University in Sweden.”

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During our test printing the mask we have seen quite some benefits over the regular brass nozzles that are the current industry standard: The ruby nozzle retains the excellent heat conducting properties of brass, while being extremely resistant to wear. This means that you can print your standard materials as usual, but also very abrasive materials such as XT-CF20 and steelFill. Daniel Ljungstig adds: “In addition to this, many of our test users have reported an improved surface quality compared to standard nozzles.”

nozzle

The Olsson Ruby will be available in November 2016.

The small mask was printed on the Hephestos 2 with the regular brass nozzle provided with the printer.

colorFabb’s XT-CF20 is available in both 750 grams and 2.2kg spools. Click here to see the availabilty.

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Dodecahedron with colorFabb nGen

Today’s print, straight from our own print lab, is the Rhombic Dodecahedron Derived Figure by Fred Bartels, which we printed entirely with our all-round nGen filament.

dodecahedron-2

Design by Fred Bartels: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:539489

We used the Delta Tower in our print lab to achieve the build height of 40cm for this print and printed with a 0.2mm layer height. This work of art is perfectly suited for our nGen filament and we selected the stunning light blue color for this print.

Printing high resolution is no problem with nGen. With good performance on overhanging surfaces and great stability during print we think this makes nGen a great all-round filament for every day use.

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.

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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. nGen is available in 17 colors.

Learn more about printing with nGen by visiting our tutorial.

 

Rubber band powered boat

We printed a rubber band powered boat with nGen Orange and Light Blue on the Leapfrog HS.

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Design can be found here: http://www.thingiverse.com/make:254456

nGen is a great material to print toys with. For toys we need materials with great colors and good stable mechanical properties. nGen comes in 17 colors. Because of nGen’s good mechanical properties parts will last a long time. Printing high resolution is no problem with nGen. With good performance on overhanging surfaces and great stability during printint we think this makes nGen a great material to create your own creations.

You can find more information on the dedicated nGen landing page. nGen is now available and in stock in our webshop.

With Amphora, items can be created that are more functional, more durable, more efficient, and attractive.

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nGen is made with Eastman Amphora™ 3D polymer AM3300 and is a low-odor, styrene-free choice that is uniquely suited for 3D printing applications. It has 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 all relevant data sheets here: http://colorfabb.com/Materials/

Darwin bust

Charles Darwin is of course the 19th century naturalist who popularized the concept of evolution. He wrote both On The Origin of Species and The Voyage of the Beagle, both classics, laying the ground work for over a century of science and debate. A great man to honor by printing a bust in colorFabb_XT and while we are at it, we printed two.

The surface finish is very smooth, being printed with a 0.16mm layer height on an Ultimaker 2 at 45mm/s.

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The design by the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences in Sydney, Australia can be found here.

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

colorFabb_XT is currently available in 14 colors (including clear).

colorFabb_XT was launched in September 2014 at the London 3D Print Show as a first collaboration between colorFabb and Eastman Chemical Company. It was the first of four of the Amphora co-polyesters which we released as 3D printing filaments. colorFabb_XT was followed in 2015 by nGen, early 2016 by colorFabb_HT and recently by our first foray into semi-flexible filaments: nGen_FLEX.

You find find out more about printing with colorFabb_XT by clicking here.

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