3D printing made functional… by you

We like our challenges and for once we ask you to challenge us. With PA-CF Low Warp we think we have developed one of the most durable and functional filaments in the market. And we want to demonstrate that it. We ask you, the creative community, to send us your designs that we will then print with PA-CF Low Warp.

 

Why PA-CF Low Warp?

We launched PA_CF Low Warp late last year. It is a one of a kind polyamide formulation with the ability to print nearly warp free on non heated buildplatforms. Low infill prints come out perfectly flat on cold bed for higher infill prints 40/50C temperature is enough to obtain flat prints. The formulation has been modified to reduce the uptake of moisture by half compared to PA6 and it also takes about 4 times longer to reach the saturation point. This makes PA-CF Low Warp less sensitive to moisture than most other nylon filaments available in the market.

This tailormade formulation of polyamide features the mechanical properties of a PA6. Tensile strength was measured at 77,99 MPa and impact strength (notched) was measured at 5,44KJ/m2, test specimens both printed on Ultimaker 2+, 260C 0.1mm layerheight with 100% infill.

PA-CF Low Warp allows continues use at 120°C while retaining sufficient properties for the intended application. For those looking to print with nylon, moisture is a serious topic. PA-CF low warp has been modified to lower the uptake of moisture and slow down the time it takes to fully saturate by 4 times. In practice this means the filament is quite forgiving and user should be able to print with the material without noticing extreme influences of moisture uptake.

Users can now print high strength material without the need of heated chambers. The materials shows very good results for 3D printed parts compared to injection molded data, with only minimal loss in performance. This is a result of the excellent printability of the material, enabling users to acquire optimal performance on desktop FFF 3d printers.

 

What are we looking for?

There are filaments for vases and trinkets and there are filaments that need to be functional. This is the latter one. With this design contest we aim for original designs that, when printed, can be used in real life. We’re not going to make it easy for you. Below is a summary what we are looking for:

• The design needs to be functional
• The design needs to be for everyday use (in a domestic, business or industrial environment)
• The design needs to be original (no copy-pasting existing parts without any adjustments – you can however make an existing part “better”)
• The design needs to be IP-free
• The design needs to be printable within a day 24-48 hours on a normal printer
• The application needs to be suitable for the toughness of the filament (nothing that can also be done in, say, PLA)
• Preferably the application of the print can be done by us, in-house so we can test your design
• You can send in multiple entries (one by one, please)

 

Who’s judging?

Of all the entries we will receive, a jury will pick out the five best and those will be printed by us. These five winning designs will be picked by a jury of experts and your peers. The jury is:

• Steve Cox, UK – 3D printing expert when it comes to our metal filled filaments & much more!
• Brent Wright, US – founder of LifeNabled and changing lifes by using 3D printing. See some of his amazing work here.
• Gijs Houdijk, NL – technical development manager at colorFabb, knows 3D printing and our filaments better than you know yourself.

Check out our recent blog about printing with PA-CF Low Warp to see some excellent examples of the filament is being used in real life.

What’s in it for you?

For the five entries we choose and will print:

• You’ll receive the print
• You’ll receive 2 spools of PA-CF Low Warp filament
• We’ll share your mad design skills with the world
• So even if you don’t have a printer, you can have your design(s) printed by our team!
• All valid entries will receive a 15% discount on colorFabb filaments. For life.

 

How?

The hardest part is desiging… and that is entirely up to you. Remember, we are looking for awesome ideas. After that it’s simple. Click here to go to our form. Fill it out, upload the files and sit back.

You can submit your entry until May 31st 2018. After that we will choose five designs to print and test in real life. We will keep you updated through social media of the progress of the prints, etc.