OpenRC F1 project release

Earlier this year we came across the new design Daniel Norée made: an F1 car, his follow-up to the OpenRC Truggy design we had printed previously. “After a bit of thinking I came to the conclusion that a Formula 1 car would probably a perfect follow up project to the Truggy!” says Daniel Norée. Hence, the OpenRC Formula 1 car was born.

As he stepped up his game we felt we had to step up ours as well. First of all we set our print engineer Jos Deelen at work with scaling up the design to 250%. When it came to a choice of materials we didn’t have to think for very long: co-polyesters. Which one? All of them. We found that different parts had different requirements and with nGen, colorFabb_XT, colorFabb_HT, XT-CF20 and our brand new nGen_FLEX. we almost had all our bases covered. If you want to know more about co-polyesters, click here for a blog we posted this summer explaining these great materials we developed with Eastman Chemical Company.

The tyres were made with our new nGen_FLEX filament, released during the TCT Show om September 28th 2016. You can read all about our new semi-flexible filament here: https://learn.colorfabb.com/ngen_flex/

We have published the 250% scaled files on Thingiverse: Thing:1834126. On Thingiverse you can find all the files as well as a more detailed description about how to build your own 1m long OpenRC Formula 1 car. The helmet used in the driver seat is Thing:170222.

We are very proud of the result:

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“I learned alot from the OpenRC Truggy and i wanted to use what i had learned in the new project,”  Daniel told us. His aim was to design a car with a simpler design and without the hard-to-source parts. According to Daniel, another important part was the material: “While many failed on the Truggy due to the need of hard to print materials like Polycarbonate and it´s likes this time materials like PLA or Co-Polyesters should do the job.” 

He spent a couple of intense weeks in Fusion 360 CAD designing the F1 and the result was introduced at a trade fair in Sweden together with Autodesk.

Although Daniel aimed to make a simpler design, the sheer size of the F1 car was a great challenge to get it right. And we did get it right. Due to the size of several parts we used the Stacker S4 printer for the bulk of the print work with great results. It measures a full 107cm from the front to the end. Using all the functional materials (old, new and upcoming…) we had at our disposal we completed the job and recently we took the car out for a test drive.

You can see the results below:

The F1 car will be on display at the TCT Show next week where you can find us at stand B36, running the co-polyester filaments on the Stacker S4.

You can find more about our co-polyesters on our dedicated landing pages for nGen and colorFabb_HT. Our colorFabb_XT, nGen, colorFabb_HT and XT-CF20 are available online.

Follow Daniel Norée’s work and especially his Open RC project here: http://danielnoree.com/?cat=6

Get a quote for the Stacker S4! For the USA, click here. For Europe, click here.

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Grease Jar

Sometimes you just need a little bit of grease in the print lab, but you have to keep it somewhere. That’s why we’ve chosen to print our own grease jar. We used nGen Gray Metallic for this, due to its excellent chemical resistance, which is a feature of all our co-polyesters.

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The design can be found here: https://www.youmagine.com/designs/grease-jar

This grease jar has been printed on an Ultimaker 2 at 45mm/s

We offer nGen in 17 different colors, which are available here: http://colorfabb.com/co-polyesters/ngen

nGen Gray Metallic is on sale this week (until September 25th).

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nGen is made from Eastman Amphora™ AM3300 3D polymer. Like colorFabb_XT, it is part of Eastman’s Amphora range of copolyesters for 3D printing. 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. More information can be found on our dedicated landing page: http://ngen.colorfabb.com/

RC 180 degree HD camera printed with nGen

Today’s featured print is a great one that has already been used extensively in the real world and is printed with nGen. Thes prints were made by Claus Forster, who works for Eastman Specialty Plastics. Eastman is of course the producer of the Amphora™ 3D polymer, so Claus knows the material on which nGen is based very well!

To find out more about co-polyesters, please check our previous blog explaining these materials.

This is an Arduino activated remote controlled 180 degree HD camera which has been modified. The aim was to make videos during a motorbike tour in the highest French Alpine mountains during driving in direction forward, sidewise and backwards. Beside that an easy fix and release via hook and loop fastener provided a comfortable handling and the camera fits exactly into a helmet. Because of this the camera could even be covered/hidden by the helmet during parking or break and sometimes the helmet was the ‘transport-box’ when taking it off during the night.

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An Arduino Nano (open-source electronic prototyping platform) controls the RGB-LED – shows the status of the camera – and the rotating – done by a RC-servo – and operates the camera – switching on and  start/stops recording. All electronics – remote, interface, Arduino – is soldered on a 50x70mm board.

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These parts were entirely printed with nGen. nGen is made with Eastman Amphora™ 3D polymer AM3300 and 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. nGen exhibits advanced overhang ability, excellent looks, and large printing temperature range—empowering large panel of users to create durable and useful items.

The hardware was done early this year but the functional 3D parts were printed just one week before the trip:

  • Bottom and brackets for the electronic board (1)
  • Housing with LED and RC servo (2)
  • Dome for camera – front (3)
  • Dome for camera – rear (4)
  • Sender/Control battery operated (5)
  • Adapter for camera on motorbike (6)
  • Adapter for sender on the handlebar  (7)

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The camera even passed an unplanned drop test of 1.2 meters! You can see the camera in action here:

More information about nGen can be found here: http://ngen.colorfabb.com/ 

nGen is available now in a variety of 17 colors: http://colorfabb.com/co-polyesters/ngen

“The Visitor” in copperFill

The Ultimaker forums are a great place to find cool prints and sometimes we come across a fantastic print made with one of our materials. This week we found Frederiek Pascal’s print of “The Visitor” printed with copperFill on an Ultimaker Extended 2+ and post processed. Post-processing happened manually with steelwool and copper cleaner, which resulted in a perfect result!

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The settings used were:

Nozzle diameter: 0.40 mm

Layer resolution: 201-250 micron

Print time: 8-12 hours

Temperature: 205˚ C

Speed: 40 mm/s

Shell thickness: 1.6 mm

Height: 250 mm

B/T thickness: 1.2 mm

Fill density: 20 %

You can find the original post on the Ultimaker forums here: https://ultimaker.com/en/community/prints/5079-the-visitor-made-with-copperfill

Frederiek updates his Instagram account regularly with his latest prints: https://www.instagram.com/frederiekpascal/

copperFill is one of the metal based filaments colorFabb has released. Presented to the world in the fall of 2014 we have seen stunning results with copperFill, with Frederiek’s print being one of them. You can find out more about working with copperFill and post-processing other metal filaments here:

how to print with copperFill

https://learn.colorfabb.com/post-processing-gcreates-rocket-ship/

copperFill is available in both 1.75mm and 2.85mm and in two weight varieties: 750 grams and 1500 grams.

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nGen Saturn V rocket

One of our most active users, Korneel Bullens, approached us earlier this year with the idea to print this huge undertaking, designed by Paul Fischer (aka “farscape1”). You can find the full design on Thingiverse:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:911891

The images below were taken at the AM Show in Amsterdam in June 2016 where the rocket was featured.

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Korneel Bullens has one of the most active hubs on 3D Hubs in the Netherlands and came to us with the idea to print the entire rocket with our, then, brand new nGen filament. In Korneel’s own words:

“When nGen was launched and news reached us of the Additive Manufacturing Europe show which was to be held in the home country of colorFabb, it was clear something big had to be done.. and what better way to celebrate a launch then to print the object where many had failed.. A Saturn V rocket with launch platform and gantry. The model was released to Thingiverse at the end of July 2015 and since then, this is the second actual complete print and build of this immense model. What better way to illustrate the launch of a great new filament then with the launch vehicle that brought us the Apollo Space Program?

nGen was the material of choice because of its flexibility, durability, ease of printing and lack of warping. Since this build consists of both huge parts as well as very small parts, a material that could cope with all these different materials was found in nGen. The total build took over 3500 hours on a total of 4 Ultimaker 2+ printers, 1 of them being a Ultimaker 2+ Extended.” 

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You can find out more about Korneel’s hub here: 

https://www.3dhubs.com/utrecht/hubs/korneel 

The entire rocket is printed with colorFabb’s nGen, made with Amphora™ AM3300 polymer by Eastman Chemical Company. 

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.

We have released an initial portfolio of 17 varieties (16 colors and one clear filament) in both diameters.

After the AM Show, the Saturn V rocket got a home in our office:

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Hovalin violin

The Hovalin violin entirely 3D printed with #corkFill on the Ultimaker 2 & XT-CF20 on the Stacker S4 printer.

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Project site: http://www.hovalin.com/

http://colorfabb.com/corkfill
http://colorfabb.com/xt-cf20

For more information on the Stacker S4 printer: http://stacker.colorfabb.com/

From prototyping to production, the S4 has your back. Fast 4x print speeds? Huge build volume. Industrial components. Custom 32bit electronics. Hi-Temp hot ends. Precision linear rails. 1 Year Warranty. All colorFabb filaments work very well with the Stacker S4.

 

Physical dimensions: 726x800x1029mm

Print size: 355x525x655mm

Sales EU: sales@colorfabb.com

Sales US: www.stacker3d.com

#steelFill Iron Man

Earlier this week we launched our brand new metal filled steelFill 3D printing filament. One of the most obvious choices to print was the Iron Man helmet by Geoff. W, a design that has been used in combination with our bronzeFill and copperFill in the past.

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Iron Man Bust (Repaired, flattened) by Geoff. W:  http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:571321

Printed on the Mass Portal Pharaoh ED and post-processed by manual and machine polishing.

steelFill is available now: http://colorfabb.com/steelfill

Find out more about how to print with steelFill: https://learn.colorfabb.com/how-to-print-with-steelfill/

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steelFill is our fourth metal filled filament, after releasing bronzeFill in 2014, copperFill in the fall of 2014 and brassFill early 2015 with great success. All items are available now: http://colorfabb.com/specials

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TCT Show 2016

 

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For the third time in a row we will be attending the TCT Show in Birmingham this year. On September 28th and 29th (yes, this is within two weeks and yes, time is indeed flying) we are at stand B36 in the NEC in Birmingham. In 2014, our first time in Birmingham, we showcased our then brand new colorFabb_XT there.

Looking back one year, in 2015, we featured the Stacker on our stand and showcased the then new XT-CF20, as well as the launch of corkFill. And now, in 2016, we are back again to join the other exhibitors at the TCT to show the latest and greatest in the world of 3D printing. You can find us at stand B36.

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Events like the TCT Show are great since they draw a great crowd and we love meeting the people there. That’s why we are coming back to the TCT Show for the third time and you can find us at stand B36, having varous printers running our best and newest materials. One of the printers will be the Stacker S4, the go-to printer for small series and large volume printing. You can find more information about the Stacker here: http://stacker.colorfabb.com/  Shipping of the Stacker S4 will start mid-October.

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Keen to know what we are up to next? It is almost a tradition that we announce something at the shows we attend and the TCT Show in no exception. What the announcement is, we’re not telling yet, but we cannot wait to reveal it.

So, we hope to see you soon in Birmingham. Drop by for a chat at stand B36, get some free samples and discuss 3D printing with us! We look forward to a great time at the TCT once again. While you’re at the TCT Show, drop by at Creat3D, our UK distributor, at stand B20 and Aleph Objects, makers of the Lulzbot Mini and the recently launched TAZ 6 printers at stand D36.

In the meantime, check out the teaser of one of the main prints we will be showcasing during the show:

Have a great weekend!

Team colorFabb

 

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Lamp hanger in colorFabb_XT

As these things go, summer is coming to an end and days are getting shorter. To continue that much needed work in the garden in the evening hours more light is needed. We do not print light, but we can print the fixtures for the lamp. This custom designed lamp hanger brings the solution. Printed with colorFabb_XT it shows once again a functional (and in this case, a much needed) application for 3D printing.

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The machine used was a KosselXL and we printed with 0.16mm layer height.

Filament used: colorFabb_XT Black

colorFabb_XT is available in 14 colors: http://colorfabb.com/co-polyesters/colorfabb-xt

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colorFabb_XT is made with Amphora AM1800 and was the first material we launched together with Eastman Chemical Company back in 2014.

It 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. Eastman Amphora™ 3D polymer is 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.

Learn how to print with colorFabb_XT: https://learn.colorfabb.com/print-_xt/

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