Tag: eastman

NEMA 17 4:1 reduction gearbox

Today we feature this fully 3D printed gearbox for a NEMA 17 stepper motor with a 4:1 reduction ratio in colorFabb_XT. Designed by Youmagine user Kevin, it utilizes herringbone gears and it performs great.

This print was done using a 0,25mm nozzle width and 0,06mm layerheight on an Ultimaker 2+. colorFabb_XT was used in both light and dark gray to ensure a durable and strong gearbox. The fine detailing meant that the print took a full day to complete. But it’s gears fit together very precisely and there is only minimal play in the system.

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/

Moveo sneak peek

A quick sneak peek of the BCN Moveo Robot arm we are printing right now on the Stacker S4 printer. We recently started this project with our Amphora based co-polyesters to make a very cool and functional print. You can find the full details on the site of BCN3D who supplied the design.

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.

3d printing amphora bcn3d colorfabb eastman functional moveo robot arm stacker

Cycle Bottle Cage in XT-CF20

Stereotyping is not our thing, but we admit to one thing: the Dutch cycle a lot! Combined with all the 3D printing activity here in the low lands it is only a matter of time when cycling and 3D printing meet up. We have printed bike parts before (click here) and have found more designs to print. For today’s print we have found the Cycle Bottle Cage by francfalco which we printed with XT-CF20.

Design by francfalco: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:439490

We all have Eastman Tritan drinking bottles here and found it only apt that we should be able to bring them along when we are cycling. Eastman Chemical Company is of course our partner for our Amphora 3D Polymer based co-polyesters: nGen, nGen_FLEX, colorFabb_XT and colorFabb_HT.

XT-CF20 is our first Amphora based special filament, launched nearly two years ago, made with colorFabb_XT and 20% carbon fibres. More information can be found here. XT-CF20 has received some really good reviews on our website. It may not be the easiest filament to print with, but the results can be stunning. The functionality, stiffness and the matte finish are true selling points of this material.

We printed the bottle cage on a Massportal Pharaoh ED with a 0.2mm layer height.

colorFabb’s XT-CF20 is available in our webshop.

3d printing bike colorfabb cycle bottle cage cycling eastman massportal water bottle xt-cf20

Dual print with nGen and nGen_FLEX

Today’s featured print is a demonstrator model we also used at the recent TCT Show. For this model, which is our own design, we used nGen Gold Metallic for the base and nGen_FLEX Dark Gray for the flexible part.

Printing on the BCN3D Sigma we see how a world of opportunities opens up when you are able to use two different materials in the same print. The layer adhesion between the two materials is downright excellent.

nGen was released late last year and is an all-round filament which has many advantages over, say, a PLA. The temperature resistance is over 80 degrees C and it works on most printers with a heated build plate. 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.

nGen_FLEX was released recently at the TCT Show and is our first semi-flexible material. With a Shore A hardness of 95 it is a material that is ideally suited for functional parts. It is not soft and squishy like other flexible materials in the market, but allows for fast printing and printing on 3D printers using a Bowden tube. nGen_FLEX is a material for users looking for an engineering grade flexible filament with a high temperature resistance (over 120 degrees C) and good chemical resistance.

Both nGen and nGen_FLEX are made with Eastman Amphora™ 3D polymers, a range of co-polyesters developed with Eastman Chemical Company for 3D printing. Amphora co-polyesters are low-odor, styrene-free choices that are uniquely suited for 3D printing applications. With Amphora, items can be created that are more functional, more durable, more efficient and attractive. You can find more information about co-polyesters in the article we recently published: What we talk about when we talk about co-polyesters.

Both nGen and nGen_FLEX are available now in our webshop (click here or here) and via our network of distributors and resellers. Click here for a reseller closest to you.

3d printing amphora bcn sigma colorfabb eastman functional ngen ngen_flex tct

How to post-process co-polyesters

Of course we love our prints as they are. We put great effort to choose the best materials and the finest materials. With our “How To…” posts we want everybody to be able to create the best prints possible on a wide variety of printers. We have written before about post-processing our metal filled filaments, which literally truly shine when processed the right way. More links to blogs about post-processing these special filaments can be found here.

Beyond the special filaments, which have great aesthetic properties, we also have our range of co-polyesters: nGen, colorFabb_XT and colorFabb_HT and we received quite a few questions about post-processing these materials. To find our more about the materials themselves, check out the blog we have written before by clicking here.

Developed by Eastman Chemical Company, Eastman Amphora™ 3D polymers are the basis of our co-polyesters and offer 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. With superior melt strength and dimensional stability, our range of co-polyesters deliver advanced bridging capabilities to create stronger and more detailed items—with low odor and low emissions.

Now, once a print comes of the printer and you want to be doing something truly functional with it you may need some kind of post-processing with it, also called secondary operations. Be it painting, drilling or glueing there are multiple ways to work with a printed object once it has been printed, but before you can use it. You can truly bring 3D printing into your life by making useful applications.

For instance, you need to drill into a part. This should be no problem with co-polyesters. We recommend drills specifically made for plastic. Steel drills are possible, but only when grounded. Tips like these are to be found in the brochure that Eastman has prepared and which you can find by clicking here.

Click on the image below to find the full guide prepared by Eastman Chemical Company:

Our range of co-polyesters are available online.

3d printing amphora colorfabb colorfabb_ht colorfabb_xt eastman functional ngen post-processing

TCT Show 2016 recap

Hi all,

We wrapped up the TCT Show 2016. Packed our goods, stacked them on the pallets and everything is heading back to colorFabb HQ again soon. We’re about to board our plane and leave Birmingham once more. It has been a great two days in Birmingham, meeting old friends and making new ones. We were there with our partners Stacker and Eastman Chemical Company, answering all your questions, showing the prints and the printers and giving away a lot of free samples of our co-polyesters.

Two true artists dropped by: Steve Cox and Tony Short. They brought us their finest prints to showcase at our booth. Steve brought a statue, printed with bronzeFill and manually polished:

Also, Tony Short dropped by and gave us a fantastic present: a gift box based on the colorFabb logo. You can see it for yourself. This gift is much appreciated and will get a special place at the office.

As we said, true artists who not only know how to print, but how to post-process to achieve the highest quality possible.

Of course we had a big announcement at the beginning of the show. We launched nGen_FLEX this week and the initial reactions at show were extremely positive. Our new flexible filament has a Tg of over 125 degrees and is extremely well suited for engineering parts and prosthetics. Based on a co-polyester from Eastman, you can be assured of the high quality of the material. We have created a dedicated landing page for nGen_FLEX, which you can reach by clicking here.

We recently sent a few people spools to test nGen_FLEX and we saw an overwhelming support for our latest filament. Here are a few mentions of our beta testers:

Layer adhesion is great and you can use this semi-flexible material with a Bowden tube, which we showed while printing on an Ultimaker 2+ with nGen_FLEX continuously during the show.

nGen_FLEX is now available in black and dark gray.

The one feature print everybody talked about was the OpenRC F1 Car, designed by Daniel Norée, we published about last week. If you missed it, you can catch up here. We printed the entire car (a full 107cm long) with co-polyester based filaments: nGen, colorFabb_XT, colorFabb_HT, XT-CF20 and of course our latest nGen_FLEX which we used for the tires.

The F1 car was mostly printed on the Stacker S4 during the summer. We had the Stacker on site during the TCT, printing technical parts – 4 at the same time! The Stacker S4 is a perfect printer for large scale projects and small series production. You can find more information by visiting our website: http://stacker.colorfabb.com/

A final honorable mention goes out to the team of Creat3D, our UK distributor. They built a big colorFabb tower at their stand!

We want to thank everybody who visited us or followed the TCT Show through social media. Special thanks to Ludovic and Richard from Eastman, as well as Norston from Stacker to man the stand with us during these two busy days. It was great meeting everybody again and are too many to mention.

We hope to see you again next year!

(Oh, and don’t forget: the 10% discount code in our webshop will be valid the entire weekend. Use TCT2016 as the coupon code for a 10% discount on all spools of filament!)

3d printing colorfabb colorfabb_ht colorfabb_xt eastman ngen ngen_flex show specials stacker steve cox tct tony short

nGen_FLEX, our new flexible 3D printing filament

Today, on the first day of the TCT Show, we proudly announce and launch our new 3D printing filament:

nGen_FLEX

Heat resistance 125C | FDA compliance | Styrene-free | BPA-free

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 for pre-ordering today: Click here. Shipping will commence next week.

It is best described as a semi-flexible material with good printability on most 3D printers eliminating the use for specialized flex extruders. It’s rated at a Shore A hardness level of 95. By adjusting infill and perimeter settings it’s possible to influence how flexible a part should feel after printing.

nGen_FLEX will initially be available in two colors: Dark Gray and Black. Other colors may be released after initial launch including the possibility for skintone colors. Several skintone colors have already be developed and will be on display at the TCT Show this week. nGen_FLEX is a great material to print prosthetics, for instance.

Fingers: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:387072/#files / Hand and mount: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:380665

For those who are looking for a durable flexible material to be used in their prototypes, demonstrators or even final parts, look no further. The filament has excellent chemical resistance and extremely high temperature resistance. nGen_FLEX is temperature resistant to about 125C. That means 3D printed objects can be steam sterilized at 121C.

nGen_FLEX is engineered as a semi-flexible materials which allows most users to print at regular print speeds, cutting down build times compared to other very flexible filaments. Also Bowden style 3D printers, 1.75mm and 2.85mm, will be able to push this filament through without much trouble.

You can find many more advantages of this material on our dedicated landing page: http://ngen-flex.colorfabb.com/

Because of its durable nature the material is an excellent choice for making your own tools and clamps. Whether it’s an improvement for your workshop or actual custom made parts for a productionline, this material will be uniquely suited for the job. One project we used nGen_FLEX for this summer was the F1 open RC project. We wanted to print the entire car with co-polyester filament and found nGen_FLEX to be perfect for the tires.

During the summer we have been busy testing this material on several printers. Below you can find the settings of some of these printers. Click on the table to find our more about our recommended settings:

nGen_FLEX is available for pre-ordering now and will start shipping next week. Price for a spool, which contains 650 grams, is € 39.95 (incl. VAT), so that is € 33 excluding VAT for a full spool of filament!

You can find us this week at the TCT Show in Birmingham, where we are showcasing several prints made with nGen_FLEX: the F1 car, the prosthetic hand, several functional parts and a skateboard (the wheels were printed with nGen_FLEX). If you are at the show or near Birmingham, we are in Hall 3A, Stand B36.

3d printing amphora announcement colorfabb eastman filament functional new material ngen_flex

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.

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.

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)

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

180 degrees 3d printing arduino co-polyester colorfabb eastman featured functional hd camera mount ngen

What we talk about when we talk about co-polyesters

Two years ago, in the summer of 2014, we announced our partnership with Eastman Chemical Company. Eastman is a worldwide specialist on co-polyesters, a material we recognized to have benefits for 3D printing. In the past two years we have launched three filament grades with Eastman’s raw materials, branded as Eastman Amphora™ 3D polymer.

Why co-polyesters?

The way we see it, FDM 3D printing filaments will be all about functionality in the future. How you are going to use your prints in the real world will define what material you choose. We have found a lot of characteristics in Eastman’s range of Amphora co-polyesters that offer functionality, durability and efficiency. Added benefits compared to ABS are the low-odor while printing and that Amphora based filaments are styrene free.

Compared to PLA, Amphora features a much better heat resistance, starting at 75C for colorFabb XT, 85C for colorFabb nGen and 100C for colorFabb HT. You can find the comparison between our co-polyesters, ABS and PLA in the table below:

More information about emissions during 3D printing can be found in the brochure that Eastman has prepared after some extensive studies. You can find the pdf extract of this study by clicking the button below:

Emissions

amphora co-polyester eastman