Multiple material prints will be more common in the new year. We have several great printers that not only print two colors in one print, but also two materials. This expands the possibilities of 3D printing and give the maker more freedom to make functional products! Today we used both nGen and nGen_FLEX in one single print:

Design: https://www.youmagine.com/designs/flexible-coupler-using-colorfabb-ngen-flex

Designed by Imaginables from Australia, this coupler was made for a multiple material print and they used PLA with our nGen_FLEX. nGen_FLEX as their YouMagine page states, works very well with regular PLA. We opted to print with nGen ourselves, since the combination with nGen_FLEX has proven to be a match made in 3D heaven.

Our print was made on the recemtly launched Ultimaker 3 at a 0.1mm layer height.

Click the image above to see the flexible filament at work!

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 based filaments, 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 (Imaginables also resells colorFabb filaments. Click here and here).