Channel Wing

We have explored our LW-PLA filament being used for RC Planes before (here, here and here). Today we want to share Tom Stanton’s video where he continues researching the Channel Wing principle which was developed by Willard Ray Custer in the 1920s. The printed parts of the Channel Wing were made with LW-PLA. Now Tom will be building his own RC controlled channel wing aircraft and see how well it flies:

 

3D printing was used to create the curved airfoil shape of the channel wing. Using our LW-PLA the part is roughly 50% lighter then regular plastic as explained in Tom’s video.
The channel wing section it self was just shy of 28 grams.

In full flight. All videos and images by Tom Stanton

The full scale Channel Wing concept

Granted, a lot was made using foam, but it’s cool to see LW-PLA being used this way in addition to the more traditional method.

 

ABOUT LW-PLA

At around 230C this material will start foaming, increasing its volume by nearly 3 times. Users can decrease material flow by 65% to achieve lightweight parts, or use the expanding properties to effectively reduce print time by using big layer heights or single extra thick perimeters.

 

For the filament to expand it is necessary to put a certain amount of energy into the filament. The amount of energy a filament can absorb during printing depends on the length of the hot-zone and the time it takes for the filament to pass through the hot-zone. The longer a filament will reside inside the hot-end, the more energy it can absorb which will increase the amount of expansion.

 

About Tom Stanton

Tom Stanton recently graduated with a degree in Aerospace engineering and has a huge interest in all aspects of engineering. But what he enjoys most is designing and building various projects that either he hasn’t seen done before, or at least hasn’t been carried out using a unique design/manufacture method.

His popular YouTube channel is being followed by over 400 thousand people and there is absolutely no reason you should not follow him as well. Check it out here.

 

Tom’s work can be supported on his Patreon page.

Eclipson TL Stream

Eclipson Airplanes from Spain was one of the first companies to see the potential of our lightweight 3D printing filament LW-PLA, especially for their RC Plane designs. Click here to see the first blog post we made about the Model V – an RC plane specifically designed for LW-PLA.

They are now back with the release of the Eclipson TL Stream, their latest project:

All images by Eclipson Airplanes

 

As per Eclipson’s website: “The TL Stream is one of the best ultralight airplanes available right now on the market. The airplane has been designed and manufactured by the European company TL-ultralight. By using the latest technologies and knowledge about aerodynamics this company has been able to design a beautiful and very low drag model inspired by jet fighter planes. Our 3D printed version is inspired by that model. However, many aerodynamic features such as wing airfoil, wing torsion, dihedral, decalage, CG etc.. have been designed by us in order to improve its flight characteristics at low Reynold number. This model is a great low wing trainer, is very simple to assemble, cheap and very docile in the air. In addition to this, the low weight compared with the wing area (low wing loading) will allow you to fly pretty slowly.”

You can find more information and purchase the Eclipson TL Stream model on Eclipson’s website.

 

ABOUT LW-PLA

At around 230C this material will start foaming, increasing its volume by nearly 3 times. Users can decrease material flow by 65% to achieve lightweight parts, or use the expanding properties to effectively reduce print time by using big layer heights or single extra thick perimeters.

 

For the filament to expand it is necessary to put a certain amount of energy into the filament. The amount of energy a filament can absorb during printing depends on the length of the hot-zone and the time it takes for the filament to pass through the hot-zone. The longer a filament will reside inside the hot-end, the more energy it can absorb which will increase the amount of expansion.

Assuming nozzle size and layerheight are fixed, our main input variables are Temperature, speed and flow to determine the amount of expansion. Find out more about how to print by checking our LW-PLA print tutorial.

Read more: How to print with LW-PLA

 

You can also find all relevant information on our dedicated information page.

 

Check out more 3D printed planes, made with LW-PLA here

 

Eclipson TL Stream Gallery

RC Planes

Last year’s LW-PLA has found a steady following in the RC Plane community. We have already posted about our lightweight filament in our blog where we highlighted Eclipson’s Model V plane (click here to go directly to that blog). Over the past few months we have seen more use of LW-PLA by makers of RC planes following Eclipson’s lead.

Below is a short summary of videos we found recently on Youtube. (Updated on June 9th with the two top videos)

 

Videos

Slope soaring by Airfection RC Gliders (Youtube)

 

By 3DLabPrint (Youtube)

 

By Coen L (Youtube)

 

https://youtu.be/zosspO7DSN8

By RC Air Adventures (Youtube)

 

By ADDIMP 3D (Youtube)

 

By 3Dlabprint (Youtube)

 

By Airfection RC Gliders (Youtube)

 

By Wernersgyro (Youtube)

 

By Localfiend (Youtube) (more information)

LW-PLA is the first filament of its kind using an active foaming technology to achieve lightweight, low density PLA parts.

Daily worldwide shipping from stock! Visit our webshop!

 

Printing RC planes is not the only application where LW-PLA excels. Other succesfull applications are printing of insoles and cosplay, where the weight of the printed suit can be significantly reduced!

 

About LW-PLA

At around 230C this material will start foaming, increasing its volume by nearly 3 times. Users can decrease material flow by 65% to achieve lightweight parts, or use the expanding properties to effectively reduce print time by using big layer heights or single extra thick perimeters.

 

For the filament to expand it is necessary to put a certain amount of energy into the filament. The amount of energy a filament can absorb during printing depends on the length of the hot-zone and the time it takes for the filament to pass through the hot-zone. The longer a filament will reside inside the hot-end, the more energy it can absorb which will increase the amount of expansion.

Assuming nozzle size and layerheight are fixed, our main input variables are Temperature, speed and flow to determine the amount of expansion. Find out more about how to print by checking our LW-PLA print tutorial.

Read more: How to print with LW-PLA

 

You can also find all relevant information on our dedicated information page.

At colorFabb we have always been active in developing new filaments for FDM/FFF 3D printing, like the first metal filled filament bronzeFill, the one of a kind nGen_LUX and the unique Color on Demand service where customers choose their own colors to print with. LW-PLA is our latest offering in an ever expanding portfolio.

 

Light Weight Plane

November 15 update: Now with video of the first flight! Scroll down to see the spectacular footage!

When we launched our light weight filament LW-PLA earlier this year we saw a lot of handy applications: cosplay, medical instruments, grips. Every print where weight is of the essence. The most positive replies we got were from the drone and RC plane community. One of the companies specialized in RC planes, Eclipson Airplanes from Spain, contacted us and were very interested in our latest offering. During the summer the Eclipson team worked on a light weight plane design specifically made to be printed with LW-PLA. Here is a first look at their Model V plane:

All designs and images by Eclipson Airplanes

A few details about the Model V plane:

  • Total weight of the printed parts 170 gr
  • Ready to flight weight (estimated) 380 gr
  • Wing span 1.370mm
  • Wing area 16 dm2
  • Wing loading 24gr/dm2

You can find more information about this design on the dedicated Model V page.

“This means that this airplane holds a new world record, it is the lightest RC plane in terms of wing loading.”

  • Team Eclipson

Rendering with Eclipson logo

When printed with regular PLA, the plane would weigh twice as much and as we all know: every gram counts in aviation. As Eclipson states on its homepage:

“Drag and weight are the two main enemies of any flying machine, reduce those two forces to the minimum was one of the main goal of this project since the conceptual phase.
The drag was reduced thanks to its streamlined shapes, clean design, V tail, high aspect ratio or winglets. Special mention deserves the wing, which is simply the best we have ever designed, this wing has a great balance between safety (docile stall characteristic) efficiency (high lift to drag ratio) maneuverability (high roll rate) and strength. Landing gear, tail and wing can be detached from the fuselage allowing you to print only damaged parts in case of crash.”

Not only did the LW-PLA reduce weight significantly, the Eclipson team also found out that LW-PLA worked extremely well for them when printing the landing gear thanks to its flexibility.

The Model V light weight plane will be for sale from Eclipson from mid-October. Keep an eye out for this excellent plane!

Located in Madrid, Spain, Eclipson Airplanes is specialized in the design of RC Planes and they have already several models available (click here to see their portfolio).

The Model V design is available for purchase at Eclipson (follow this link) and it has already made its maiden flight!

 

About LW-PLA

LW-PLA is the first filament of its kind using an active foaming technology to achieve lightweight, low density PLA parts. At around 230C this material will start foaming, increasing its volume by nearly 3 times. Users can decrease material flow by 65% to achieve lightweight parts, or use the expanding properties to effectively reduce print time by using big layer heights or single extra thick perimeters.

 

Decreasing flow means using less filament. Therefore users can expect to print 2-3 times more parts using LW-PLA compared to a regular PLA spool. LW-PLA prints in a fantastic matte looking surface finish and is very easy to post process. Any oozing or stringing artifacts rub right off and the surface is easily sanded for a smooth finish. Find out more here.

Curious how to print with LW-PLA? Find out more in our tutorial!

LW-PLA is available in Black and Natural and is available now. We ship daily, worldwide and from stock.

Light Weight Drone Parts

With our brand new lightweight PLA, LW-PLA, we offer a filament which is ideally suited for prints where weight matters. Drone enthusiasts have embraced 3D printing a long time ago. Replacement parts and customisation are easier than ever when reparing or enhancing ones drone. However, weight is always an issue with drones and with LW-PLA we offer a solution to reduce this with up to 65%!

Design by TheShortCrayon / link

We have printed the 82mm ducted brushless frame by TheShortCrayon for the 82mm Inductrix-style Brushless Quad with both PLA Economy and LW-PLA as a comparison. PLA Economy was printed with standard PLA settings. For the LW-PLA we use the following settings:

  • 0.2mm layer height
  • 245C nozzle temperature
  • 50C bed temperature
  • Printed with 38% flow

As you can see one reduces the weight significantly from 31 to 12 grams for this printed part!

Learn how to print with LW-PLA in our handy tutorial!

Micro FPV drones are all about power and performance. Reducing weight increases flight time and overall performance, which is why LW-PLA is an ideal candidate as a go-to filament.

LW-PLA is the first filament of its kind using an active foaming technology to achieve lightweight, low density PLA parts. At around 230C this material will start foaming, increasing its volume by nearly 3 times. Users can decrease material flow by 65% to achieve light weight parts, or use the expanding properties to effectively reduce print time by using big layer heights or single extra thick perimeters.

Decreasing flow means using less filament. Therefore users can expect to print 2-3 times more parts using LW-PLA compared to a regular PLA spool. LW-PLA prints in a fantastic matte looking surface finish and is very easy to post process. Any oozing or stringing artifacts rub right off and the surface is easily sanded for a smooth finish.

LW-PLA is available in Black and Natural and is available now. We ship daily, worldwide and from stock.

 

“We need challenging materials, we need to work with or find ways around the limitations and allow more people to experiment with exciting developments like this foaming PLA.” – Richard Horne, aka RichRap3D

Read Richard’s review of LW-PLA here.

 

Cosplay

Only two weeks ago we released our brand new lightweight 3D printing filament LW-PLA. With its active foaming technology it can reduce weight of a printed part with 65%, which makes it ideally suited for prints where weight matters. There are a lot of applications for this new material and one of them is for use in cosplay parts.

Parametric Cosplay Shoulder Armor by qxpmikeqxp / design

The Parametric Cosplay Shoulder Armor by Mike Lobsinger is a great example. We already know that 3D printing is extensively used by the cosplay community to make unique parts for ever more extravagant costumes. With larger sizes of the costumes weight becomes a factor of course and that is exactly where LW-PLA comes in.

We ran a comparison test with our regular PLA/PHA and LW-PLA:

Left: PLA/PHA, right LW-PLA

We printed on the Ultimaker 2+ witha  0.6mm nozzle and 0.1mm layer height for both materials. For the PLA/PHA we printed at 210C and a bed temperature of 50C with 100%. This resulted in a print of 120 grams. As for LW-PLA we printed at 245C with a 50C bed temperature and with 50% flow. The print ended up less than half at 54 grams!

Find out more on our dedicated landing page!

As you can see, LW-PLA is perfectly suited for lighweight prop making. It is easy to sand to create a smooth surface finish. At around 230C this material will start foaming, increasing its volume by nearly 3 times. Users can decrease material flow by 65% to achieve lightweight parts, or use the expanding properties to effectively reduce print time by using big layer heights or single extra thick perimeters.

Click here to read more on how to print with LW-PLA in our handy tutorial.

Reduce weight and make your cosplay and attributes lighter, more practical and comfortable. With LW-PLA you can dress like a superhero without needing the strength of a superhero.

LW-PLA is available now.

LW-PLA

We proudly present our brand new 3D printing filament: LW-PLA

LW-PLA is the first filament of its kind using an active foaming technology to achieve lightweight, low density PLA parts.

“We need challenging materials, we need to work with or find ways around the limitations and allow more people to experiment with exciting developments like this foaming PLA.” – Richard Horne, aka RichRap3D

Read Richard’s review of LW-PLA here.

At around 230C this material will start foaming, increasing its volume by nearly 3 times. Users can decrease material flow by 65% to achieve lightweight parts, or use the expanding properties to effectively reduce print time by using big layer heights or single extra thick perimeters.

LW-PLA, with the LW standing for Lightweight, is available as from today in two colors: Black and Natural.

 

 

Recently we held a contest where people from all over the world sent in their ideas what they wanted to print with our brand new LW-PLA. Ideas ranged from cosplay to drones and from wheelchair aides to wind turbines. Every print where weight matters can benefit from LW-PLA.

For the filament to expand it is necessary to put a certain amount of energy into the filament. The amount of energy a filament can absorb during printing depends on the length of the hot-zone and the time it takes for the filament to pass through the hot-zone. The longer a filament will reside inside the hot-end, the more energy it can absorb which will increase the amount of expansion.

Assuming nozzle size and layerheight are fixed, our main input variables are Temperature, speed and flow to determine the amount of expansion. Find out more about how to print by checking our LW-PLA print tutorial.

Read more: How to Print with LW-PLA

Material

colorFabb LW-PLA

Diameter Tolerance

± 0.1 mm

Density

1.210-1.430 g·cm-3 (non activated density)
0.403 – 0,476 g·cm-3 (maximum activated density)

Glass Transition Temperature

55C

Material data sheets can be found here. Click on the images below to go directly to our product pages or click here:

 

You can also find all relevant information on our dedicated information page.

At colorFabb we have always been active in developing new filaments for FDM/FFF 3D printing, like the first metal filled filament bronzeFill, the one of a kind nGen_LUX and the unique Color on Demand service where customers choose their own colors to print with. LW-PLA is our latest offering in an ever expanding portfolio.

LW-PLA was developed under our new colorFabb Labs program. colorFabb Labs is dedicated to bring more innovative materials faster to the market. It is colorFabb’s aim to meet customers’ needs in terms of materials and 3D printing services. Stay tuned for more exciting developments this year.

LW-PLA ships as from today, April 12 2019, from our webshop and can be found under the Specials, as well as colorFabb Labs. Samples and XL spools will be available at a later date.

How to print with LW-PLA

colorFabb LW-PLA is available in our webshop

How to print with LW-PLA

At colorFabb material development never stops. We’re starting 2019 with a fascinating new material, first of its kind in FFF 3D printing materials.

We’re proud to announce, colorFabb LW-PLA. This filament uses an active foaming technology which is triggered by temperature. At it’s peak the filament will expand nearly 3x it’s volume, meaning users can decrease flow by 65% to obtain lightweight parts, or use the expanding properties to speed up print time by using big layer heights or single extra thick perimeters.

Continue reading

What would you print with LW-PLA?

Update April 3rd 2019: winners have been selected!

Over 130 ideas were submitted in the past two weeks & we have selected 6 winners. We opted for one extra winner due to the high quality of entries and when it came down to the last six we simply could not choose. We will hopefully soon share the awesome things they have been able to print. We have selected winners in the following categories:

  • Drones (50+ entries who submitted drone ideas)
  • Cosplay
  • Laminated composite parts
  • Sound absorbing modules
  • Writing aides
  • Wheelchair parts

The winners have already been contacted and spools will be shipped this week ahead of the public release soon. We cannot wait to see the results! The submission form has been closed. We will announce more information (release date, pre-ordering, pricing, etc.) very soon!

Original post:

At colorFabb material development never stops. We’re starting the 2019 with a fascinating new material, first of its kind in FFF 3D printing materials.

We’re proud to announce colorFabb LW-PLA. This light weight filament uses an active foaming technology which is triggered by temperature. At it’s peak the filament will expand 3x it’s volume, meaning users can decrease flow by 60-65% to obtain light weight parts, or use the expanding properties to speed up print time by using big layer heights or single extra thick perimeters.

Continue reading