Plantygon

Let’s go green today. For today’s print we have chosen the great Plantygon design by Sam Welch, aka printfutura. This excellent design is a modular geometric stacking planter and based on the truncated octohedron which can tesselate in 3D space. This allows each planter to stack together in any combination that you’d like!

Design: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2448911

Each planter has a sloped inner drain leading to holes which drain into the neighboring planters. A version without drainage holes is also available for indoor use. You should definitely check out printfutura’s Instagram and Etsy pages:

Etsy Shop – https://www.etsy.com/shop/PrintFutura
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/printfutura/

We printed these Plantygons with a 0.6mm nozzle and 0.2 layer height at 40mm/s on the Ultimaker 2. The nozzle temp was 215C and the bed temp 55C. We used support touching buildplate only.

And why the RAL color charts next to the prints you may ask? Valid question. The colors we printed in are the ones we released two weeks ago with our brand new Color on Demand service:

 

With Color on Demand you can request a RAL reference which will be matched in PLA by colorFabb’s team. With an MOQ of 2kg, the threshold is lower than ever for 3D printing users to create with their very own color!

The idea of Color on Demand goes back to the essence of why colorFabb was started. Back in 2012 founder and current CEO Ruud Rouleaux had the idea to produce a filament tailor-made for the end user. He says, “Back in the early days producing custom colors presented us with high additional costs and inefficient production issues, eventually leading to a more general portfolio of standard colors.”

In June we launched this new service where we can produce custom made colors in a more efficient way.

 

How does it work?

A special section has been created in our webshop. You can go there directly by clicking here. We have already matched a lot of colors:

The colors above can be ordered immediately and you can order these like any other product in our webshop. The catch? We don’t stock it. All products in Color on Demand are made to order.

If a color has not been matched by us already, you can choose a RAL color (click here) or request a custom color (click here).

The team of specialists at colorFabb then go to work to start matching this color request. You can opt to receive an injected molded plaque to verify the color first, before the spool is produced. This is optional.

Expected lead times are:

All Color on Demand spools are produced on XL spools, containing 2kg of filament in your prefered color. It does not stop there. At the same time Color on Demand is being offered for granulates as an extra supply option besides filament.

Important: If you order a Color on Demand spool, as well as regular stocked products, we will ship these together as one shipment.

How is color matching being done?

Check our disclaimer! We use the RAL Classic references as our guide. All filaments produced are optically checked by our specialized production and QA team. You can order an injected molded plaque before commiting to order a full spool. Please check in the webshop!

Please be aware that we use the actual RAL reference. Colors on a computer screen, printed images and promotional art can give a misrepresentation of the actual color. Injection molded color plaques can be ordered for a quality check before ordering a full spool.

If the color is then accepted production is started on the custom made spool, which is a single spool containing 2kg (MOQ) of PLA in either 1.75mm or 2.85mm – or more spools, of course. Whenever a color has been matched, it will be added to the colorFabb website for future references.

It does not stop there. At the same time Color on Demand is being offered for granulates as an extra supply option besides filament.

Pricing is as low as € 75 (ex VAT / shipping) for a 2kg spool of custom made filament, with tier pricing available: 10% discount when 4 spools are purchased, 20% when 10 spools are purchased.

 


Color on Demand is a first new step into the direction of customization of filaments for the end users. Starting with PLA and RAL, the possibilities to expand to other materials and color references are plenty and will be implemented at a later stage.

Basically, color on demand will enable the maker / 3D Printer user to pinpoint specific projects and claim a different position in the supply chain with exactly that color that is requested.

Users can send requests to colorFabb or visit our website:

Questions? Check the FAQ section we made first. Or contact us through sales@colorfabb.com

PLA Semi Matte Black

Today we announce the launch of a new filament: PLA Semi-Matte Black

When developing our semi-matte PLA we’ve been looking for a solution which doesn’t involve fibers to achieve a less glossy surface finish. We did not want to loose the ease of use our PLA and keep print settings and parameters as close to regular PLA setttings. For a full matte finish our XT-CF20 and PA_CF Low Warp do the trick, but they need a hardened steel nozzle to print with. The brand new PLA Semi-Matte Black will bring a new aesthetic quality to our range of PLA filaments.

Our semi-matte PLA filament eliminates the glossy appearance seen on most PLA 3D prints. The highlights on the surface will be less visible, resulting in an overall cleaner and much higher quality look.

The example below shows the difference between PLA Economy Black and PLA Semi-Matte Black. The part was printed on the Prusa I3 MK2s using the material switch option. The entire part was printed with 210C.

Left: PLA Economy Black / Right: PLA Semi Matte Black

If you’re looking to upgrade your 3D printed projects to the next level, our PLA Semi-Matte will do the trick.

Design by Eggnot: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2376777

PLA Semi-Matte contains no fibers and prints at regular PLA temperatures and settings. The material is as reliable and easy to work with as any other PLA type material.

Design by PRATRIK: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2268356

 

PLA Semi-Matte Black is available now. Click on the image below to go directly to our webshop:

XL spools and samples are available as well.

Robo C2 3D printing transparent PLA colors

Yesterday we posted the faceted vase, designed by billbo1958, today we continue with the faceted bowl on the Robo C2.

Faceted Bowl and Vase
by billbo1958

 

Awesome layering on the Robo C2 with transparent Orange PLA.

The transparent colors work really well on this design. As the designer also states, he was going for the cut glass look when creating the vase and bowl models.

 


 

 


The Robo C2 retails for €799.00 excl. Tax (€966.79 incl tax) + 1 FREE SPOOL

Rifle replica

3D printing has many applications. A very interesting one is the production of replicas. The most valuable museum exhibits are usually the most fragile ones too. They can be easily damaged so the curators need to enclose them behind glass and visitors can’t touch them.

Enter Get Models Now, a Polish design studio.

The National Museum in Poznan, Poland, asked Get Models Now to build a 3D printed replica that could become an interactive part of their display. The goal was to replicate an original 16th century rifle in full scale.

The 3D scanned model was cut into parts and printed on ZMorph 2.0 SX multitool 3D printer using colorFabb PLA and woodFill filaments. The parts were assembled around a lead rod that made the rifle heavy enough to simulate the original weight of 5.2 kg. The entire 3D printed antique rifle is one and a half meters long. It took long hours to post-produce even the smallest details like the fantastic dragon-shaped flintlock and meticulously engraved trigger.


Artists from Get Models Now painted the woodFill parts to make them look like even more natural wood and added hand-painted ornaments on them. This attention to detail makes it very hard to distinguish the 3D printed antique rifle from the original. Their work is a part of an interactive display at the National Museum in Poznan, Poland, right next to the original piece. It will give people a unique opportunity to literally get in touch with history.

Using 3D printing makes sure important parts of history can be preserved while the replicas are there for show and tell.

 

About Get Models Now

GMN – Get Models Now – is a design studio using 3D printing and newest technologies such as 3D scanning , Virtual Reality as well as CNC milling and a laser cutting machine. The idea of the company is to deliver 3D printed objects along with complex design support. They have over 10 year experience in working with 3D printing and the team consists of people with different design backgrounds which helps them finding the best solution for particular projects. They are one of the few companies in Europe that offers full design, printing, and post-production services and use only high-quality and eco-friendly materials to deliver the most outstanding results. Their workshop enables to create amazing postproduction effects which can be vital for individual finishing of printed objects.

You can find more information on their website (click here).

 

woodFill

woodFill was launched in November 2013 during the London 3D Print Show and was our first special filament. Other natural filled special filaments have followed, like bambooFill (which we recently discontinued) and more recently corkFill. Our woodFill has been a hit from day one due to easy processing and its fantastic looks. Added bonus is that your print room smells like a wood shop when printing with woodFill. Check it out online: it has received nothing but 5 star reviews on our site!

 

 

Filament Duck 2,2kg Spool holder

With the launch of our new Economy PLA on 2,2kg spools, we needed something to hold those big spools during printing. So we used our new material to print our remix of the Filament Duck which was originally designed by Thingiverse user Bold.

Design: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1862683

Design: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1862683

2,2kg Spools are big! So unfortunately they won’t fit on every printer without help. This Filament Duck allows you to store the spool whilst hanging freely with just enough friction to allow for easy unwinding by the printer. You can place it outside of your 3D printer and feed the filament in just as normal. Now you can enjoy our new Economy line of PLA almost as easily as our other materials.

3dhubs-filament2

This new economy line of PLA filaments by colorFabb delivers a good quality PLA filament in four great colors at very reasonable pricing. ColorFabb PLA Economy is not a standard PLA. It has been modified for better layer adhesion and flow properties to get better performance over other basic PLA filaments. Because it’s made with the same processing technology used for other premium colorFabb products, this PLA Economy will be just as reliable.

Economy PLA is available on 2.2kg spools only, delivering a whopping 740 meters of 1.75mm filament and 270 meters of 2.85mm filament.

We have been testing this material for the better part of the summer and have found this material a great alternative those customers who need a lot of PLA. We are initially releasing PLA Economy in four colors: White (RAL 9010), Black (RAL 9005, Red (RAL 3020) and Silver (RAL 9023).

Other colors that will be added at a later date.

duckxl_003s

 

PLA Economy

Today, we are proudly announcing a new range of PLA filament to our portfolio:

colorFabb PLA Economy

colorfabb-pla-economy-3

 

Millennium Falcon design: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:919475

The new economy line of PLA filaments by colorFabb delivers a good quality PLA filament in four great colors at very reasonable pricing. ColorFabb PLA Economy is not a standard PLA. It has been modified for better layer adhesion and flow properties to get better performance over other basic PLA filaments. Because it’s made with the same processing technology used for other premium colorFabb products, this PLA Economy will be just as reliable.

Economy PLA will be available on 2.2kg spools only, delivering a whopping 740 meters of 1.75mm filament and 270 meters of 2.85mm filament.

We have been testing this material for the better part of the summer and have found this filament a great alternative those customers who need a lot of PLA. We are initially releasing PLA Economy in four colors: White (RAL 9010), Black (RAL 9005, Red (RAL 3020) and Silver (RAL 9023).

Other colors that will be added at a later date.

economy_pla_prints

Adviced 3d printing temperature
195C-220C

Adviced 3d print speed
40 – 100 mm/s

Advised Heated bed (if you have one, not strictly necessary)
50-60C

Cooling fan
100% fan cooling for best aesthetics, this gives best performance on overhangs and small details. For best mechanical performance try printing with the least amount of cooling needed, for optimal layer adhesion.

economy_pla_prints-7

Dragon Skull design: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:473639

This PLA grade has been tested extensively and is being produced and shipped by the same colorFabb team you are used to so you know we are not compromising on quality. You can rely with this filament on the same high standards that colorFabb is known for.

economy_pla_prints-4_cc

Strawberry design: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:153548

Twisted Flower pot design: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:99658

ColorFabb knight design: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:501831

PLA Economy is not the same grade of PLA as our PLA/PHA. PLA/PHA will remain available as it always was: in both 750 grams and 2.2kg and in a variety of 30 exciting colors.

colorFabb’s PLA Economy is available now for € 42.50 (incl VAT) per 2.2kg spool!

Due to the competitive pricing, PLA Economy spools are not eligible for our current “Buy 4, Pay 3” campaign. This campaign, however, remains valid for the rest of the month of November for all our other spools (but not our samples).

celebrating4years

Wishing you a great week and happy printing!

Team colorFabb

 

 

colorfabb-pla-economy

Design: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:433119