Long-time 3D print filament maker Formfutura announced the availablity of no less than three different specialized filaments, each with some very interesting properties.
It seems that the industry is beginning to tire of the old 3D printing standards of ABS and PLA, as those materials come with multiple unwanted characteristics. For a time, those were really the only commonly available materials for basic 3D printing.
The problem was these materials were designed for other purposes, long before 3D printing emerged. They were used only because they were available and didn’t cost very much.
But after years of struggling with warping ABS and brittle PLA, several companies have recently come out with more advanced materials that more directly address the needs of 3D print operators.
Today it’s the turn of Formfutura, a Netherlands based company, that has been producing and marketing a diverse line of 3D printing materials for quite a few years now. Of course, they began with the basics, but over time have added a wide range of items. At the time of this writing, their site offers over 120 different species and colors of 1.75mm filaments alone.
But now they’ve announced three new materials:
TitanX is a modified form of ABS that offers “zero warping” (!), excellent bed adhesion (also !), increased strength and better printing flow characteristics.
ApolloX is a form of ASA (Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate), something I haven’t seen before in 3D print filament previously. It offers some of the characteristics in TitanX, but also is weather and heat resistant, making it very suitable for mechanical projects that may not have been possible with only ABS or PLA.
Here you can see a skateboard apparently made with ApolloX. It seems they’re quite confident of its strength if they’re doing this.
Finally, the company also announced a new support material called “Atlas”. This is a form of PVA, which has previously been used as a soluble support material. However, Formfutura has modified the recipe to be:
Far more improved thermal stability compared to normal PVA and by that ensures a much more stable dual extrusion printing process.
What’s interesting about Atlas is that it is usable with a huge variety of model materials, including: PLA, ABS, HIPS, TPE, TPU. PETG, ASA and more, and is “far less” susceptible to humidity effects.
As you might suspect, all three carry premium pricing. The TitanX and ApolloX are priced at €34.45 (USD$39, or USD$52 per kg) per 750g, while the Atlas support material goes for €34.45 per 300g (USD$39 or USD$130 per kg, that’s pricey!)
All three new materials are now available at Formfutura’s vast online store in both 2.85 and 1.75mm formats.
Via Formfutura
