Happy day after Cinco De Mayo! I hope everyone has found interesting items to print since my last blog. Today, I bring to you a few articles which are interesting and making the headlines. More and more companies are jumping into filament development which is good for all of us 3D printers. It means more competition and more selection! Additionally, Makerbot wowed onlookers at the latest 3D Print Week in New York with a stunning 4 foot print of an outboard boat motor! Finally, if you own your own home extruder and have run out of misprints to recycle, there is a store for you to purchase recycled plastic from old computers to make your own filament!
Chenyue Technology has developed a new filament which is flexible and transparent! They have named their new line of products the Golden Dolphin and the filament comes in a wide range of colors, eight to be exact. Print temperature ranges from 200-230C, Print Speed 30-50 mm/sec, and they recommend a heated platform from 50-80C. Click here if you would like to read more or here to go directly to the filament website and try it out!
Makerbot Product Designer Carlos Cruz wowed spectators at the 3D Print Week in New York with a 3D printed 4-foot tall outboard boat motor. The design was presented to point out the educational, mechanical, and prototyping capabilities of 3D printing. The motor took 250 hours of print time and was designed in Solidworks. All of the printed parts work and function like the real engine, though without the combustion. If you are familiar with the old Visible V8 plastic model, this is similar. Click here if you would like to read the entire article and see tons of pictures!
Have you ever wondered where old computers go to die? Well, Tinker Store has found a great way to dispose of them and help green up the environment. If you own a home extruder and have run out of misprints to recycle or you just want to help the environment you can order recycled computer parts which have been ground up into pellets. For $4.99 a pound this would yield about a 1kg roll of filament for about $11.00, significantly less than the average roll of purchased filament. Colors are limited; however, if you are like me and use these plastics as prototypes or replacement parts, which color is not a factor, then this could significantly increase your productivity!
In summary, new filaments are entering the market and competition is increasing. Flexible filament will likely be on most manufacturer’s to do list if they have not already done so! Makerbot, as always, wows a crowd and makes a great argument for the need of our educational system to get on the 3D printer bandwagon. Finally, if you do a significant amount of printing and want to help the environment, Tinker Store has a way! Until next time…Happy Printing!
