As we have mentioned so many times in the past, the materials area within the 3D printing industry is incredibly important for the long term development of the entire 3D printing space. As materials improve, so will the 
We are only beginning to see the potential that consumer targeted FDM 3D printers could have on prototyping for small and larger businesses. For the most part, businesses of a decent size will utilize the much more expensive machines which feature either laser sintering or stereolithographic technology. Printers which rely on fused deposition modeling technology are usually left for the consumer market, or some smaller businesses.
With this said, one company based in Cheyenne Wyoming, called Avante Technology, is trying to change all of this. How? By offering a high quality filament, which performs on par with engineering grade materials. They have just announced their FilaOne Advanced Composite Filament System.
It’s called a ‘system’ because each spool of filament also will include 2 FilaOne Printing Adhesion Sheets. Together, the system solves three problems which current FDM desktop machines commonly have:
- Minimizes the impact of humidity on the printing process
- Improves the mechanical strength of the printed part
- Improves the adhesion of the part during the printing process
“Users will be able to create stronger, more useful objects, similar to what can be done on far more expensive industrial grade FDM printers” said Robert Zollo, CEO and Founder of Avante Technology. “Engineers and Manufacturers now can use affordable desktop printers to create useful working prototypes and even some simple production parts for fast time-to-market, with-out spending tens of thousands of dollars on an industrial grade printer.”
The first product which will make up of Avante’s brand new line of engineering grade materials, will be FilaOne GREEN. This new filament, which will be released sometime this month, will allow for the fabrication of functional prototypes, as well as small end-use parts. As well as being much stronger, more versatile, more capable of dealing with moisture and humidity than that of typical ABS and PLA filaments, it is also environmentally friendly.
Upon its release later this month, FilOne GREEN will be available in both 3mm and 1.75mm diameters, as well as in two basic colors, natural, and green. The company plans to release additional color options later in the year. For those who will be in the Bellevue, Washington area later this month, Avant Technology will be on hand at booth 49 at the 3D Printer World Expo on August 22nd and 23rd, where they will be announcing the pricing and availability of their new FilaOne product.
To discuss Avante Technology and their products, head on over to the FilaOne filament forum thread on 3DPB.com.
