Now Available: bambooFill – ColorFabb & FKuR Continue to Develop Fibre Reinforced PLA for 3D Printing

September 19, 2014 by adlughmin 3D Printing

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When most people talk about 3D printing on a consumer at-home level, they usually bring up the point that we are limited to printing with plain old plastics, thus the technology itself remains extremely limited. However, over the past year or so, this limitation has slowly been lifted. One such company that has been at the forefront of opening the door to new, innovative material options, is Helian Polymers, with their ColorFabb line of 3D printing filaments.

Earlier this month we reported that they had teamed with Eastman Chemical Co. to launch a new XT-Copolyester filament. Back in July, ColorFabb began, for the first time, selling 3D printing material in pellet form, for those with their own filament extruders. This followed the released of a Glow-in-the-dark filament and the bronze-like bronzeFill back in June. Another quite unique product they have been offering for some time is a wood-like filament that prints objects that look and feel almost exactly like wood.

Today, Helian Polymers has announced that they have teamed with FKuR to bring their latest bambooFill filament to market. In addition to this, they have announced that they will also be continuing to develop even more forms of PLA with reinforced natural fibers. In fact, they plan to show off some of these incredible PLA materials, which have been developed through this partnership, at the Composites Europe Exhibition (booth A36, hall 8b), in Düsseldorf on October 7-9.

BambooFill consists of 80% biodegradable PLA filament and 20% recycled bamboo fibers. The material is quite different from anything you have probably seen within the 3D printing world. It provides a light, sturdy, bamboo-like feel, that could be used for many unique applications. It is priced at €39.95 and is available in diameters of 1.75mm or 2.85mm, and comes in spools of 600 grams.

This new filament is compatible with most FDM 3D printers that print with PLA, and it will be sure to leave your 3D printer smelling a bit like a wood-shop.

Have you had a chance to try out the new bambooFill filament? Let us know what you think in the bamboofill forum thread on 3DPB.com. Check out ColorFabb’s latest video below: