The 3D printing materials developers at Dutch filament manufacturer ColorFabb just unveiled a copolyester-based, carbon fiber composite material called XT-CF20, which includes 20% or more of the tough fiber material.
Colorfabb was founded by Ruud Rouleaux, an expert in the field of additives and master-batches for the plastics industry. Rouleaux began the company by focusing his efforts on creating a high quality 3D printing filament, and during the summer of 2012, he began his first experiments. Those initial steps led to the official launch of the brand, Colorfabb, during March of 2013. Now that Colorfabb is run by a multidisciplinary team, extruder line operators are tasked with checking the quality of their various lines of filament products.
Based on the Amphora 3D polymer from Eastman Chemical, ColorFabb says the new filament has been tested for the last six weeks – and without a single nozzle jam or related thermal issue. While the material showed excellent test results, they say the abrasive nature of the carbon fibers in the filament can cause accelerated wear of brass, so they recommend using stainless steel or hardened copper alloy nozzles.
To highlight the features XT-CF20, the company built the OpenRC Truggy from Thingiverse entirely from their new material, and the result is no less than stunning. They say the material features an extremely high “flex modulus” which is twice as stiff as PLA, is not extremely brittle, features very high melt strength, high melt viscosity, good dimensional accuracy and stability, low printing odor and an attractive matte black surface.
ColorFabb says their new filament is good for a number of applications and industries, and that it’s stiffness, dimensional stability and heat resistance make it ideal for the fabrication of drones, aerospace and automotive parts and prototyping objects. XT-CF20 is nowavailable for pre-ordering through the company’s website and colorFabb expects the first orders will ship by the end of this month. Priced at a little over $52 (€49.95) per 750 gram spool, XT-CF20 falls into the higher range of filaments, but considering its functionality, the price seems warranted.
Have you ever used ColorFabb products before? What are your thoughts on their new carbon-fiber composite filament? Let us know in the ColorFabb XT-CF20 Filament forum thread on 3DPB.com.
Subscribe to Our Email Newsletter
Stay up-to-date on all the latest news from the 3D printing industry and receive information and offers from third party vendors.
You May Also Like
Wisconsin’s Evology Adds Digital Sheet Forming to Service Roster
Evology, a service bureau based in Wisconsin and specializing in serving strategic sectors like aerospace and defense, has added digital sheet forming (DSF) to its repertoire of manufacturing capabilities. Evology...
Boring Company Alum Score $9M for Advanced Composites Manufacturing
Layup Parts, a Huntington Beach, CA-based startup specializing in on-demand manufacturing of parts made from composites, has received $9 million in its latest financing round. Founders Fund, the VC firm...
Industrial Giant Ingersoll Rand Leads $19M Round Backing Inkbit’s AI-Driven 3D Printing
Inkbit, the Massachusetts-based original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of multi-material, AI-integrated 3D printers, has closed a $19 million financing round. Ingersoll Rand, a US giant in the industrial equipment sector, led...
3YOURMIND & Nigerian Oilfield Services Firm RusselSmith Team Up on 3D Printed Part Inventory
3YOURMIND, the German and U.S. software services provider specializing in digital inventory platforms for additive manufacturing (AM), has partnered with Nigerian oilfield services firm RusselSmith to digitize spare part files...