MadeSolid Announces FlexSolid Flexible 3D Printer Filament for May Release

MadeSolid Inc., maker of advanced materials for 3D printing, has just begun production of and announced a release date for their FlexSolid, a new filament they say “doubles the speed on Type A printers.”

MadeSolid also says FlexSolid dramatically increases the quality of flexible 3D prints, and this latest filament will be in the hands of resellers and available directly at MadeSolid.com in early May.

Founded in 2013 in Oakland, California, MadeSolid develops advanced materials for 3D printers and they research, create, and sell new consumable material for filaments and UV curable printing technologies. The company has in the past made use of help from early beta users and a crowd sourcing campaign to release several products that give 3D printer users access to advanced materials.

“FlexSolid is elastic, stretchable and tough. It’s the latest in a series of firsts we’ve achieved in the advanced materials space, and represents a big step forward in our quest to transform the way the world designs and manufactures products, ” says Lance Pickens, the CEO of MadeSolid.

Pickens left the chemistry PhD program at University of Southern California to launch MadeSolid, and along with co-founder and CTO David Rorex, the head of MadeSolid’s engineering arm, the pair work to make certain the bond between chemistry and hardware at the company remain linked.

According to Pickens, FlexSolid’s combination of strength and elasticity are ideal for prototyping and manufacturing flexible products quickly, easily, efficiently, and at scale.

Pickens said he thinks FlexSolid will be of particular interest to makers of consumer electronics devices, medical and prosthetics builders,  as well as wearables, fashion, and sporting equipment manufacturers who require flexibility and durability as elements of final product performance.

Now a part of a product line which includes CastSolid, Vorex, and PET + Filament, FlexSolid is expected to retail for $39 per spool and MadeSolid will roll out this latest product on May 10, 2015.

The Emeryville, California-based company came about after graduating from the Y Combinator Class of 2014, and Pickens says the company was founded to discover–and deliver–materials aimed at allowing designers to build their creative ideas into physical form.

Can you think of interesting applications for this latest filament from materials developers MadeSolid? They call it FlexSolid, and it’s set for release in May. Let us know in the MadeSolid FlexSolid 3D Printer Filament forum thread on 3DPB.com.