Usually, the appearance of bubbles in the extruded filament is considered a bad sign, but it turns out that you can now buy filaments specifically for foaming. [Stefan] of CNC Kitchen did some experiments with these foamy filaments, and the results were very interesting.

The filaments in question are VARIOSHORE TPU and LW-PLA from ColorFabb. Both types of filaments have a blowing agent added to the formulation, which releases gas as the temperature rises. This can result in the formation of air bubbles and the formation of a honeycomb structure, thereby reducing density and increasing the flexibility of the printed part. This is not the first time that foaming has been sold as a feature, but previously it was only used for the aesthetic purposes of Polymaker's Polywood filaments.

Before testing the material through his excellent testing procedures, [Stefan] first completed the process of adjusting the print settings. This can be tricky because foaming increases the effective volume of the plastic and requires careful adjustment of the extrusion rate. The foaming of the PLA filament reaches its maximum foaming at 250°C, when its density is 44% of that of the unfoamed filament.

When testing the physical properties, [Stefan] found that the tensile strength and stiffness of the printed parts decreased with the increase in foaming, but the impact strength was improved. He concluded that lightweight PLA can have some interesting applications because it reduces weight and increases impact strength. 3D printed RC airplanes are a good example. It should also be possible to change the interlayer, effectively sandwiching the foam layer between the solid surface layers.

[Stefan]’s video is a great resource for those who want to master the details of 3D printing of different materials. He used carbon fiber to reinforce the prints, played with the squeeze width and developed an ingenious gradual filling technique.

I want to know if you can combine it with resin stability to produce stronger parts...

It will definitely provide you with a good key in printing for glued joints with other structural parts. Although trying to stabilize it may be tricky and may not produce more results than the resin used for material properties. But this will depend heavily on the unpredictable geometry, and the "lightweight" filler core used in resin can be very cool for many things.. At some point you have to get some to test.

What happens if a foaming agent is added to the fiber fixing filament? Maybe they can absorb resin like a sponge: D

As foldi one said, it will all depend on the geometry, and it really means 0. 9/10 times will be faster, easier and stronger, just make wa fiber and resin. All my friends hate 3D printing

Maybe with a little adjustment, they can be like bird bones.

I want to know if you can remove additives during production and cool the filament under pressure. So it becomes carbonated like a soft drink. This may make it more powerful.

I want to know if the smoke can be tolerated?

Since it is used in desktop printers on the market and no harmful fumes are mentioned in the MSDS, I hope they use foaming agents that release CO2.

It releases a high-quality herbal aroma from the sounds I hear.

His project and his love of metrology are at a very good edge in this regard: viscoelastic materials are very commonly used for vibration and shock absorption, and these materials are usually foam materials. Everything from your next big electronic box to a motorcycle engine can use this variant.

Therefore, the next (anonymous) Internet challenge will be to start studying the mechanical frequency response/resonance characteristics of these materials in different shapes and densities.

Why bother? From very light brackets to making drone video more stable, to shock-absorbing power tool handles, everything can be done at home.

This is a very interesting idea. The nozzle size may also play a role.

Now we wait...caramel and chocolate filaments...so we can print Eros and honeycomb toffee.... And crunchy bars and maltose with a multi-filament system.

How is the quality of success? I wonder if it is rough, but can it be easily sanded, primed and painted to get a better texture, maybe a stronger appearance, but still maintain a light and relatively strong internal structure.

Because the entire filament should always bubble through the finish, once you get rid of the outermost fluff, you won't get much improvement. It may even get worse because the core of the filament will stay hot for longer, so the bubbles near the middle may be bigger and more irregular.

Filler primer should be applied in a few coats, because even the largest bubbles are relatively small and shallow.

If it is good enough (I should think so-even if you use a very high temperature softening sheet, they can stay very thin, they will not have the thermal mass that causes problems) It is possible to form a vacuum on the top of the print (geometry allows) It is the easiest way to get a solid shell surface. Although if you use 3D printing for vacuum forming, you cannot capture the molding and only use the vacuum-formed shell as a finished part. I think this is for making the lightest but deep form (in the printing part) handling the mounting hardware.

Will the Benchy made of this filament float or sink?

Well, can we print air bearings now? No graphite, no grinding, just a 3d printer

I believe this is a closed-cell sponge, so it is not true, but it is worth a try. Maybe there are some processes that can increase the openness of cells, such as printing a very thin layer...

Can I use this material for filling with a twin-filament printer and ordinary silk for the surface of the material?

I really like how these people are methodical and appreciate the level of detail in the information he shared, so I added a valuable tip to the youtube comment of the video, let’s see if he noticed and profited from it, Because other people will if he doesn't. :-)

“You don’t need an extruder to control the foaming. You only need to control the melting and deposition rate. The foaming can be modulated by a laser. Proper engineering design and having CAD allows you to use the generated metamaterial properties for a clear design. Then you will get excellent results."

It can already be done. The problem is that the 3D printer is not designed for food safety. Unfortunately, simply swapping the filament and nozzle is not enough.

The above comments are in response to Matt Kramer.

When I heard the guy's German accent and artificial intonation, the hairs on my arms stood up. Cannot watch video with sound. Only subtitles.

Please be kind and respectful to help make the comment section great. (Comment Policy)

This website uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how to handle your comment data.

By using our website and services, you explicitly agree to the placement of our performance, functionality and advertising cookies. learn more