While the two plastics work well for most applications, they do have their drawbacks. ABS is rigid and subject to breaking, while PLA melts at low temperatures and is unsuitable for many durable applications. But all hope is not lost, as a new Kickstarter venture looks to provide 3D printer users with specially-blended filaments and extensive datasheets on the properties of printing materials.
Aaron Cram and his brother Dustin Cram founded Proto-Pasta with the modest hope that they could "change the landscape of what is available for consumer grade 3D printing materials”, altering the way those materials are evaluated.
For their initial launch, Proto-Pasta is releasing three materials, a Carbon Fiber Reinforced PLA, a High Temperature PLA and a Polycarbonate-ABS Alloy.
To produce a Carbon Fiber Reinforced PLA, the Cram’s have fashioned a material that blends PLA resin with 15% Tenax short chopped carbon fibers. The result is a material that resists bending and could be used for aerodynamic prototyping.
The High Temperature PLA is a custom blended compound that employs minerals, impact modified PLA, and a nucleating agent that promotes crystallization. This blending eliminates PLA’s low melting point, and makes it a much more durable (though still affordable) option.
The final new material, a Polycarbonate-ABS (PC-ABS) Alloy, is an all-around option that’s extremely tough and ideal for building parts that need to take a beating.
As impressive as these new filaments are on their own, however, it’s the comprehensive datasheets Proto-Pasta includes with the filaments that makes them so valuable. These datasheets describe the exact properties associated with each type of filament, and thus provide the foundation necessary to produce accurate, structurally sound parts.
So while it is not yet clear how Proto-Pasta’s progressive model will play out, its strong filaments and emphasis on information certainly have the potential to ignite an at-home 3D printing revolution.
Images Courtesy of Proto-Pasta