A 4th dimension for 3D prints - Colorfabb Light-Weight, foaming PLA

I can highly recommend "Failure is not an Option" by Gene Kranz!

ColorFabb released 2 new light weight materials based on TPU and PLA. These materials use a blowing agent to create microscopic bubbles in the material during printing and therefore can lower the density by almost 60%. I tested the printability and strength of the LW-PLA at different levels of foaming to see for which applications it might be usable.
The material is available in black and white and sells for $45 a roll.

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[CNCKitchen]

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[chloemcholoe]

duuude you should've put the non-foamed low temp parts in the oven at like 230 to watch them foam up after the print!

[MadeWithLayers]

Awesome results! I really should get back to Colorfabb and get my hands on some LW PLA as well.

[frankbauerful]

Can you print a Benchy that swims well by printing it at high density in the bottom few layers and low density for the rest so it is heavier in the bottom and lies stable in the water?

[TheBohrokMan]

Very cool! Excellent tests as always! One thing to note is that strength/density is not always the best performance measure for weight critical applications depending on the geometry and loading. For flat plates in bending (i.e. airplane wings), a better performance measure is the strength^(1/2) over the density. For bars in bending (like a wing spar), the proper performance quantity is strength^(2/3)/ density, depending on how it is loaded and the geometry. Because foams are low density, a thin panel made from foam would actually be both stronger and stiffer than a panel of the same weight made from a material with greater density and higher stiffness/density. I could see this material being super useful for RC airplanes like you mentioned! For more info, look up Ashby material index if you’re interested.

[BigBlack]

Variosure filament review video, please. PLEASE!!! This is the content I drool over.

[parrottm]

Just when I thought I had seen it all for FDM printing, you show us these results. My mind boggles at the possibilities. Wow!

[homebodyhero]

I'm disappointed this channel isn't set up like a cooking show.
"And here we have the printed parts already prepared"

[enyocd]

i wonder if the trapped air gives parts insulating properties?

[TheBitterBeard]

We're seeing the bits and pieces of our future manufacturing abilities, appearing in these 3d special filiments. Awesome stuff!

[samnelson]

This is so cool! I am interested in the Varioshore TPU, as it sounds like it could have some pretty cool uses!

[Evinosx]

I really appreciate your approach to formal testing of materials. I'm an engineer in training and have been able to use the industry versions of your DIY UTM and Impact test. Keep up the good work.

[lagynas]

Nobody: you can print 3 times more with 1kg.
Me: You son of a I'm in.

[ARVash]

This definitely seems like a good way to make more with less, I bet it would be really good for lost pla casting as well

[damonnikolaidis]

It would be very interesting to see the Varioshore TPU tested.
The most important property for practical use would probably be how much force it takes before you reach the foamed up material's yield point and it starts permanently deforming.



Keep it up Stefan!

[JohnOCFII]

I really enjoy your detailed filament analysis. This is a really interesting filament, and, I think, gives a hint of where 3D Printing will be going in the years ahead.

[tsdprints]

You are so in-depth on all of your videos. It's so great. Keep up the hard work.

[LincolnWorld]

Thanks for creating some of the most useful 3D printing content out there! This was great. I'd love to see more about the tpu one as well.

[tobiasgunny]

You brought up multi nozzle use cases and I agree! This sort of thinking applied to our industry could be huge.

[Ucceah]

that looks absolutely perfect for printed RC planes. but what people seem to keep overlooking with those, is how easy it is to hand-laminater on a paper thin layer of fiber glass or carbon, and possibly get a better strengh to weight ratio and (propably) the majority of commercial planes.