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荷兰细丝开发人员Colorfabbhas revealed that it is working with system manufacturerColossusto create a version of its ‘LW’ foaming material that’s compatible with Fused Granulate Fabrication (FGF) 3D printing.
First introduced in 2019, colorFabb’s PLA-based LW range incorporates an active-foaming technology, that allows users to FDM 3D print lightweight, low-density parts. The firm’s latest variant, which is set to be marketed with Colossus’ newXS system，旨在将这些功能提升到一个新的水平，并使用FGF的多个加热区，以使组件的快速生产更快。
“我们第一次遇到了LW材料跑ge, we immediately recognized the opportunities it would bring to the FGF market,” explains Colossus CEO Philippe-Daniel Merillet. “Imagine [applying] the principle of printing twice as fast or twice as light to large-scale industrial systems. Printing and alternating these effects with the same pellets, machine and even G-code. It’s revolutionary.”
Colorfabb减轻了东西
Founded byHelian PolymersCEO Ruud Rouleaux in 2012, colorFabb was launched on the back of a newly-developed PLA that, once heated, foams to increase its volume by nearly 300%. Said to allow users to reduce their material output by 60%, an updated ‘LW’ version of the polymer is now marketed by the firm alongside an ASA edition, as well as materials from the likes ofDSM，，，，LEVHOSS，，，，NinjaTekandigus。
Over the years, the company has steadily ramped up its commercial activities,unveiling a new Belfeld HQin 2017, before adding various filaments including the基于聚酯的ngen_luxandvarioShore TPUto its material portfolio.
ColorFabb has also embraced partnerships with fellow material manufacturers as a means of developing new polymers, and in the last four years, it has managed to与Robo3D合作to this end, as well as co-creating acarbon fiber-infused polyamide据说Levhoss具有PA6状的特性，但具有增强的可打印性。
Bringing ‘LW’ to FGF users
在其最新合作中，ColorFabb现在试图将其聚合物专业知识与Colossus的处理知识相结合，以制定，测试和适应稳定的FGF-3D可打印化合物。本质上，开发这种材料可能是有利的，因为FGF系统具有多个加热区，可以将其配置为允许泡沫材料快速达到充分扩展。
“The amount of energy the filament can absorb during printing depends on the length of the hot-zone and the time it takes for the filament to pass through,” adds Merillet. “The longer a filament resides inside the hot-end, the more energy it can absorb. Assuming nozzle size and layer height are fixed, the main input variables are temperature, speed, and flow to determine the amount of expansion.”
Initial testing is said to have yielded positive results, with the firms achieving layer heights of 1cm using an 8mm nozzle, although they maintain that the “limits of the material have not yet been reached.” Once ready, the polymer will be marketed by Colossus along with its new XS Series, a 1600 x 1200 x 1300mm韦伯extrusion- 功率为FGF系统，很快就会通过“容器化”版本连接。
When used with Colossus’ XS Series, Merillet believes that the upcoming FGF-compatible material will ultimately enable 3D printing providers to produce parts with “exceptionally high-layer heights,” while reducing their manufacturing costs.
“In print services around the world, cost is a function of material price plus printing time. Higher layer heights allow for reduced print times,” concludes Merillet. “It’s like having a 4.5K/h extruder capable of 9k/h, and the ability to print only percentages of the normal weight, what’s not to love? It will change the way people print from this moment onwards.”
FGF的大幅面潜力
Given its lightweighting potential, ColorFabb and Colossus’ new material couldn’t have come at a better time for FGF users, as the technology continues to find large-format applications.DSM的树脂和功能材料单元，最近是由Covestro收购，，，，has been central to experimenting with such use cases, and itpartnered with JuggerBot 3D去年进一步进一步测试制度。
此后不久，该公司宣布与Nedcam合作同样，它同意支持其合作伙伴的大规模商业FGF印刷服务。具体而言，DSM的材料部门致力于帮助开发和测试海洋，能源，建筑和基础设施部门内的新的FGF材料，过程和应用。
贾比尔subsidiary,贾比尔Engineered Materials，，，，has also carried out FGF R&D of its own, byworking with Titan Roboticslast November to advance the capabilities of the technology for industrial applications. The firms have not only managed to qualify Jabil’s fiber-reinforced nylon composite for Titan’s pellet-based extrusion Atlas 3D printer, but committed to continue developing materials for the platform in future.
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Featured image shows Colossus’ XS Series 3D printer in-action, design by Joachim Froment。通过巨像打印照片。
