Colussus
Large-scale 3D printing firm Colussus is working with colorFabb to bring lightweight materials to the Fused Granulate Fabrication (FGF) market.
With a shared focus on sustainability and joint desire to support customers with ‘specialised materials’, Colussus and colorFabb are set to commercialise the latter’s lightweight PLA (LW PLA) foaming material alongside the former’s soon-to-be-launched XS model FGF Printer.
The LW PLA material uses active foaming technology and is said to enable lightweight, low density parts or ‘exceptionally high layer heights’ depending on the print parameters used. colorFabb’s LW materials expand based on the energy they absorb as they pass through the FGF extruders’ multiple heating zones.
“The longer a filament will reside in the hot-end, the more energy it can absorb which will increase the amount of expansion,” explains Ruud Rouleaux, CEO of colorFabb. “Assuming nozzle size and layer height are fixed, the main input variables are temperature, speed and flow to determine the amount of expansion.”
Colussus
With the numerous variables at play in FGF printers, such as multiple temperature zones, the ranges in nozzle sizes and layer heights, and the pressure settings in the extruder and melt pump, the partners believe they can achieve ‘unique and revolutionary results.’ They have worked closely over the last year to test and adapt the foaming materials and formulations in order to obtain a stable FGF compound. After the first round of testing, the companies achieved layer heights of 1cm on an 8mm nozzle, but they believe they are still yet to reach the limits of the material.
As further development is carried out, the companies are readying for the launch of the XS model FGF printer, which has been developed with high quality WEBER additive extrusion technology and has been optimised to colorFabb’s LW PLA material. The machine is expected to be introduced later this year, with Colossus CEO Philippe-Daniel Merillet anticipating the machine and material combination to have a significant impact.
“The first time we encountered the LW material range from colorFabb we immediately recognised the opportunities it would bring to the FGF market,” Merillet says. “Imagine, taking the principle of printing twice as fast or twice as light applied to large-scale industrial print systems. Printing and alternating these effects with the same pellets, the same machine and even incorporated in the same G-code. It’s revolutionary. In print services around the world, cost is a function of material price + printing time. Higher layer heights allow for reduced print times. 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.”
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