Interesting article on a new filament developed by colorfabb:
http://www.fabbaloo.com/blog/2014/9/7/amphora-may-revolutionize-3d-printed-plastics
available from here:
http://colorfabb.com/xt-copolyester
Basically it’s a new plastic designed specifically for 3D printing. Looks like a really neat filament, from the article:
- It produces very little to no odor during printing, avoiding the same issue experienced when printing ABS
- Far fewer unhealthy nanoparticles become airborne during Amphora printing, unlike ABS plastic
- Amphora is a very strong material, avoiding the fragility of PLA plastic
- Finer details are possible due to the strength of the material
- Amphora has a higher melting point than PLA, meaning you might be able to leave an Amphora print on your car dashboard and expect to not melt
- Layers bond together much better, meaning prints are stronger and surface finish is improved
- The material has very strong chemical resistance; few common substances will affect it
- It’s approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for “food contact” applications
Unfortunately it seems to only ship from europe… so it’s pretty expensive. But it may be something that could really be a promising material for 3D printing! If only we knew someone who buys filament in bulk to figure out if it could be brought to an amazon store/warehouse near us… 