British company Filamentive added a proprietary PLA-filament to its portfolio. Its impact strength is 7.5 times higher than that of regular PLA (polylactide). It’s interesting that the company achieved this without the use of carbon fiber that is often added in order to improve the mechanical properties of Nylon. (Note: to print with CF-filled filaments one needs to install a hardened steel nozzle like the one here.)

The manufacturer cites a poll by a well-known French online 3D printing service platform Sculpteo that showed that 75% of the participants listed strength as the most important property of the materials. At the same time, 72% of respondents think that the additive manufacturing industry needs developments of renewable materials and related technologies. The PLA Tough filament is designed with these results in mind.

The PLA Tough is made from plant-based materials, as well as other PLA variants but it offers a higher impact strength that is close to that of ABS. While regular polylactide has an impact strength of 3.4 kJ/m2 by Charpy impact test, the PLA Tough filament offers 29.8 kJ/m2. Moreover, the material shows higher wear-resistance and low shrinkage. To be even more environmentally friendly, the filament is 50% of recycled PLA and is stored on cardboard spools.

The main properties of Filamentive PLA Tough:

Density: 1.21 g/cm3 (ISO 1183)
Determination of the melt mass-flow rate (MFR) (210°C/2,16 kg):: 8.75 g/10 min (ISO 1133)
Tensile strength at yield: 46 MPa (ISO 527)
Tensile strength at break: 19 MPa (ISO 527)
Elongation strain at break: 27% (ISO 527)
Tensile (E) modulus: 2750 MPa (ISO 527)
Impact strength - charpy method (23˚C): kJ/m2 (ISO 179)
Vicat softening temperature B: 57°C (ISO 306)
Recommended extrusion temperature: 210±10°C
Recommended print bed temperature: ≥60°C

Ravi Toor, founder and managing director at Filamentive, commented: “Whilst ABS and other engineering-grade polymers certainly have their place within 3D printing, the launch of PLA Tough meets the demand for an industrial-grade material that is easy to 3D print but also bio-based – enabling industrial 3D printing to be more sustainable, without compromising performance.”

The new filament is offered in six colors: black, white, gray, blue and red; and two diameters: 1.75 mm with 1kg filament spools and 2.85 with 750 g filament spools.

Filamentive Released a Stronger PLA Filament