Wood / Stone 

Wood and stone filaments

Wood or stone filaments are filaments with a polymer base and a filler of wood fibres or mineral particles. The base of these materials is usually PLA (polylactic acid) or ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene). These two materials are the most commonly used in FDM 3D printing. In the case of PLA, because it is a material that is very easy to print and does not emit odours, and in the case of ABS because of its mechanical properties.

The loading percentage of these filaments is not very high, so the material maintains the printing properties of the base polymer and the resulting parts acquire the surface finish provided by the filler, i.e. a wood or stone surface finish is obtained.

Special textures and finishes

Thanks to the filling of wood fibres or mineral particles, parts 3D printed with these materials have a surface finish with a certain roughness, which makes it possible to hide or disguise small imperfections and the layer lines typical of FDM technology.

Many of these filaments have a special property in that their shade can vary depending on the selected printing temperature. When printing at a lower temperature, the material acquires a lighter tone, while when printing at a higher temperature, darker tones are achieved. This characteristic grain in materials such as wood provides a very striking finish.

In addition to this feature, most of these materials can be cut, sanded or even painted very easily, making them ideal for 3D prints of figures that need to look like wood or stone.

In the handicraft sector, raw materials such as wood or stone are worked with the limitations of traditional tools and many hours of work. In the case of architecture and design, scale models, prototypes or final pieces are required, for which a lot of time must be invested if they are to be made by hand.

3D printing and the development of materials such as wood filaments or stone filaments allow the manufacture of any part without the limitations of traditional manufacturing processes, making it possible to manufacture complex geometries and parts of all kinds with much shorter manufacturing times and costs, as well as with great repeatability. Moreover, with wood and stone filaments, realistic finishes are obtained that resemble the corresponding material.