Porthcurno - Fishy Filaments by Fillamentum

The sustainable Porthcurno filament is the result of the inspiring collaboration between Fillamentum and Fishy Filaments. Porthcurno is a PA6 3D printing filament made of 100 % recycled fishing nets, and its name comes from a small village on the south coast of Cornwall, the country of origin of Fishy Filaments. As opposed to the OrCA filament from the same line of filaments, Portcurno is an unfilled PA6 filament with a significantly lower environmental impact than classic nylon.

Image 1: Porthcurno vs. classic nylon. Source: Fillamentum.

The main properties of the Porthcurno filament are:

• An attractive translucent blue-green color reminiscent of the sea, a smooth and shiny finish.
• Flexibility, high tensile strength (even higher than nylons with aramid or carbon fibers), and excellent resistance to impacts (also at -20 °C).
• Resistance to temperatures of up to 180 ºC.
• Sterilizable in autoclave and chemically resistant.
• Safe to use in electrical and electronic equipment.
• Recyclable.

The idea for making this material was born in 2016 in Cornwall when Ian Falconer, the founder of Fishy Filaments, realized the wasted potential of nylon monofilament fishing nets. Out of the total of over 200 000 tonnes of fishing nets manufactured each year, only about 15 % is recycled and the rest is disposed of (burnt or buried). 1-2 % gets lost at sea where it takes up to 600 years to decompose and poses a threat to sea life that gets trapped in the nets (ghost netting).

Image 2: The Portcurno filament is the fruit of a collaboration between Fishy Filaments and Fillamentum. Source: Fillamentum.

Since the material used to produce fishing nets is an engineering-grade highly resilient material, Ian Falconer took it as his mission to transform these end-of-life nets into a valuable resource. In 2021, Fillamentum joined Fishy Filaments in these efforts and this is how the "Fishy Filaments by Fillamentum" project was born.

Video 1: Interview with Ian Falconer about the Fishy filaments. Source: Fillamentum.

The fishing nets used in the production of the Porthcurno filament are sourced directly from commercial fishing fleets to ensure the quality, traceability and continuity of the supply chain (as opposed to using found marine plastic).

Image 3: Decorative vases 3D printed with the Portcurno filament. Source: Fillamentum.

The Porthcurno filament is mainly aimed at advanced and industrial users who need performance and sustainability. Parts 3D printed with this material are ideal both for aesthetic and artistic 3D printing projects (homewares, wearables, fashion and other aesthetic products) as well as for functional models with great mechanical and chemical resistance.