Pellets LW-PLA ColorFabb

Colour traceability cannot be guaranteed as the shade varies between spools depending on the natural compounds used in each production process.

ColorFabb, a company based in the Netherlands, specializes in the creation and manufacture of filaments and pellets for FFF and FGF 3D printing. Their research efforts have led to enhancements in existing products and the introduction of novel offerings like TPU Varioshore, Vibers PLA, allPHA or the innovative LW-PLA material, a PLA and foaming agent compound that allows to 3D print parts with lower weight or reduce printing time by printing bigger layerheights or thicker layerwidths.

Image 1: A lightweight RC plane 3D printed with the LW-PLA material. Source: Colorfabb.

When extruded, LW-PLA has the exceptional ability to expand its volume by nearly threefold and concurrently reduce its weight by up to 65 %, all achieved through manipulating its density. The final density is contingent on the extrusion speed and temperature, as well as layer height. For example, at an extrusion temperature of 170 ºC no foam is produced, at 190-210 ºC foam formation is activated and the maximum foam formation happens between 210 and 230 ºC.

Video 1: Testing an RC plane 3D printed with LW-PLA. Source: ColorFabb.

LW-PLA inherits the glossy, durable, and rigid attributes of standard PLA but when fully foamed, LW-PLA gives the 3D printed parts a matte surface finish. It is possible to modify the LW-PLA material by extruding it together with a color masterbatch.

The LW-PLA pellets are perfect for the additive manufacturing of various decorative objects or functional prototypes with reduced weight with the help of FGF manufacturing solutions such as the CEAD AM Flexbot solution, the CEAD E25 extruder, the Mahor V4 pellet extruder, or the Dyze Pulsar extruder. It is also possible to manufacture personalized 3D printing filament from the LW-PLA pellets with the help of the Felfil ecosystem.