PolyWood PLA

Wooden 3D printing filaments are usually made up of a base of polymer and an additive in the form of wood dust. This combination gives the 3D printed parts the look, feel and smell of wood but can prove problematic upon extrusion, causing nozzle clogging due to the inconsistent size of the wood particles. Polymaker has solved this problem by developing the first wood filament that does not contain actual wood - PolyWood.

Video 1: Introducing the PolyWood PLA filament. Source: Polymaker.

The PolyWood filament belongs to Polymaker's Specialty family of materials and its composition is 100 % PLA. The secret to obtaining a wood filament without wood is Polymaker's special foaming technology. The Stabilized Foaming technology is used to produce foamed filaments, whose foam structure can survive the printing process and be inherited by the printed parts. This is what gives PolyWood the structure of wood by recreating the density of wood (lower than standard PLA).

Image 1: The Stabilized Foaming technology. Source: Polymaker.

Polymaker has also applied the Jam-Free technology in the manufacturing of PolyWood. Thanks to the Jam-Free technology, the heat stability of the Polymaker PLA filaments increases, leading to excellent printing quality with zero risk of nozzle jams.

Image 2: The Jam-Free technology. Source: Polymaker.

Parts made with PolyWood are lightweight and have an unprecedented surface finish that very realistically mimics wood. Parts printed with PolyWood PLA have a matte finish with open pores and almost imperceptible layer lines, which makes this filament ideal for aesthetic applications. The surface of parts printed with PolyWood PLA can be further post-processed, for example by painting it, to personalize the look of the printed object. Complex structures can be 3D printed with the PolyWood filament by using the PolyDissolve S1 support filament or the PolySupport breakaway support filament. Printing profiles for the PolyWood filament can be found on the Polymaker website.