EasyWood PLA

Formfutura, the renowned manufacturer of 3D printing materials, works continuously on the development of sustainable materials, such as those of the EasyWood range.

EasyWood is the family of filaments based on PLA and wood fibres. PLA (Polylactic Acid) is a biodegradable plastic obtained from natural resources. In particular, it is obtained from starch extracted from corn, beet and wheat.

The choice of the filament to be used in each project can contribute to a more sustainable future. The use of biodegradable thermoplastics such as PLA or filaments composed of PLA and natural fibres, has a lower impact on the environment than other thermoplastics derived from fossil fuels, such as ABS.

PLA is one of the most widely used materials in 3D printing today because it does not give off harmful gases and because it is not necessary to have a 3D printer with a hot bed, which makes it very easy to print with it on any FDM technology 3D printer using the standard PLA configuration.

Thanks to its PLA base, EasyWood filaments are very easy to print and do not have warping even when printed on 3D FDM printers that do not have a hot bed.

EasyWood contains a filling of approximately 40% wood fibres.

The wood is composed of cellulose fibres bound with lignin. Once cut and dried, the wood is used in different sectors and with an infinite number of applications, such as construction or furniture making. It is also used as fuel (firewood) and as a raw material in the production of paper (pulp).

That wood is such a useful material is due to its properties such as its resistance, its flexibility, its hardness (this depends on the type of wood) and its good capacity for thermal and acoustic insulation, thanks to the micro air bubbles that its structure contains when it is dry.

Wood is also an ecological material that comes from nature; therefore it integrates into the environment generating a much lower impact than other materials.

Wood has great aesthetic value due to its colour and texture, which depend on the type of tree it comes from. This material can be manipulated and modified with techniques such as carving, and is widely used for artistic applications such as sculpture or polychrome.

Image 1: EasyWood filaments and tecturing. Source: Formfutura.

Initiatives such as the creation of filaments from natural fibres allow the reuse of materials that would otherwise be discarded, giving new life to furniture and other wooden objects in poor condition.

Thanks to the filling of wood fibres, EasyWood filaments have inherited some of the properties of this material, in addition to its aesthetics, similar to wood, with a matt textured surface.

This finish can vary, like other filaments with wood fibres, depending on the printing temperature; different tones or veins can be generated in the same piece by playing with the printing temperature parameters. For more information on this subject, we recommend that you consult the following article.

Due to the wood fibre load of its composition, it is recommended to print this filament with a nozzle of at least 0.5 mm output diameter to avoid jamming.

Despite the particle load it contains, EasyWood filaments do not require the use of a hardened steel nozzle like other loaded filaments. This is because the filler particles of EasyWood filaments are not abrasive, and therefore allow for 3D printing using a standard brass nozzle.

EasyWood filaments are particularly suitable for 3D printing of decorative elements. The combination of the new geometries that can be manufactured through 3D printing and the various surface finish possibilities offered by EasyWood, allows for very aesthetic and striking results.

Image 2: Parts printed with EasyWood. Source: Formfutura.

When using materials such as standard PLA for artistic or decorative applications, layer lines and other imperfections or manifestations of FDM manufacturing technology can be clearly distinguished, which can affect the result of the pieces by incurring in a longer post-processing time to achieve the desired finish. The natural texture and grain of EasyWood filaments smoothes out these lines and defects.

Parts printed with EasyWood can be sanded and modified almost as if they were wood; the piece can be post-processed until it achieves a finish very similar to that of polished wood.

Another field of application for this material is architecture. In the architecture sector it is usually required the elaboration of scale models of each project. To correctly visualize the design, as well as the construction materials, it is important that the model is as faithful as possible to reality. Sometimes it is complicated to find materials that correctly simulate the real ones and that allow a good level of detail and finish.

Thanks to the filaments of the EasyWood family it is possible to find filaments that realistically simulate the appearance and texture of wood.

EasyWood comes in 7 colors: olive, birch, cedar, coconut, ebony, pine and willow. And in diameter of 1.75 mm and 2.85 mm. EasyWood does not owe its color to synthetic dyes, but the tone is given by its composition and filling of fibers from different woods. For this reason, the color may vary slightly from one roll to another.

EasyWood packaging is environmentally friendly. EasyWood PLA filaments are presented on reels of recycled cardboard, easy to recycle and dispose of. These reels in turn are packed in recycled cardboard boxes.

Due to its ease of printing and its spectacular finish, this filament is ideal for architectural models and artistic or decorative applications.