PLA Corkfill (cork)

ColorFabb, a company dedicated to the development and manufacture of filaments for FDM 3D printing, stands out for its constant R&D work and for its wide range of filaments, both standard and experimental.

PLA Corkfill is a PLA-based filament filled with cork fibres. PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) is a biodegradable plastic obtained from natural resources such as starch extracted from corn, beet and wheat.

PLA is one of the most widely used materials in 3D printing today due to the fact that it does not give off harmful gases and that it is not necessary to have a 3D printer with a heated bed, which makes it possible to process this material on any FDM 3D printer.

Thanks to its PLA base, the PLA Corkfill filament is very easy to print and does not warp even when printed on an FDM 3D printer without a heated bed.

Video 1: PLA Corkfill filament. Source: ColorFabb.

In addition to PLA, PLA Corkfill includes a percentage of cork fibres in its composition. Cork is the bark of the cork oak, a plant tissue called phelema in botany, which covers the trunk of the tree.

Cork is a material that possesses a set of unique properties:

• Lightness: Cork is a low density material.
• Elasticity: This material can be compressed to almost half its length without losing any flexibility, and recovers its shape and volume as soon as it is no longer pressed.
• High friction coefficient: the surface of the cork is covered with micro-suction cups that allow it to adhere very well and make it difficult to slide.
• Impermeability: the diffusion of liquids and gases through cork is very difficult, thanks to the suberin and ceroids present in the walls of its cells, cork is practically impermeable to liquids and gases. Its resistance to humidity allows it to age without deteriorating.
• High calorific value: the capacity of cork to generate heat is equivalent to that of charcoal, around 7000 Kcal/kg.
• Thermal insulator: It is thirty times more resistant to the passage of heat than concrete.

Thanks to the filling of cork fibres, PLA Corkfill filament has inherited some of the properties of cork. PLA Corkfill filament is lightweight, with a density of 1.18 g/cm3 (lighter than standard PLA), and impact resistant. In addition, the result once printed offers a cork-like aesthetic.

Image 1: Cork oak bark. Source: Pinterest.

This finish can vary, like most filaments with wood fibres, depending on the printing temperature; different shades can be generated in the same piece by playing with the printing temperature parameter. For more information on this subject, please refer to the following article.

Due to the particle load it contains, it is recommended to use a nozzle of at least 0.5 mm output diameter. However, as it does not contain abrasive particles, it would not be necessary to use a hardened steel nozzle like other filaments with fillers.

Corkfill PLA filament is ideal for 3D printing decorative elements. One of the great advantages of this FDM 3D printing material is that, by its nature, it can hide and smooth layer lines and other possible defects in the part. Thanks to the geometries that can be produced by FDM 3D printing and the various surface finishing possibilities offered by PLA Corkfill, very aesthetic and eye-catching results can be achieved.

Image 2: 3D printed parts with PLA Corkfill. Source: ColorFabb.

Another field of application for this material is architecture. In the field of architecture, scale models are often required for each project. In order to correctly visualise the design, as well as the construction materials, it is important that the model is as faithful as possible to reality. Sometimes it is difficult to find materials that correctly simulate the real thing and that allow a good level of detail and finish. 

Undoubtedly, the choice of 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. Furthermore, thanks to filaments such as PLA Corkfill, it is possible to find filaments that realistically simulate the appearance and texture of cork, offering ideal qualities for manufacturing decorative elements or architectural models.