Eastman Chemical Company has been making its Amphora plastic available to filament manufacturers to take advantage of the material’s properties in order to produce unique 3D printing materials. Namely, colorFabb has created a BPA-free copolyester material, as well as their powerful carbon fiber filament, using the material. Now, two popular US companies are taking advantage of Amphora with taulman 3D‘s n-vent filament, tested and promoted by Aleph Objects, manufacturers of the LulzBot Mini and TAZ 3D printers.
Eastman boasts the toughness, ease of processing, and printability of its Amphora, attributes carried over to taulman 3D’s n-vent material, a low-odor material with strong heat resistance, low shrinkage, and high tensile strength. Thomas Martzall, owner of taulman 3D, says of the quality that Eastman’s Amphora brings, “Eastman provides quality materials, and their technical and engineering expertise round out a set of features that is ideal for 3D printing material development. Because of trends in smaller designs, we’re expecting an increase in multipart designs that need to fit together properly. The reduced shrinkage of this material, along with Eastman Amphora(TM) 3D polymer’s bonding abilities, will ensure multipart designs accomplish the desired goal.”
The material will be available this summer in a variety of colors, but, more generally, represents the partnership of all three companies that seeks to see ever greater materials introduced to the 3D printing community. Aleph Objects has been testing n-vent and is currently showcasing the material, printed on their newest generation of LulzBot 3D printers, at RAPID 2015 in Long Beach, CA. Jeff Moe, president of Aleph Objects, says of the material, “Based on our in-house testing using LulzBot 3D printers, we are confident that n-vent by taulman 3D, made with Eastman Amphora(TM) 3D polymer, will rank among the best premium materials on the market.”
Though the quality of both LulzBot and taulman have long been backed by many Makers in the 3D printing community, the partnership with Eastman now lends the Fortune 500 company credibility in the community, as well, while providing the smaller brands a powerful partner, capable of providing industrial-grade materials with which to produce filaments for the 3D printing community. As Alex Dudal, market development representative for Eastman Chemical Company, says, “Collaborations like the one between taulman 3D and Aleph Objects are why Eastman is involved in the 3D printing market. These two companies are key leaders in this market from a hardware and filament perspective, and collaborating with them allows us to bring Eastman Amphora(TM) 3D polymer to a broader audience in the right way.”
At the same time as this speaks of the firm foundation that Aleph Objects and taulman 3D have in the 3D printing market, it also speaks to the growing presence of large companies in the space. While GE, Autodesk, HP, Intel, and Microsoft look to dominate the software and hardware of 3D printing, Eastman, Mistubishi, and NatureWorks are looking at the materials side of the industry. It’s my personal opinion that the open source community will win out in the long term and, with Eastman picking partners already valued by the DIY and open source communities, I think they’ve placed the appropriate bets.
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