Those who “make with” 3D printers may not be familiar with the name but those who “make” 3D printers know all about it: German multinational plastic component producer igus makes parts for a vast majority of desktop FDM and RepRap FFF 3D printers.
Energy chain and its drylin® low profile linear guide systems, round linear guides and lead screw units: all components produced by igus are tribologic, meaning they do not require lubricants to move because they are made of technopolymers that are more resistant to abrasion than standard plastics.
After working with so many 3D printer producers, igus has decided to go one step further and develop the world’s first tribo filament. The new material is up to 50 times more abrasion-resistant than conventional 3D printer filament, according to the company, which means it can be used to produce a much wider range of 3D printer components and other products.
Igus has been researching the 3D printer filament field to provide its customers with even more flexibility. With the new filament they will reportedly be able to design custom parts or manufacture prototypes whilst simultaneously relying on the tested service life of igus tribologic materials.
The product has undergone extensive tests in the 1750 square metre igus in-house lab and the company claims it can effectively be considered the first filament for 3D printers specifically developed for dynamic applications. It will give users more flexibility for the design of their bearings, allowing prototypes to be produced cost-effectively and quickly.
Making the filament abrasion resistant is not the only revolution that igus will present at the next Hannover Fair for Industrial Automation (April 7th to the 11th, next week): the igus website already provides access to readily available 3D models for many igus products in the STL format, which can be downloaded and directly used as input data for 3D printing. This means that even many high quality 3D printer components can now be 3D printed locally.
The filament will be produced with standard diameters of 1.75 mm and 3.00 mm for spools with 250g material. There will also be starter kits with wit approximately 25 g material for initial trials.
Another company that needs to consider RichRaps Spool initiative!
