From their Series 1 Pro 3D printer to their Print Pod, the California-based company Type A Machines has approached the 3D printing market with an innovative and RepRap-fueled spirit. This has helped the 3D printing company garner a well-respected reputation in the Maker community. And now, Type A Machines is expanding their material capabilities with the new ProMatte 3D printer filament. The firm’s first filament, ProMatte was developed in collaboration with the filament manufacturer Polymaker, who has released a number of high-quality materials, including PC-Plus, PolyMax, PolyWood, and many others. But the newly produced ProMatte filament has a number of particular qualities that seem to set it apart from your everyday PLA.
For starters, the surface finish of the ProMatte seems to conquer the issue of visual layering that usually hinders FFF printing, achieving a production quality surface right from the print bed. With no need for post-processing, the ProMatte aims to save a lot of time and effort for Makers looking to smooth out their prints. The new filament is also extremely lightweight, about one-third the weight of standard PLA material. At the same time, the ProMatte is also reportedly more flexible and malleable than other standard PLA material, making this all-encompassing filament the optimal choice for a number of prototyping or production-based applications. The ProMatte is especially useful in situations where the design requires both lightweight and functional objects or parts.
“With a revolutionary material like ProMatte, we answer the question of how to improve quality in a way no-one else has done before,” said Andrew Rutter, the founder and CTO Type A Machines. “ProMatte changes the way people think about 3D printing.”
Unlike most other PLA filaments, the ProMatte is also highly workable, allowing for an even smoother surface finish through sanding, torching, carving, or even tumbling to remove artifacts and strings. The ProMatte filament is currently available for purchase in the Type A store in Black Matte and Ivory White Matte, retailing at $58 USD per spool (500g/230 meters). Whether you are an industrial designer, engineer, or even an artist looking to achieve the smoothest finish, lightest weight, and most flexibility, you may be wise to direct your attention towards the ProMatte filament, and Type A Machines’ 3D printing technology as well.
