The filament war is officially on. Lately, I have been reporting on several Italian companies getting into the thermoplastic plastic extrusion game (TreeD, EUMAKERS, 3DFilo), along with companies entering the market from Eastern Europe (Fillamentum, Dr3D), adding up to the original Dutch players (Formfutura and colorFabb, mainly), the large Chinese manufacturers like eSun, and even large companies like Verbatim. Now, it is time to get back to the US to discover AllProfessional3D, a manufacturer hailing from a city that just seems like the perfect place to make 3D printing filaments: Phil…adelphia.
“I started my company looking to help drive the cost of materials down in the 3D print space,” AllProfessional3D’s founder, Andreas Vetter, told me. “[Right now,] it’s pretty expensive to be able to buy full spools and try new materials and colors, especially the exotic materials. I want to help open the market up to enable college kids and hobbyists to get their hands on 3D printing. They are the ones who are the most active in renewing the creative process, contributing with new processes and solutions. I think it’s really critical that we continue to lower the access costs to 3D printing.”
AllProfessional3D’s selection is complete in terms of the most widely adopted desktop 3D printing materials. It includes more than ten colors, both in PLA and ABS, as well as support materials such as PVA and HIPS, with exotics such as wood, rubber, polypropylene and even conductive ABS. All materials are sold in 2.2lbs/1Kg spools, with prices starting at $27.95. “It is the same exact base material as some of the pricier products you see around. On our specialty filament we are way below our competitors’s prices,” Vetter said. AllPro3D’s filaments are also certified by RoHS, ISO:9001, and SGS standards and anyone interested in testing them can request a 10 meter sample of any PLA color in stock.
The young firm’s next project is to finish development on a desktop plastic extruder slightly larger than the currently available Filabot. “We are now in our second generation prototype, with the third generation being our production model, that we plan to begin selling to consumers in 2016,” Vetter explained. “It will more stable and stronger, with a full metal body for safer operation and increased speed. The goal is to launch it at a $500 price point and to then move on to the 4th generation machine, which will be a larger, more commercial model for schools, engineering firms, small factories and maker hubs, making filament even more affordable to all.” What better place to start making filament more affordable than Fil…adelphia?
