Although our reporting on 3DPI basically consists of letting everyone involved in 3D printing know what everyone else is offering, we cannot actually report on everything that is available. This may be a small industry, but it is also a global one, and there are amazing things happening everywhere, all the time.
That is one of the reasons why, though I have been following recent developments, I cannot report on every new filament that Italian company Keytech is developing and launching, even if many industry operators might benefit from knowing what they are. Especially since some of those are particularly unique.
That is why, after recently seeing an extra strong PLA-Fiberglass filament composite at the recent Maker Faire in Rome, I asked Stefano Corinaldesi, the company’s founder, to give me a run down of the top materials they have developed. It is a long list and some of the materials really need to be seen first hand, or at least in photos and videos.
Keytech produces 1.75 and 3 mm diameter filaments. These are rolled up in spools for those materials that can be bent easily. The other, more rigid materials – like glass-fiber-charged filaments or soft materials with a hardness below Shore D 40, are sold in stackable sticks. Not only is Keytech one of the few companies that already manufactures PEEK filament, but it also produces IXEF PARA 1022 from Solvay, a polymer which has the same traction and resistance properties of ZAMA Aluminum (Zinc Aluminum Magnesium).
Another interesting product is Polypropylene (PP), also charged 30% with fiberglass. This is the same high temperature resistant material used for the production of engine block compartment components.
Without leaving the the automotive sector, and always keeping in mind that these are materials compatible with most professional grade, low-cost 3D printers, one other interesting materials is their ABS, which can be used for chrome applications through galvanic treatment. Another unique ABS is Keytech’s ABS Layer which, according to Stefano, completely eliminates all issues relating to warpage and plate detachment, even in an open 3D printer.
Keytech has also recently developed a range of different rubber filaments, softer than TPU Shore D 20. These include materials that can be 3D printed at higher speeds, hydrocarbon-resistant rubber, transparent rubber, and even rubbers that are fit for coming into contact with food. Perhaps the most interesting materials from Keytech, other than the company’s tradmark PLA Layer (which offers mechanical properties similar to ABS and allows for very high speed printing) is the one you will ask them to make yourself. The company offers a custom solution to customers who want to 3D print and test out prototypes made of the same material as their final, injection-molded production set. This has already led to a “high crystallinity 35% fibergalss charged” materials. What will they make next?
