Early in the year, the 3D printing material masters at taulman3D released a limited amount of their newly developed TECH-G material to a few consumers in order to gather feedback for this new material. TECH-G was created to cover the flaws of both PLA, which is functionally limited due to its fragile nature, and ABS, which is limited by tensile strength. The material, which acts like mixture of both PLA and ABS, is called PETG, a close cousin of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). taulman’s newest PETG material, which is now hitting to consumer market after beta testing this new product with select consumers, seems to have proven itself, through various testing and uses, to be an innovative, sturdy, and flexible 3D printing material with many potential applications. The company believes that their TECH-G material will be much more useful for quality functioning and flexible endeavors.
TECH-G is an odorless polymer material that, for now, comes in a clear transparent color, almost as transparent as t-glase in fact, and comes on a standard 1kg spool. Although the extrusion temperatures vary slightly with the user’s nozzle size, the average temperature for a high-quality print is right around 238 degrees Celsius. The temperature is especially important with the TECH-G material since it is a co-polyester, which means that printing it at too hot of a temperature will lead the material to bubble, while printing it at a colder temperature may make the 3D printed outcome cloudy on the inside. The listed specifications of TECH-G are as follows:
TECH-G Specifications when 3D Printed:
-Tensile strength: 5,900+ PSI
-Elongation: 3%
-IZOD Notch: 2.14 ft-lbf/inch.
-Color: Clear (Colorless or no dyes added)
-Odors: None
-Transmission: 90%
-Print temperature: 235C – 240C
-Approvals: FDA CFR 177.1315.
-Tg: 80C
The taulman3D team has already tested the quality of the TECH-G material with a tensile test, in which the material is subjected to various level of tension, and, in turn, discovered just how flexible and sturdy the said material actually is. Although colors of this filament are limited as of now to this transparent clear color, it is the function of the TECH-G that makes this new material a special creation. While many designers and Makers have been limited by the flaws that often hinder PLA or ABS, TECH-G seems to be a combination of the best of both material worlds, an altogether flexible and high-quality, clear-colored filament that should lead to more functional projects and prototypes involving 3D printing.
