This new material is from SK Chemicals, a chemical company that is developing many polymers specifically for 3D printing. This week on #filamentfriday we have a material that bridges the gap between solid ridged materials and rubber-like materials. This new material is called LE200, a rubber mimicking, flexible material. We are excited for this material because it provides us with more design options, we can make items that use live hinges. Other prints such as protective cases could be made with this material.
The main features of LE200 are:
- Flexibility and resilience to tearing - Great for "live hinges"
- Hardness shore D: 40-55
- Good performance in a wide range of temperature
- Chemical resistance
- UV resistance
We were initially worried about diameter issues since stretchy filament like this can be difficult to extrude. Josh tested the LE200 on our Filabot EX2 system, diameter and tolerance were spot on.
For printing, the print speed did need to be lowered to about 30mm/s, a common setting for flexible materials. Nozzle temperature range is 220-240°C with a bed temp of 50-60°C. Nothing special needed to print with this material, other than the slower print speed.
Our test print was Gumby because what else needs more flexibility? Shout out to "Flujunk" on thingiverse for the design! Here is a link to the design: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1060417
Until next time, happy printing!
The Filabot Team
