Martin Jonas
Polymaker PolyTerra
Jewellery pieces printed with Polymaker's PolyTerra PLA material.
Polymaker has announced the launch of a PLA-based filament which boasts extra toughness and has less environmental impact.
The PolyTerra, which is compatible with all extrusion-based 3D printers using PLA settings, is Polymaker’s first carbon negative materials product. It has been developed by compounding organic materials with a reduced amount of raw PLA required, which has also seen the material feature greater toughness and a matte finish on printed parts.
Polymaker says the PolyTerra PLA material has seen a boost in mechanical properties when compared with standard PLA because of the blend of organic elements, improving the material’s toughness and impact resistance. These naturally occurring elements are also credited with ensuring a matte surface finish, which is said to be enhanced by the fourteen available colour variations. Four of these are pastel colours, which display an extra matte finish and help to absorb light and hide the layer lines of printed parts.
Post-print, the PolyTerra PLA is said to demonstrate easy support removal without the need for tools, while the surface of parts can be sanded ‘without the plastic rolling over into long beads or chewing up.’ A wide range of paints can also be applied, with the open pores on the exterior of parts allowing paints to hold a strong bond onto the surface.
In developing the PolyTerra filament, Polymaker has made a significant effort to ensure the material is as environmentally friendly as possible. While it is formulated using organic materials – which reduced the plastic content and man-made processes to create the bioplastic – it has also been spooled with recycled labels and outer packaging, with all information sheets being moved online. A composability test run through a third party, meanwhile, has shown expedited composability when compared to a PLA sample, achieving 76.9% degradation after 45 days in test conditions of 58‚C ± 2°C/ ~50% humidity.
The company has said it hopes the ‘unique features’ of PolyTerra PLA is a ‘step in the right direction for a plastics company.’ Polymaker has also partnered with www.onetreeplanted.org to ensure with every spool of PolyTerra sold, it will also plant one tree in a bid to help reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide. After ten years, each tree has the ability to absorb 22kg of carbon dioxide annually.
Polymaker’s suggested retail price for the PolyTerra filament is $19.99/ €19.95 per 1kg.
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