Algix 3D DURA Filament
Alix 3D's new DURA filament is available in a range of colours.
As 3D printing becomes more prominent in the classroom and home so does the prevalence of plastic prints that often are set to become landfill. The dilemma has often been whether to use the reportedly (although some articles suggest otherwise) bio-degradable PLA or tougher ABS. The eco-conscious filament manufacturer ALGIX 3D - famed for its algae-based filament - claims to have made this dilemma a thing of the past with DURA Filament.
According to ALGIX 3D, DURA has better material properties than ABS, has lower toxicity, reduced volatile generation and is environmentally sustainable.
“There has been great response from the industry since we previewed DURA at the Consumer Electronics Showcase (CES) in early January. This product represents another innovation from our sustainability platform and comes at a great time for the market due to the recent attention surrounding the toxicity of ABS” states ALGIX 3D CTO and Managing Director, Ryan Hunt.
According to the PR DURA is less brittle and has improved toughness and elongation/ stretch relative to PLA or ABS. It also provides better layer adhesion and heat resistance than PLA, with higher print resolution that ABS. DURA provides improved aesthetics with a very smooth finish on printed parts and does not require a heated bed or heated chamber. Quality Control and Polymer Research Specialist, David Gentry states “We have a wide variety of 3D printers in our test lab and have had great results on all models with our DURA product. We are quite happy with our results and are excited to bring this filament that truly is ‘Engineered to PerformTM’ to the 3D market.”
Aside from all of the performance advantages of DURA, the material has lower toxicity and reduced volatile generation, as determined from ALGIX in house gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GCMS) testing. DURA is made from majority renewable content and is compostable. “At ALGIX 3D, we test all of the materials that we produce and analyse the fumes released during printing. We are proud to report that DURA is much safer for the environment and for the user than ABS,” says Director of Research and Development for ALGIX 3D, Ashton Zeller.
