igus tribo-filament for 3D printing
UK based plastics specialist, igus has introduced a new tribo-polymer 3D printing filament developed specifically for the printing of real fuctioning prototypes.
Suitable for use with any 3D printer that uses ABS plastic, a heated nozzle and print bed, iglidur is up to 50 times more resistant to wear and tear than products printed in typical ABS and PLA materials.
”The flexibility of using a 3D printer for prototyping real useable components allows designers far more freedom in the creation of both intricate and simple shapes for workable parts used in motion applications, such as in bearing locations,” says Rob Dumayne, director at igus. “All of our standard igus bearing products are available for download in STL format and can be used directly as input data for printing replacement parts. We have also designed some innovative 3D models as reference designs.”
The material has been developed for the interest of engineers who wish to create structurally robust prototypes or small batch components for test in real-world situations. It has been tested extensively by igus whose expertise in plastics has led them to become the largest producer of injection moulded polymer bearings and reinforced plastic cable carriers in the world.
There are two different materials available in a choice of 1.75mm and 3.00mm diameters; iglidur I170 a yellow filament and iglidur I180 in white. I170 has a better linear wear rate than I180 but I180 is a more flexible material which can achieve a higher bending radius for faster printing speeds.
