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[CES 2015] Makerbot shows off wood and metal filaments for desktop 3D printers

Judging from the number of entries to our Makers competition which involve 3D printing, there’s a lot more South Africans who have either built or bought their own 3D printers than we realised over the last year. Components are increasingly affordable, and filament – the material used to actually create 3D printed models – widely available. When it comes to the latter, there’s no much in the way of options, though. For the most part, the only readily accessible feedstock for desktop printers are ABS or PLA plastic, but that might change soon. The most recognisable name in the business, Makerbot, took to this year’s CES to show off the latest in its arsenal of crafting materials, which combine PLA plastic  with maplewood, limestone, iron or bronze to create composite filaments that posses some of the traits of the added materials like the ability to stain the wood with varnish after printing.

While Makerbot isn’t the first company to have made composite filaments for 3D printing – and South Africa’s own Hans Fouche has been experimenting with plastic/paper/wood/concrete mixes for a while – it’s always a big deal when they get in on the action because they have the international brand and cache to mainstream this. And this is good news not just because it increases the variety of finishes 3D printed models can take: one of the primary goals 3D print enthusiasts have been searching for is the ability to print conductive metals easily, so that all components required to build a new printer including the circuit board can be manufactured on an existing printer. In Las Vegas Makerbot demonstrated its new materials with a 3D printed hammer, with a metal head and a wooden handle.

With Makerbot available in South Africa as of the end of last year and the new composite filaments expected in the States towards the end of 2015 we’re hoping to see them hit shelves in SA before the end of the year for our maker communities to start creating some awesome new things.

For more from CES 2015 click on this link.

[Source – Engadget]

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