When you survey the 3D printing landscape you find that almost all innovation is focused on printers and software. Yet all printers use consumables and we all have spools of PLA or ABS filament where color seems to pass for innovation. “Not good enough!” thought the founders of MadeSolid who organized last Fall to innovate on 3D printing consumables.
The first of the three products they’ve unveiled since founding was PET+, an easy-to-use, strong, and flexible filament. Requiring no heated bed, it’s easy to use like PLA while being strong like ABS. However, what sets it apart is that it’s not brittle. The picture above is of a clip being force-flexed and rather than cracking it retains its integrity and bounces back.
The second product is MS Resin which, like so many filament consumables distinguishes itself with color. However, we’re not talking about filament but resins used in SLA and DLP printers such as FormLabs’ Form 1. Not only has MadeSolid added to the color spectrum but by lowering the viscosity they’ve made this resin easier to work with. Draining to change colors is faster and so too is the post-print cleaning. Rinse with isopropyl alcohol, drop it in water and expose to UV light for a 10 minute post curing process.
As interesting as the first products are, it’s this third which offers the prospect of being a game changer. FireCast Resin is a detailed resin for investment casting which fits into normal processes and temperature ranges for casters. It delivers high resolution, leaves no burn out residue, suffers from no shrinkage. It’s great for detail work like jewelry and should make quite an impact.
MS Resin got its start in an Indiegogo campaign late last year and out of that grew this company focused on materials. Since then both PET+ and MS Resin are available at MadeSolid.com and FireCast Resin is available for preorder.
Good stuff. We need more focus on materials innovation.
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