Polymaker has announced the introduction of a PLA-based filament, which is characterized by additional toughness and lower environmental impact.
The PolyTerra, which is compatible with all extrusion-based 3D printers with PLA settings, is Polymaker’s first product for carbon negative materials. It was developed by compounding organic materials with a reduced amount of raw PLA required, which also gives the material greater toughness and a matte finish on printed parts.
According to Polymaker, the PolyTerra PLA material has seen an improvement in mechanical properties compared to standard PLA due to the mixture of organic elements, which improves the toughness and impact resistance of the material. These naturally occurring elements are also credited with ensuring a matt surface, which is to be improved by the fourteen available color variants. Four of these are pastel colors, which have a particularly matte finish and help absorb light and hide the layer lines of the printed parts.
After printing, the PolyTerra PLA is intended to demonstrate easy removal of the carrier without tools, while the surface of parts can be sanded “without the plastic rolling over or chewing into long beads”. A wide range of paints can also be applied, with the open pores on the outside of the parts allowing the paints to hold a strong bond on the surface.
When developing the PolyTerra filament, Polymaker went to great lengths to ensure that the material was as environmentally friendly as possible. While it’s formulated from organic materials that reduced the plastic content and man-made methods of making the bioplastic, it’s also been spooled with recycled labels and outer packaging, with all of the fact sheets being moved online. A composability test carried out by a third party showed an accelerated composability compared to a PLA sample, with a degradation of 76.9 after 45 days under test conditions of 58 ° C ± 2 ° C / ~ 50% humidity % reached.
The company hopes the “unique properties” of PolyTerra PLA are a “step in the right direction for a plastics company”. Polymaker has also partnered with www.onetreeplanted.org to ensure that with every reel of PolyTerra sold, a tree is planted to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide. After ten years, each tree can absorb 22 kg of carbon dioxide annually.
The Polymaker recommended retail price for the PolyTerra filament is US $ 19.99 / EUR 19.95 per 1 kg.
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