Newest Filament “Neighborhood Buy” at Printalot Reaches 2 Metric Tons » 3D Printing Media Community
The vibrant filament extrusion 3D printing community in Argentina is growing rapidly, measured by the amount of filament consumed. Printalot, based in Buenos Aires, a leading filament manufacturer in South America, just distributed 2 tons of filament.
“This is an all-time high for Argentina and probably one of the largest single operations in which a group of end users has purchased filaments,” said Printalot founder Mariano Scian. “This is the fourth Compra Comunitaria organized by the community and this time we have delivered almost 2,000 kg of filament. For comparison: In the first case we had sold 100 kg, which corresponds to an unbelievable growth in demand of 2000% in just a few months. “
The original idea came from a Printalot customer. Multiple users can sign up for the community purchase on the dedicated website and select the type of filament they want: this includes ABS, PLA, as well as other materials such as FLEX, PC-ABS, HIPS, and more. The cost to the end user is much lower and becomes even lower when milestones of different weights (50kg, 100kg, 500kg, etc.) are reached. Due to the higher total volumes, the operation also remains profitable for Printalot.
While operations are in part driven by the vibrant local manufacturing community, according to Mariano Scian, many of those who buy the filaments are actually using them to make parts, and their numbers are increasing as well. PLA remains the most sought after (and cheapest) material, but ABS and PLA MAX are not far behind. Spools are available in various sizes, including extra large ones for higher production requirements.
Participants in the Compra Comunitaria can have the bobbins sent to them or pick them up in the stores opened by Printalot in Palermo in Buenos Aires or in the Printalot reseller shop in Balvanera. With the speed at which the demand for filament is soon to grow, there will likely be more.