Ideally what new 3D printing materials would you like over the coming months?

I also do resin casts of my printed and hand sculpted parts and my only issue is the surface quality. I need a high level of detail and super smooth surface quality. The plastics I get printed are great in detail but the surface smoothness is always an issue and makes for less than perfect parts. Great detail and an actually smooth surface are what I'm looking for and if wax provides that I'm all for it.

wood

I doubt i'm the first one to say this, but a plastic that is full color. I'd prefer WSF-like, in that it should be able to flex slightly. It'd just be so useful, being able to print it in the colours i want. That way, i don't have to take a guess at how much tolerance i have to leave, taking into account painting.

I think the problem with that is cost. If it was economically viable to offer to dye the plastics in any colour you wanted, they'd offer more than the three or four colours they do. That said, it would be nice if there were a way to print coloured plastic like you can the 'sandstone'.

While I wouldn't want it myself, I do wonder if it would be feasible to offer WSF both dyed and polished (or polished and dyed, I'm not fussed).

For the record, I don't think I ever allow more than 0.1mm tolerance each side, and even after painting, I still sometimes get loose bits.

Well, I was thinking to stray away from actually dyeing the models. I was really hoping you could get more than one colour on a certain part. I always imagined SLS as like mini-Lego, like the machine was building up the model with little White bricks. I guess I just assumed that it wouldn't be too far a leap to give the machine reservoirs of different colours of the powdered plastic, and then telling the machine which colours to build where. The actual colors would obviously have to be limited, like a certain shade of red, another of blue and what have you, rather than any shade you could possibly imagine as that wouldn't be practical.

I understand it would add to the cost, but it'd be great to have it as an option. Well, as long as it doesn't add too much to the cost.

As far as I know, the only system that allows printing in different colour plastics that is relatively cheap to switch over the materials is fused deposition molding (FDM). The Objet system allows different colours but the cost and labour of purging the system to change to a different material would be the issue.

An ideal solution would be for Shapeways to offer polyurethane castings as you dye the resin to suit prior to putting into the mold however it is a labour intensive process.

The ability for users to order wax models so that we could make our own RTV moldings to use for the final polyurethane castings would probably the best solution.

Or wax models so those of us who cast in precious metals may do so as well.

I'd like to see wax (for casting) and marine grade bronze (specifically a silicon or aluminum bronze).

PEEK for SLS would be good, I need something with better mechanical properties, Am I dreaming?

RTV Please!!!!

while you are at it, it might be a straightforward app to design master here as always, input external dimensions of the mold desired, the "split line", the "cone" and "vents" and then let the app make the two halfs.

PLEASE!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Yep,
WOOD
for me too !

I would love to see wax for casting too!

Wood would be pretty coolies tho!

Oh wow yes! I could make some of the most amazing seals with PEEK SLS!

Wood isn't printable that's a normal CNC process....

Looks like wax would be the winner, especially as Shapeways is already printing it.

At the moment I would go for POM/acital, especially if could be as fine as FUD.

Hahaha!! Yup, that's why it would be so cool!! Super speed organic printing, hey, they can print kidneys nowadays, wood shouldn't be too far off!!!

I wouldn't say wood isn't printable. You could do wood dust and glue being like plywood, and in the case of the kidney, you could build it cell by cell.

They are waaay ahead of you!! No 'could' about it...

https://www.ted.com/talks/anthony_atala_printing_a_human_kidn ey.html

Cmon shapeways, get on it!!!

Seen it, and they haven't printed kidney's yet. It was a demonstration on how it could be done. I was saying to use plant cells for a print. It would be kinda like a chea pet

I'd love to have some flexible material too ! Not too flexible of course, something that could both keep its shape and be soft and flexible.
Something with the soft touch of silicon they use for sextoys for instance !

I would like to see CarbonMide being added to the material list. We are just starting to use Rapid Prototyping here at work (a classic car restoration and modification shop) and I would love to have a material that is as strong or stronger than Nylon, but can withstand much higher temperatures!