Christmas Advent 3D Printing #Day 20 Advice using Colorfabb corkFill

December advent calendar - modular Christmas tree

3D Printing advice #Day 20

For the background and introduction - Day #1 Post click here

Last time - For Day #19 (little jeep) was printed using Polymaker Polysupport and Faberdashery PLA. I also discussed various support material options for 3D Printing.

Christmas Advent 2017 Download on Thingiverse here - designed by Tom Van den Bon @geekc0der With some help for each day by the South African Makers team.

The original advent calendar from 2012 is on Thingiverse - designed by Peter Leppik.

It's time for Day #20

Day 20 gift is designed by P.J Prinsloo -  Is a scaled version of the Benchy boat

Scaled Benchy in Colorfabb corkFill filament.

The benchy is a boat, it wants to float, so why not 3D print it with cork?

ColorFabb corkFill - 

I really like cork, not just this filament, but in general. It's a fantastic material.

Cork is a natural product. It's also sustainable and ecologically friendly, being harvested over-and-over from the bark, not from cutting down trees. The cork industry has suffered over the last 10+ years because most wine bottles now use screw tops or plastic stoppers. Cork was and still is a better product.

Luckily cork is still used in many products, now including 3D printing materials.

Colorfabb corkFill is a filled wood-like material. It has powdered calk in a PLA/PHA base material. corkFill is one of my top special materials (along with bambooFill) It's easy to use and gives a really nice finish, it's quite unlike almost all other wood filament materials.

Ironically corkFill actually has hard 'stiff' finish to the printed model. Most other wood or fiber filled materials tend to have a slightly soft 'wood' feel, CorkFill feels more like normal PLA.

Benchy Printed with a 0.4mm Olsson Ruby Nozzle - 0.2mm layers at 215 Deg C Nozzle temp

Like other wood filaments, temperature does change the colour of the finish, slowing down during a print can make the finish uneven, so be aware of that or change to a more constant extrusion speed.

You get a nice sandy finish and it's less likely to string, blob or show defects than most other woodFill materials.

You can flame-finish it to remove any fine whiskers. it's also easy to sand, drill, paint etc.

Print advice - (ColorFabb corkFill)

What settings did you use? - 

Use it like normal PLA but with a slightly increased temperature of 215 to 220 Degrees C (hotter will give a darker finish), cork has some insulating properties and can handle a higher extrusion temperature than plain PLA.

You can add a little to the extruder retraction if you are seeing any stringing or angel-hair. And a slight over-extrusion rate of +10% helps get a really great finish.

Why use it? - It's a sensual material, feels hard but looks soft, warm and has a nice colour tone. It's simply a really nice material to use, display and incorporate into projects. (something like a hand grip for example - and it really looks great combined with a metalFill material like copper or bronze)

It also floats, surprise! ;)

Is it strong? - Yes, it feels and acts like normal PLA/PHA filament.

Is it easy to use/print - Really simple, just follow the advice above, and you should be good. It should be called 'easyWood'.

Do you have to dry it before/after use? - No, It's not bothered at all with moisture, but as usual keep it in a sealed bag, that'll keep the dust off while not in use.

Do i need a 'special' nozzle? - No it's not abrasive at all.

Does it smell when printing? - Yes, it lightly smells. But for once I like the smell when printing, it's wood, but quite a soft scent.

Does it come on a eco friendly spool? - No :( They are the ColorFabb Clear PC spools at the moment.

Conclusion for ColorFabb corkFill - It's a great wood like material. Strong, solid and not so much like spongy cork, but easy to use and enjoy. I like handing someone a corkFill object, but the don't often guess what it's made from.

Days 1 to 20 of the Advent Christmas Tree.

Day #20 is completed. 

Today's story, when anyone asks about the little brown boat in Day 20, will be about developing, making and using sustainable materials in the 3D printing process.

As I type this, ColorFabb also has corkFill on Christmas offer, along with other materials, so you can snap up a roll for 24.75 euro's (ex tax). That's a good deal.

Join me next time for Day #21

Thanks for reading.

Rich.

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