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Nov 2014
1 / 9
Nov 2014
Jan 2015
Brian3D Hubs Employees
Nov '14

I just stumbled across this video on flexible materials, does anyone have experience with these good or bad?

Would love to see some pictures, videos, use-cases and print settings for these materials.

How does it compare to regular Flex PLA?
porolay_jpg.png

  • created

    Nov '14

  • last reply

    Jan '15
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Brian3D Hubs Employees
Nov '14

Have you watched the video? It’s definetely different from plain flex PLA. I’ll shoot Kai Parthy an email - see if he wants to shed some light on the matter.

8 days later
kai_parthy
Nov '14

Hi Brian,

the POROLAY series ist totally different to homogene (100%) materials as flex PLA or other flexibles.

After printing your object in the same way you do it with other stiff filaments you rinse your object for 1-3 days in water.

But please read here some extracts, and open later the attached *.pdf to find all informations at the momentually available 4 different Filaments.

POROLAY is a serie of experimental filaments, printable with standard printers at about 220 - 240°C.

It´s a kind of meta-material with different properties at different stages:

  1. in it´s delivery form, it´s hard and easy to print
  2. after rinsing in water, remaining in water it´s very soft and gelly-like, print sponges with,
  3. dryed it´s visco-elastic, depending on quality of rinsing, it will be soft, leather like, or similar as cardbord or heavy paper, depending on which POROLAY you are using.

…

now please read the pdf.

If you found new applications for Porolay, please publish your results here :wink:

Please be clement with me, I cannot (less time) give further rapid support. It´s an experimental filament for science and makers.

all the best from cologne

Kai
porolay-overview-3dhub-a.pdf 36 (15.4 KB)

2 months later
obelix
Jan '15

Hello @kai_parthy

i bought the LAY-FOMM 40. Printing went fine but i tried twice the rincing and hade some problems. I rinced one print for a day and a second one for three days (pictures are from this one) with normal tap water. It was flexible and soaky as expected but as you can see in the pictures i think i didn’t get all the PVA out.

The other problem i had was that the prints started falling apart quite quickly (if i pinched it with my fingers for example), it was a big mess with all the sticky PVA… I just read the PDF and will retry with warm water and multiples cycles.

Printed with 220 / 40 °C on blue painter tape (Ultimaker 1).

There is at least one feedback i can give. If you throw it on the ceiling it will remain there :stuck_out_tongue:

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kai_parthy
Jan '15

Hello Obelix,

the layfomm 40 is the softest version (you wrote falling apart) , layfomm60 is more stiff,

both need some periods of fresh water for best rinsing results,

yes PVA sticks, it´s also used as glue,

best

Kai

obelix
Jan '15

OK, i will try with multiple rincing and drying write the results here. Do you know if using filtered water (BRITA or similar) makes it better/worse?

kai_parthy
Jan '15

should not, some % alcohol (ethanol) did it once faster here, but tap water is enough