Happy Holidays Everyone!
ProtoPlant, Makers of ProtoPasta, kickstarted a new highly conductive and affordable PLA yesterday with many interesting applications!!!
Check it out here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1375236253/electrically-conductive-pla-3d-printer-filament/comments
What will you print with conductive PLA???
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Interesting material. I would not consider it to make circuit boards or anything like that, simply because the printer resolution and conductivity would not really work with the kind of circuits I make. Soldering components would probably be a messy process too, even with old fashioned thru hole components, or can you “weld” them directly into the plastic?
An application I could see for it would be some form of custom made EMI or safety (Earth/Ground) shielding case for parts of circuits or complete electronics assemblies. Of course it’s hard to tell right now how effective this material can be for shielding, especially if you compare it to a solid sheet metal case. If it would not cost an arm and a leg to go rent an anechoic chamber with all the equippment like antennas, HF amplifiers, HF generators and spectrum analyzers to actually compare them I would be interested to see if this actually works, and how effective it could be at shielding.
I really think this is the first step toward actually integrating electronics into products, instead of having seperate circuit boards and surround them with a nice, user friendly, casing. To me, products of the future will be designed as one single integration with their electronics. This could be the way to go! Thanks for sharing @AlexDick!
We are super excited to be celebrating this material at CES. Check us out at booth 75029!
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And a potential nightmare to recycle. Let’s be responsible and think critically shall we? Before we make another stupid mistake in the name of technological advancement.
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Filemon
7
True that. But do you think integrated electronis are by defintion non-recyclabe? I don’t think this is nessecarily true
So can you use this stuff now… and if so how to buy some…
I am trying to work on a design that uses switching and would like to use this, along with norm PLA (note i dont have much clue what i am on about when it comes to different types of PLA) I just want one that Conducts and one that dosnt, to be printed together.
The Company have EMAILED me
"Hi Angel,
just thought I would send a quick email to let you know that the Conductive PLA is now listed on our website!
http://www.proto-pasta.com/conductive-pre-order/"
$78 for 500g for me in the UK about £50… £1=10g
$248 for 2000g to the UK £160 …£1=12.5g
$30 for 125g so that will be £19.33 … £1=6.5g about
Would it be cheaper for me to get the Project printed in the US and then shipped over.
Or pay the £50 as £160 is too much and £19 one is not any near value for money.
Or cut the cost with other people in the UK
Or even if someone in the UK who buys it, and i can pay them to print my Project.
