Home printing: Layered PLA/ Bronzfill/ Glow in the dark
- PLA is plant based biodegradable plastic (mostly corn starch), the one I use for my products is FDA and EU approved (food safe)
- Bronzefill is 80% bronze dust + 20% PLA/PHA (another plant based plastic)
- Glow in the Dark is clear PLA with glow in the dark pigment.
All these materials are printed at home, on an Ultimaker 1 (open source desktop 3D printer).
The prints coming out of this process are never perfectly alike to each other, as there are many variables, like the different material propriety, heat, humidity, speed, layer thickness, belt tensions, calibration of the printer etc. It is possible to get some tiny layer gaps or bleeding/spills of plastic, or even traces from previously used colored filaments. I usually clean up the print residues and support, but as this is a manual process, and some bleeding of plastic is either impossible to cut without damaging the general design or material colour, You may actually appreciate its imperfections that are due to this kind of process, and make every print one of a kind (OOAK).
Industrial printing: nylon/ frosted detail/ steel/ bronze/ brass/ silver
These prints are done through Shapeways industries in US or the Netherland. Every material has a different production procedure and care info. Here their material info.
