ColorFabb XT-CF20 Carbon Fiber 2.85mm X 750g

colorFabbs first XT based composite filament!  The addition of chopped carbon fibers dramatically increase the stiffness / rigidity of XT and gives it a beautiful matte black appearance.  Strength and impact resistance will be slightly reduced over normal XT, but since XT is so strong to begin with, it will not become very brittle.

750grams on a spool.

Printing temperature is 240-260C like other XT with a bed temp of 70C advised, but printing on PVA or blue tape with a cold bed is possible.

A special point of attention is the abrasive nature of the carbon fibers. In general these fibers will accelerate the nozzle-wear of brass nozzles, much faster than unfilled filaments.  colorFabb recommends use of nozzles from  hardened alloys.  It can be printed with standard brass nozzles, but just keep in mind that it will wear faster and consider replacing the nozzle if you start to see signs of wear and a reduction in print quality.  Another approach is to use a dedicated nozzle for abrasive materials and a different nozzle for unfilled materials.

APPLICATIONS :

Just think of all the great applications for a variety industries, that now will have a material that performs according to expectations. Functionality, stiffness, dimensional stability, heat resistant, what more can you ask? Applications in the RC Industry / Drones / Aerospace / Automotive / Prototyping and many more can now be developed on your desktop 3D Printer.

AMPHORA 3D POLYMER

ColorFabb XT-CF20 is produced wih AMPHORA 3D Polymer from Eastman Chemical.

Amphora 3D Polymers is a specially developed co-polyester just for 3D Printing. Its toughness and high meltstrength makes it the perfect material for producing fiber reinforced composites, providing the necessary viscosity for 3D printing, combined with a high toughness in the filament and end application

Advised 3D printing temperature:
240-260C - Varies by hot end type.  If infill is breaking apart, you will need to decrease speed or increase temperature.  

Advised 3D print speed:
40 - 70 mm/s - Varies by hot end type.  If infill is breaking apart, you will need to decrease speed or increase temperature.

Advised Heated bed:
60-80C, but you may find that for many parts, no heated bed is needed with this material due to its low shrinkage.

Build platform:
For colorFabb_XT we advice to print on a heated bed. After printing, the build plate needs to cool down to about 20-30 C at which point you can remove the printed part.

Some users with Borosilicate Glass beds have reported taking chips out of the bed with copolyesters.  Here is a solution to consider if that happens to you.