PCL (Polycaprolactone) printed

[Davo]

So, a pair of PhD candidates from LA Tech came out last week and we helped them print in PCL by melting the pellets in our KRA-15 head and then printing with it.

That's one more on the list.

[Sebastian Finke]

I'm unfamiliar with this material. What are conditions to prints with it (temp, etc). What are the advantages of printing with it?

[Davo]

We obtain it in pellet form, melt it, and print from our VOL-25 and KRA-15 heads.

Biomedical applications

PCL is degraded by hydrolysis of its ester linkages in physiological conditions (such as in the human body) and has therefore received a great deal of attention for use as an implantable biomaterial. In particular it is especially interesting for the preparation of long term implantable devices, owing to its degradation which is even slower than that of polylactide.

PCL has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in specific applications used in the human body as (for example) a drug delivery device, suture (sold under the brand name Monocryl or generically), or adhesion barrier.[citation needed] It is being investigated as a scaffold for tissue repair via tissue engineering, GBR membrane. It has been used as the hydrophobic block of amphiphilic synthetic block copolymers used to form the vesicle membrane of polymersomes.

It is also used in housing applications.

A variety of drugs have been encapsulated within PCL beads for controlled release and targeted drug delivery.[2]

Hobbyist and prototyping

Home-made bicycle light mounting, made from PCL

PCL also has many applications in the hobbyist market where it is know as Polymorph or Shapelock. It has physical properties of a very tough, nylon-like plastic that softens to a putty-like consistency at only 60 °C, easily achieved by immersing in hot water.[4] PCL's specific heat and conductivity are low enough that it is not hard to handle by hand at this temperature. This makes it ideal for small-scale modeling, part fabrication, repair of plastic objects, and rapid prototyping where heat resistance is not needed. Though softened PCL readily sticks to many other plastics when at higher temperature, if the surface is cooled, the stickiness can be minimized while still leaving the mass pliable.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycaprolactone


See also: http://3dprint.com/7793/3d-print-antibiotics-implants/

[jimc]

ahhh polymorph. now i know what it is. yes, keep a lookout because esun has pellets but they are releasing this in filament form as well.

[Davo]

ahhh polymorph. now i know what it is. yes, keep a lookout because esun has pellets but they are releasing this in filament form as well.

Yes. From http://reprap.org/wiki/Polycaprolactone

Trade names for PCL include Polymorph, InstaMorph, CAPA, Friendly Plastic, and Shapelock.

[IntServo]

just came across this post. we have 6 colors of PCL filaments available. It is more of a fun in-door material as you can reshape it after you printed it. But it cannot stand hot summer temperature for long. It will melt in car for sure. you can find it on www.intservo.com

[Davo]

Getting some filament sent to us this week.

[curious aardvark]

lol - yeah you need to make thicker filament.
The other way to go might be to modify the extruder so it will grip the thinner filament better. Should be fairly easy to rig something up.

[Davo]

Hey, I'm just back from vacation. I'll have to check with the guys; I don't know if they printed with the filament yet or not. I do know that our settings are not likely to translate easily, as we don't presently use that E value in the gcode - we calculate our flow based on nozzle diameter, layer thickness, feed (travel) speed, and adjustable flow variables.

[Davo]

Will do...