# Specific 3D Printers, Scanners, & Hardware > Hyrel 3D Printer Forum >  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.

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## 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?

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## 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]
> 
> ...


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


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

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## 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.

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## 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.

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## 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

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## Davo

Getting some filament sent to us this week.

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## 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.

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## 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.

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## Davo

Will do...

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## Antony S

PCL can be mixed with carbon black to make a printable conductive filament called carbomorph, as described in this paper: A Simple, Low-Cost Conductive Composite Material for 3D Printing of Electronic Sensors.

*-Unrelated info removed and referenced article located:

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0049365

-Davo*

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## Davo

We just melt the pellets and print with that. We don't create filament. Sorry.

Our MK1-250 head has a spring loaded bearing assembly to keep the filament snug against the hobbed motor shaft, which allows for variances in diameter. We can usually run filament between 1.6 and 1.9mm.

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## Davo

No, we communicate over CANBUS, and I'm unaware of other printers doing so. 

The MK2-250 is great for flexible filaments, but the shafts are in fixed positions, so it is less adaptable to variations in filament diameter.

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## Davo

Sorry, no. The only extruders that I've heard of with reliable, consistent diameter output cost too much for most home users.

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## pnab

Hi RonJon,
Would you please share some of your settings to properly print PCL filament (speed, extrusion temperature , etc) ? What do you mean with 'aftermarket modrifications' ?
I also make homemade PCL filament from pellets with the filastruder: I obtain a rather fine 1,75 mm filament at a 70-80°C temp. The molecular weight of PCL might be of importance regarding the viscosity of the flow, mine is around 80,000.
Unfortunately I have troubles printing the PCL filament using my FDM Volumic printer (it is based on a J-head); I had some encouraging results at a 128°C extrusion temperature, but now I have the same problem than you with the filament not being pushed in, so I would be so happy with some advices making it run like a Cadillac ;-)

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