Sculptable filament

Attachment 9475

http://www.sculptyourprint.com

A filament is coming to the market that, as they claim, behaves like a regular plastic at room temperature and like clay around 50C.

As for workflow it can bridge a gap between CAD and clay modeling. Having a model physically in 3D gives different insights into the shape that you don't fully get from the screen so now you can alter a shape physically and then scan it back again and resurface or resculpt your model to match the sculpted one. That will also work for sculptors as with a physical model it is easier to get proportions right and get a feel for how much it resembles what the sculptor is going for. Plus you can print out several blanks to do experiments with. I see this material, if it has the right properties, also very fit for end use items since you can smoothen out the surface, make it look better as well as making it waterproof. Parts could be made transformable after they have been printed, by heating and rebending/reshaping entire parts. I see some use in fashion where parts can be tailored to the body. Do you guys have ideas about using this filament? I wonder if they have ways to strengthen and color the material and if it will come out in a 3mm filament as well.

Not to be negative here but wouldn't it be similar to casting wax ? Such filament already exists.

sugru - that's the same sort of thing I think.

"Coming soon to Kickstarter" - so who knows what it is, or how well it will work?

Sugru is nice for little fixes and gimmickry but it hardens quite quickly and irreversibly since it cures into a flexible silicone rubber. It also doesn't stick as well as they claim.
The difference with casting wax is that this material becomes rigid at room temperature so it will be usable for end use items. A better hardening point would be around 70C as in warm contained areas exposed to the sun this material will melt down. It reminds me more of polymorph, a plastic widely used in design schools since it is endlessly reshapeable. It seems to work very well looking at the videos!