Biodegradable ABS - Best scores from 3D Matter

[BSCdan]

Enviro™ ABS gives you the strength and rich color of ABS plastic with the added benefit of being an environmentally friendly 3D printer filament. Unlike every other ABS on the market, 3D Printlife's Enviro ABS has been specially formulated to be consumed by bacteria once it enters a landfill to energy facility or a commercial compost. Enviro is a premium quality ABS filament that maintains the strength, heat resistance, printing characteristics, and post process capability of ABS in every way. Enviro maintains a dimensional accuracy better than +/- 0.03mm.In addition a portion of the proceeds from every spool of Enviro will be donated to environmental charity plant a tree. One spool equals one tree, rejuvenating iconic forests in key locations throughout the United States.

http://www.3dprintlife.com/http/www3...abs/enviro-abs

Feel free to contact me with any questions or if you would like to try a spool. We DO NOT require credit cards. We ship your product and invoice you after you receive the product.

Dan 1-800-227-5829 x3054

[richardphat]

Hi,
what is the half life decomposition of your claimed biodegradable ABS?

[BSCdan]

Enviro needs to be in a high bacteria environment like a commercial compost or an active landfill to degrade. Once there, it completely depends on the size and shape and how solid or hollow the object is. Bracelets were printed and tested for 45 days against standard ABS. In our testing, Enviro would have degraded completely in 12.7 years, and the standard ABS between 800 to 1,000 years. Of course, we can not claim that 12.7 years unless we run the test for that period of time, but that's what the data extrapolates to.

[BSCdan]

I apologize that I can't upload the actual information from 3D Matter, but here is how Enviro tested against 5 other ABS filaments that were tested.

Ease of Printing
Enviro - Easy
Makerbot - Medium
Village Plastics - Medium
Esun - Medium
FormFutura - Medium
RepRapper - Hard

Visual Quality
Enviro - 7.5
Village Plastics - 7.5
Makerbot - 7
FormFutura - 7
Esun - 6
RepRapper - 6

Geometric Accuracy
Enviro - 6.5
Makerbot - 6
FormFutura - 6
Village Plastic - 5.5
Esun - 5
RepRapper - 5

Impact Resistance
Enviro - 2,038
FormFutura - 1,817
Village Plastics - 1,712
Makerbot - 1,451
Esun - 1,392
RepRapper - 1,209

[BSCdan]

• Enviro ABS has been designed to be consumed by the bacteria in a Commercial Compost or and Active Landfill / Landfill to Energy Facility.

• We have bonded a proprietary bio-resin with ABS that promotes this bacterial consumption.

•Is Enviro “Compostable”?
•Under ASTM D6400, 60% degradation in 180 days:NO

•Will Enviro degrade in a Commercial Compost?
•YES, just not by 60% in 180 days

• Enviro has been tested under ASTM D5338 & D5511 and has shown continuous production of CO2 vs. standard ABS.
Enviro works by bonding a bio additive to ABS that allows landfill bacteria to consume it and convert it to CO2.
Bacteria does attempt to consume standard ABS but quickly moves onto other food sources.
With Enviro bacterial consumption continues and CO2 is produced at a constant rate.

[BSCdan]

• 3D Printlife’s Enviro ABS was created to bridge the gap between the printing performance of ABS, and the
environmental friendliness of PLA.
• Enviro has been specially formulated for the purpose of microbial consumption, common with the bacteria
found in Commercial Composts and Landfill to Energy facilities.
• The additives used in Enviro are bio-based, and are designed and formulated to have an affinity for ABS.
• Enviro maintains the dimensional stability and printing characteristics of ABS.
• Rather than use a traditional plastic spool, Enviro is wound onto a heavy recycled cardboard spool that is
biodegradable and bound with a recyclable metal end cap.
• Every spool of Enviro comes with a reusable, resealable plastic bag with a desiccant to help extend the life
of the filament once it is opened.
• Plastic is going into landfills in enormous amounts. 20-25% of landfill weight is plastics.
• By printing with Enviro you are helping to reduce the environmental impact of 3D printing with ABS.
• ABS is useful for making durable parts that need to withstand higher temperatures. In comparison to PLA,
ABS is less ‘brittle.’ It can also be post-processed with acetone to provide a glossy finish.
• Enviro is made in the USA with the highest quality materials and extrusion processes available. It is
extruded using a specially designed extruder screw that is designed to promote mixing while minimizing
shear and degradation of the polymer. The extrusion process is carefully controlled to promote six sigma
dimensional stability of the filaments. Leading to consistent printing and fewer clogged print heads.
• Every spool of Enviro ABS is measured to ensure that it is within the strictest standards for quality, diameter,
and ovality. The filament extrusion process is continuously monitored with twin axis lasers that monitor the
consistency of the diameter and roundness of the filaments. This six sigma level quality enables our
customers to print with confidence that each inch of filament will generate the same amount of support,
shell, or infill as the last.
• 3D Printlife uses high quality 100% virgin resins and colorants in filament manufacturing. Materials are
dried to remove moisture under our internal specifications. Excessive moisture in the filaments during
extrusion can damage the polymer resulting in weaker polymer chains that lead to brittle filaments that can
snap as they unwind from the spool or result in excessive nozzle drool.
• Each spool of Enviro is carefully wound to exacting standards to minimizing cross overs and loopbacks that
can lead to snags and snaps. The filament clings tightly to the spool until it is paid off the spool, making it
easy to feed into the printer reducing failed prints. We do not hesitate to reject spools that do not meet our
exacting quality standards.
• In addition, a portion of the proceeds from every spool of Enviro will be donated to the Nature
Conservancy’s “Plant a Billion Trees” fund to plant a tree. One spool equals one tree, rejuvenating iconic
forests in key locations throughout the United States.

[BSCdan]

"We had the pleasure of testing 13 colors of 3D Printlife’s Enviro ABS filament for XYZprinting with fantastic results. In over 400 hours of testing the filament worked flawlessly. Extremely consistent prints with no failures or jams, just clean and constant high quality printing. I would recommend Enviro to anyone who prints with ABS. It’s Environmentally friendly with professionally consistent results.”
Martin Gallagher. Digital Scholarship Lab. Florida Institute of Technology

[BSCdan]