PORO-LAY GEL-LAY Porous Filament tips and tricks

[grayfx]

Hi All,

I love the idea of this filament, and I know it is experimental, but I'm not finding it very useful. The filament prints fine on an unheated bed (blue tape only). We have tried printing a small cylinder 1" in diameter and 0.75" tall (2 shells using a 0.5mm nozzle). We printed four from the same gcode, the only thing modified between the four printed was nozzle temp. We ran 215, 220, 225, and 230. All printed without any issues. We left all four cylinders submerged in clean room temperature tap water for 4 days, changing the water every day. Unfortunately the results were not good, to sum up:
- flexibility in the z-plane is roughly similar to TPE (about shore 87A)
- delamination happens with very little force and results in a stringy membrane between printed layers

We have let them dry out. They return to the mechanical properties they had before submerged in water.

We did not try to paint or dye the samples.

Different experiences? I really, really wanted this to work! TPE and TPU filaments rocking shore 80A's are waaaay too stiff for what we are doing. We need to get to a shore 10 (dreaming, I know ).

Thanks

[3DPBuser]

Different than ninja?

[grayfx]

Extremely. Look up the specs. Printing is similar, but the technology is "experimental" with gel-lay.

Ninja is easy to print and has been extremely tough in use, take a peek:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181502699764...84.m1555.l2649

[curious aardvark]

so why soak in water ?

[grayfx]

read the instructions: http://3dprintingindustry.com/2013/1...ine-filaments/

[bshadown]

My guess is this type of materials aré moré for a comfort print, in other words, like an sponge betwen two diferent Stiff materials in order to give them a moré orgánic beavior and avoid the harsh and sometimes plastic feel of.... Well... Plastic.

meabe the problem is not coming from the material itself, but from the desing and use you aré giving it, Meabe as a shock absorber or something like that Will do the trick.

[grayfx]

again, I really want this tech to work, don't get me wrong. The same guy who designed this filament also makes poro-lay FOMM 40 (about a shore 40, but absorbent). Might be a better "comfort print" material than this gel-lay filament. The real issue for the gel-lay I'm finding is layer adhesion after post-processing it (soaking it in water) and after soaking it in water keeping that durometer value after removing it from water. Right now I have zero applications for it if these issues are not solved.

[curious aardvark]

and what applications for it if they are solved ?