Just funded a new filament. Can’t wait to try out the Carbon Fiber infused PLA!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1375236253/proto-pasta-gourmet-food-for-your-3d-printer
Is that not a waste of good Carbon?
I imagine, its for extruding, which means, that the carbon fibers, will only give strength in the print direction, but not across the layers or to the side of the print filament track.
So it might look good, but do not use it for the usual carbon strength.
The fibers apparently stick out, giving it a rough texture. Where it is printed over fibers sticking out from the previous layer, it will flow around them and will give some reinforcement to the bond between layers. @Joseph_Chiu did some tests and took some close-up pictures that demonstrate this.
If you look at the tests they did the carbon fiber filled PLA shows an increased stiffness but decreased ultimate strength. I provided some long explanations and information about the science behind composites and basics of compounding thermoplastics. In the end I figured it wasn’t worth the price point. I can’t find that post now though…
Thanx for the info. seems like bs to me
We have some of the Proto Pasta filament and finally got to run one test print today with their ABS polycarbonate “alloy”. It’s very impressive material, basically super strong ABS. Printed at about 260C.
I think the PC/ABS may be worth buying… I would have to compare it to the nylons available though. You cannot randomly blend any two plastics and expect an improvement. Blending the wrong plastics at the wrong ratios may result in a decrease in properties. Occasionally the characteristics of a “bad” blend can be used to an advantage such as with PET and HIPS: http://www.pslc.ws/macrog/iblend.htm
(side note: I’m going to try using HIPS as support material for PET. I don’t think it will work but it’s worth a shot. That is, if PET sticks to ABS build plates first.)
The high temp PLA may also be worth buying if you are looking for specific mechanical properties and printing characteristics.
To understand how the high temp PLA differs from regular PLA read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystallization_of_polymers
If you want to understand why the carbon fiber filled PLA isn’t quite what it’s hyped to be, you should have a good polymer material science understanding, look into how filling a thermoplastic with fiber affects its properties, and understand the micromechanics behind fiber reinforced thermoplastics. The book, Analysis and Performance of Fiber Composites is an excellent source for someone who has a materials science background. Further, some thermoplastics cannot be filled with fiber as this will only result in a decrease in properties. This is due to the material’s shear properties being too low to transfer shear stress to the fibers.
If your’e in college or about to be and you want to learn about all of this and have a good understanding of designing parts to be made from plastics or composites check out: http://www.winona.edu/engineering/ it’s where I learned all of this.
@Ben_Malcheski The PC/ABS is way tougher than straight ABS, but I can’t say if it’s stronger than straight PC. It’s easier to print with though.
I actually tested HIPS as support for Taulman T-glase PETT last week. Worked just fine!
@Ben_Malouf I believe that. It shouldn’t be stiffer or stronger than PC since blends are always a compromise between the properties of the two materials. The compromise between properties is strongly related to the ratio at which the two resins are blended.
Awesome, I won’t be testing it then, but trying it out for myself. 
Did you ask about that on Reddit?
Nope, I just tried it out hoping it would work. It’s not as good a bond as between HIPS and ABS but since PETT doesn’t warp, it seems to work just fine. I only ran one test print, so hopefully it wasn’t a fluke.
I would exspect an increasement of wear on your nozzle, since the fiber has way more friction than pla/abs… But anyway I backed this project to support developing new materials for 3D printers 