Kwambio’s New Glass 3D Print Material

By on February 16th, 2018 in materials

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 New ceramic materials from Kwambio
New ceramic materials from Kwambio

Kwambio was quiet for quite a while, but now they seem very active; this week announcing a new 3D print material. 

The New York-based company has developed a ceramic 3D printing process that they’ve chosen to deploy as a specialized 3D print service. I suspect part of the reason for this is that 3D printing ceramics is not necessarily an easy process, as there are multiple steps involved and expertise required to get quality results. 

They re-launched their services few months ago and offered a variety of ceramic colors for their 3D prints. Now they’re announcing something they call “GS ONE”, which is an “opaque glass-based material”, in twelve colors. 

 Some of the colors available from Kwambio's new glass-based ceramic material
Some of the colors available from Kwambio’s new glass-based ceramic material

The advantage of this approach over basic ceramics is that they don’t necessarily need to fire and glaze the print, they paint them instead. Kwambio says the new material also does not shrink during processing, as other materials can do. This means the dimensionality of the prints are far more accurate. 

 An unusual rough texture on the otherwise detailed prints using Kwambio's new glass-based ceramic 3D printing material
An unusual rough texture on the otherwise detailed prints using Kwambio’s new glass-based ceramic 3D printing material

The look of the prints exhibits an unusual rough surface that could be very appropriate for certain applications, particularly artistic projects. Kwambio says the process can accurately reproduce very fine details, as there is no need for resolution-destroying glaze. 

I find this development quite interesting, because the world of ceramics is vastly larger than simple clay ceramics typically seen in 3D printing. Kwambio’s venture into glass territory could be only the beginning of a wave of new, unusual and specialized 3D print materials. 

Via Medium

By Kerry Stevenson

Kerry Stevenson, aka "General Fabb" has written over 8,000 stories on 3D printing at Fabbaloo since he launched the venture in 2007, with an intention to promote and grow the incredible technology of 3D printing across the world. So far, it seems to be working!