14 DAY TRIAL // 3D printing filaments may have started out as normal plastic spools, but they've begun to take on unusual traits. MakerBot has just unveiled the latest “strange” addition: photocoromatic filament.
The PLA filament essentially reacts to sunlight or other sources of ultraviolet radiation. There are two color options: Magenta Photochromatic and Blue Photochromatic.
Normally, the filament (and, by extension, the items made from it) are white, but they turn magenta and blue, respectively, when light falls upon them.
They will make a fine addition to the 3D printing industry, right next to carbon nanotube filament, glowing filament (phosphorescent) and the liquid plastics we wrote about the other day.
If the new MakerBot filaments sell well, we may see other colors released before the year is out. You will have to decide for yourselves if color changing is worth the cash, however.
There are both small and large spools to choose from. The small spools cost $25 / €18.53 and weigh 0.22 kg / 0.48 pounds, while the large spools are 0.9 kg / 1.98 pound rolls priced at $65 / €47.
The odds are high that green will be the next color released by the company. It would essentially complete the Red-Green-Blue / RGB color combo that lies at the basis of everything on the technology market that has to do with colors, like displays.