Kai Parthy, developer of interesting, sometimes very sophisticated, materials for 3D printing, presents LAYWOODmeta5, a new version of his wood filament that is thermally insulating and adapts to climate changes by changing length and volume.

Similar to cardboard, objects printed with LAYWOODmeta5 have a rough surface with a microporous structure capable of rapidly absorbing water and therefore expanding. This process can be reversed by drying in a stream of air.

You probably remember LAYWOO-D3, the first wood-filled filament that allowed objects with light-dark annual rings to be printed very similar to wood. Compared to LAYWOOD, the new material is porous, therefore it has a lower density (a bit like balsa wood) which is about half that of standard filaments. Rinsing in water for two days creates mycelium-like open cell structures. This causes the printed objects to float on water, unlike unrinsed parts which have a density comparable to other thermoplastics.

In the 3D printer the filament is easy to process and adheres to the unheated print bed without deforming. The printing temperature should be between 235 and 250°C. Furthermore, the material can also be labeled with any type of ink after printing.

Main features

• floats on water
• porous, density: ~0.5 gr/c cm; 
• thermal insulation, low thermal conductivity
• climate responsive (elongation)
• absorbent carrier for agents
• print at: 225 – 250°C, cold! platform
• zero deformations, the ABS adheres well to the platform
• only 50% density of standard 3D printing filaments
• contains open cell pores inside after rinsing with water for 2
• days, dry the item with a fan, not in the oven
• cellular structure like mycelium
• possible to paint with water-based inks