Start-up wants to set up laboratory for testing 3D printing materials

The startup Slant 3D has launched a Kickstarter campaign to comprehensively test the properties of common 3D printing filaments. The aim is to compare the material characteristics of different manufacturers and measure the actual performance after printing.

As Slant 3D explains, the information currently available on common printing materials such as PLA is very vague. Manufacturers often only list theoretical characteristic values that refer to the pure plastic mass. However, how well a filament is actually suitable for 3D printing and what strength values or other properties a component printed with it has remains unclear.

To clarify this, Slant 3D is now raising funds via Kickstarter to purchase a tensile testing machine. This will be used to carry out systematic tests on filament raw material and printed test specimens. The company then plans to publish the results of all relevant tests in video form on its YouTube channel.

According to the team, the declared aim is to make manufacturers of 3D printing filaments “accountable” through these tests. Customers should know exactly what material properties they are actually getting when they buy. In the long term, he hopes that this approach will contribute to the standardization of technical data and ultimately to higher print quality.

The campaign on Kickstarter will run until January 14, 2024 and the goal is at least 10,000 US dollars. Slant 3D would like to use the funds to purchase an initial tensile testing machine and to carry out and publish a series of material and print tests.