Hemp filament can now start becoming a thing! Given how plentiful this is, and its usefulness in all sorts of industries, it’s a welcoming addition to the plethora of filaments FDM printers can use!
Originally shared by LulzBot
Take a look at this 3D printed octopus with Colorado hemp, printed on a LulzBot! Thanks Hemp Ink! @Congressman_Jared_Po @Senator_Cory_Gardner
bring on the hemp paper, filament, composite fibers, clothes and battery parts. It was stupid of this country to ban hemp in the first place.
@ThantiK , thanks for sharing.
It’s the 1st time I hear abt Hemp filament, interesting, will find out more.
what is so special about hemp?
@Hakan_Evirgen Hemp can produce 250% more fiber than cotton and 600% more fiber than flax using the same amount of land. It also tends to have the strength of cotton, but without being so rough. It’s a good organic filler, much like bamboo. If we were to make paper out of hemp, instead of wood pulp, we’d cut down the need for destruction of trees by a significant amount.
I have no idea how easy it is to extract the fibers from hemp, but my research shows that it is a pain in the butt to extract from flax.
@NathanielStenzel doesn’t look too bad to me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhb3iZ0-VMc
What are the mechanical properties of this hemp filament, compared to, for example, ordinary PLA?
Do the hemp fibres impart extra stiffness, a bit like how fiberglass does when embedded in resin?
@Paul_Gross , I guess it all depends on how it’s processed. There’s not much information available on it right now. I did run across an article that stated that the filament was about 20% PLA, and the rest was plant material. If anything, from that statement I’m deducing that it may be possible to lower the cost of filament, and even get a better aesthetic from it at the same time.
http://www.globalhemp.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/01/ages001Ee.pdf
http://www.globalnaturalfibres.org/hemp
from the last link’s page:
“Modern processes use steam and machinery to separate the fibre, a process known as thermo-mechanical pulping.”
That last part says that the traditional retting of flax might not even be used anymore.
Maybe the combination of steam and mechanical processing makes it much easier than it used to be.
@ThantiK It does seem like a good composite filament.
Hemp fibres mixed with PLA should flow through the hot-end nicely, and when it cools, the fibres will probably increase the strength along the axis of extrusion, when compared to 100% PLA.
I imagine we will see many colours available for this composite in the future, especially if it makes stronger prints and is cheaper to manufacture.
Where can you buy hemp filament? @filabits should sell samples.
Do you get high while printing it?
@Bracken_Dawson , no. Hemp doesn’t contain THC.
Hemp was banned by the government at the request of the cotton industry with the excuse of it being related to marijuana. It was not because of it being anything to get a person high.
Can you grow hemp and not get a metric butt-load of weed? I’m not against this btw, I’m just being difficult.
@Bracken_Dawson are you under the impression that the stalk of the marijuana is hemp?
@NathanielStenzel , technically they’re both cannabis plants. It’s just one plant has virtually no THC in it, grows like a weed (no pun intended), and has a lot of uses when it comes to fibrous plant product. Bamboo is equally versatile. It grows super fast, is super strong, lightweight, etc.
Yeah Hemp is a cousin of the recreational drugs. It does have a very trace amount of THC but not enough that you’d get any high from. This is why the federal government bans it (And duponts invention of nylon not being able to compete with the far more versatile hemp in the 1920’s)
Well, it must be the nylon thing or cotton thing or both.
Pumpkin and acorn squash are both squash, but you won’t be making a jackolantern out of an acorn squash. Treating hemp is marijuana is just as stupid sounding.
