Topic: Colorants (masterbatch)
This thread is for posting information on making colored filament.
Things you should post:
-Base plastic color (natural, white, clear, etc.)
-Masterbatch Color
-Ratio of base to masterbatch
-Ratio of masterbatch to masterbatch (for complementary colors)
-Type of Plastic (ABS, PLA, HDPE, etc.)
So far, here is what I have been experimenting with and some of my results:
Base Colors: natural & clear
Masterbatch Colors: Green(ABS), Grey(ABS), Blue(HDPE), Red(HDPE)
Ratios: I have been using everything from 25:1 to 100:1
Plastic: ABS
I have been playing with colorants from OS for about 4 months now and the results are very promising. Using ABS colorant mixed with natural ABS I have been able to create solid colors with ease using the Filastruder. Lately, I have been mixing at a ratio of 32:1 and adding that mix directly to the hopper of the Filastruder.
Once you start extruding, you will eventually start to see a hint of the color you are trying to create. From this point, it takes about 10-20 feet of extruded filament to start getting a really consistent color.
A couple of things to note:
-Do not mix HDPE colorant with ABS plastic
-Switching from one colorant to another takes some time as you have to push the old color out of the machine (this takes much longer with dark colors like black).
I will get up more/better pictures as I continue testing with OS Printing masterbatch http://osprintingllc.com/
Filastruder
NYLON (taulman): http://www.soliforum.com/topic/466/nylon/