OBC 3D printing filament is a breakthrough material from the chemists at Dow Chemical. Designed for high-performance 3D printing, OBC (Olefin Block Copolymer) is made from a unique polyethylene-based material that brings the properties of polyolefin, such as excellent dimensional stability and superior chemical resistance to 3D printing, all while remaining lightweight. and thanks to LayerLock BuildSurface for PolyPropylene that's included in this bundle, it's also incredibly easy to print. Step into a new world of 3D printing materials with OBC and LayerLock.
Select the OBC Printing Pack for Your 3D Printer
Each OBC Printing Pack is designed to fit one of several popular 3D printers, and comes with the perfectly-sized LayerLock PEI Sheet and two spools of OBC, either in the 0.37kg or 0.77kg spool weights.
- MatterHackers Pulse (9" x 10")
- LulzBot TAZ 6, TAZ Workhorse, TAZ Pro or TAZ Pro S (11.8" x 11.8")
- Raise3D Pro2 or Pro2 Plus (13.07" x 13.39")
- Ultimaker 2+ or 3 (9" x 9")
Low Density, High Strength
Olefin is an unusual material within the world of 3D printing because it has very low density without sacrificing strength and toughness. OBC is approximately 30% less dense than PLA and PETG filaments. That means that a 0.37kg spool will print as many parts as 0.5kg spool of PLA or PETG. Low density by itself, though, doesn’t mean much. OBC also boasts awesome chemical resistance, a low flexural modulus (i.e. flexible), and extreme resistance to fatigue. OBC is a strong, flexible, and chemically resistant material that also floats on water - it’s almost magic!
High End Applications
OBC has a low flexural modulus . This means OBC offers flexibility that other filaments just can't match. Its extreme fatigue resistance allows you to print things like living hinges without the printing difficulty--thanks to LayerLock Build Surface for PolyPropylene--that many super flexible filaments have. These properties, combined with excellent chemical resistance, open up new applications 3D printing.
Educational Applications
OBC is easy to print and requires very little fine tuning with your printer. It is one of a few flexible 3D printing materials that is approachable to inexperienced users. Though easy to print, it still boasts breakthrough features that only Dow Chemical could design.
OBC is be flexible when a part has thin features, but can be fairly stiff when printing thicker parts. An example of this is a plastic milk jug and plastic cutting board. They are commonly made of a similar polyethylene material - one is obviously very flexible and the other is stiff. OBC is the next level of that very material!
Print Settings
- Nozzle Temp: 160 - 200C
- Bed Temp: 60 - 100C
- Print Surface: LayerLock Build Surface for PolyPropylene
- Print Speed: 10 - 40 mm/s
Tech Specs
- Actual Density: 0.905 g/cm^3 (compare to ~1.20 g/cm^3 with PLA)
- Total Spool Length: 159.9m (compare to 145.51m on a spool of PLA)
- To view or download the OBC TDS, click here.