Kai Parthy PORO-LAY LAY-FOMM 40 Porous Filament - 1.75mm (0.25kg)

LAY-FOMM 40 is an exciting and new innovation from the creator of LAYBRICK and LAYWOO-D3. We are proud to offer the newest experimental filament from inventor Kai Parthy. We are the only U.S. authorized reseller of this experimental new filament! LAY-FOMM 40 is best characterized as foamy and very porous. This material is made from a rubber-elastomeric polymer and a PVA-component. That means that part of this filament is water soluble. Once you rinse this material in water, the PVA component disappears and the rubber polymer remains as your micro-porous object. LAY-FOMM 40 is ideal for soft rubber-like applications, such as bendable suits and sponge-like objects, ink-reservoirs, bio-cells, micro-foam and elastics. LAY-FOMM 40 comes in a .25kg package.

After finishing your print you will notice that the material is strong and rigid. However, rinse the print with water then your object becomes micro-porous & elastic. This is ideal for printing soft and flexible rubber like objects. This material is very soft and has a shore hardness of A40. To get full flexibility from your print you should leave the printed object sitting in tap water for 1-4 days.

So what's the difference between LAY-FOMM 40 and LAY-FOMM 60? Good question - LAY-FOMM 60 has a shore hardness of A60 and is slightly firmer than LAY-FOMM 40 which has a shore hardness of A40. Both materials are very flexible and only have a difference in shore hardness. These materials are identical with the exception of shore hardness.

The picture below illustrates the fascinating nature of the PORO-LAY series of filaments. The image on the left is PORO-LAY after being printed (strong, sturdy, rigid). The image to the right is that same part after being soaked in warm water (part became elastic, flexible, and rubber like after the rinse).

We recommend printing LAY-FOMM 40 between 220°-230°C. However, remember that each printer is slightly different so you may need to increase or decrease the temperature by 5°C until your print looks perfect!

Check out the video below to learn more about the PORO-LAY series!

LAY-FOMM 40 part of the new PORO-LAY series which also includes LAY-FOMM 60 and GEL-LAY. The PORO-LAY series is made by taking two different materials such as an Elastomer (rubberlike substance) and then blending that substance with a soluble component such as PVA. So after rinsing your print in water the PVA component dissolves and the print is then flexible and porous.

Fast Facts about LAY-FOMM 40

• After printing rinse with water to create an object that is micro-porous & elastic
• Optimal for printing soft rubber objects
• Shore hardness of A40
• Print between 220°-230°C
• Filament comes in a .25kg package
• Polymer components of LAY-FOMM 40 are harmless and foodsafe.
• Store filament dry / if wet after time > dry it in oven at 80° for some hours.

Nuggets of Info About the PORO-LAY Series

• POROLAY filaments are dedicated for experimental use. This is bleeding edge filament so start with an open mind!
• All filaments after printing are stiff and unbreakable and printable with standard home-printers (repraps)
• All objects are hot-sealable after drying
• Micro-porous means micrometer-dimensions! Pores are not visible to naked eyes.
• All POROLAY-objects can be filled not only with water, try to use emulsions of oil, glycerine, inks, salty solutions, or ionic liquids to make it conductive!
• you may print without heated bed
• the objects have near zero warp (deformation while printing)
• Design rules: print less walls/shells and less filling % to shorten rinsing time

Check out this print that our print services team made with LAY-FOMM 40. The print on the left has not had a water bath while the print on the right had a water bath for 2 hours in an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner (which speeds up the bath time)