Tiki Statue 3D Print in LAYWOO-D3

 You Too Can 3D print in LAYWOO-D3 and Create a Wooden Tiki Statue or Other Earthy Parts

The Airwolf 3D team asked itself, “What cool thing can we 3D  print in LAYWOO-D3?”  We turned to modeling genius Cereberus333 and found his “Tiki Statue.”  Using 3mm LAYWOO-D3 wood filament in light cherry color allowed us to give this Tiki statue a fantastic wood texture.

Temperature Matters:  With your AW3D XL you can 3D print in LAYWOO-D3 with a range of temperatures from 175°C to 250°C.

For a brighter color hue at lower temperatures as a higher temperature will create a darker wood color. The printed wood will appear rough, similar to MDF (Medium-Density Fiberboard). Playing a little with the material feed settings brings more craters or a smoother surface.

Below are some useful filament specs to get you started.  These tips are  provided by the nice folks at Matterhackers and you can find LAYWOO-D3 on their web store.

LAYWOO-D3 Features

– Very little warp
– Rough or smooth surface possible during one print
– Paintable, grindable, carvable and stainable
– Printable tree-rings
– No heated bed necessary
– Contains recycled wood and harmless binding polymers (still, we don’t recommend ingesting)
– Similar thermal durability as PLA
– No need to store in a sealed bag or use desiccant (wood loves humidity)

Printing Tips
At print temperature LAYWOO-D3 is less viscous than PLA or ABS, a few extra steps can help improve your printing experience:
– Adding extra extrusion to the beginning of your print will help prevent dry extrusion during the initial layers.
– Increasing the retraction setting of your part during slicing will reduce ‘leakage’ while the hotend is moving between sections (especially over open areas).

LAYWOO-D3 will harden over time, for delicate parts allow 30-60 min for your print to set.

Alternating the temperature during your print (even by as little as 10 degrees) will vary the coloration, giving it a ‘grained’ look.