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  3. 3D printing filaments i have some first- or second-hand experience with, in no particular order:

3D printing filaments i have some first- or second-hand experience with, in no particular order:

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  • whitequark@social.treehouse.systemsW whitequark@social.treehouse.systems

    3D printing filaments i have some first- or second-hand experience with, in no particular order:

    • PLA: naaah. no real benefits to it except "it prints fast" i guess. 1/10
    • PP: incredibly finicky (requires the use of special materials for bed adhesion!) but very chemically inert. 5/10
    • PETG: stringy, yes, but very strong, excellent interlayer and bed adhesion, great transparency, all in all fantastic filament, i default to it. 10/10
    • PCTG: an upgrade from PETG in terms of mechanical toughness but the hotend temperature seems to be stuck between "not enough interlayer adhesion" and "too much warpage". bed adhesion is either "too much" or "too little" but PEO plus bed glue seems to do the trick. 8/10
    • PA 6/6: in theory great properties, in practice warps too much for almost any part except the smallest ones (and it's hard to get tolerances down for the tiny parts too). can be dyed in theory. 3/10
    • ABS: gives off cancer fumes and fractures easily but otherwise a great high temperature filament with very little stringiness and warpage. somewhat worse interlayer adhesion than PETG but more than acceptable overall. 9/10
    • ASA: in theory tougher ABS, in practice more of a pain in the ass to print ABS. probably just use PCTG instead if you can. 8/10
    foritus@toot.dusepo.co.ukF This user is from outside of this forum
    foritus@toot.dusepo.co.ukF This user is from outside of this forum
    foritus@toot.dusepo.co.uk
    wrote last edited by
    #8

    @whitequark I really need to spend more time tuning my PETG print settings (Getting the temp/flow rate correct on a delta printer is tricky). Do you have a favourite brand for filaments?

    whitequark@social.treehouse.systemsW 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • foritus@toot.dusepo.co.ukF foritus@toot.dusepo.co.uk

      @whitequark I really need to spend more time tuning my PETG print settings (Getting the temp/flow rate correct on a delta printer is tricky). Do you have a favourite brand for filaments?

      whitequark@social.treehouse.systemsW This user is from outside of this forum
      whitequark@social.treehouse.systemsW This user is from outside of this forum
      whitequark@social.treehouse.systems
      wrote last edited by
      #9

      @Foritus I've tried IMEAI PETG and eSUN PETG, which have slightly different material properties. eSUN seems alright. calibrating the pressure advance settings for PETG is crucial as it's fairly viscous at the temps you generally want to print it

      1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • whitequark@social.treehouse.systemsW whitequark@social.treehouse.systems

        3D printing filaments i have some first- or second-hand experience with, in no particular order:

        • PLA: naaah. no real benefits to it except "it prints fast" i guess. 1/10
        • PP: incredibly finicky (requires the use of special materials for bed adhesion!) but very chemically inert. 5/10
        • PETG: stringy, yes, but very strong, excellent interlayer and bed adhesion, great transparency, all in all fantastic filament, i default to it. 10/10
        • PCTG: an upgrade from PETG in terms of mechanical toughness but the hotend temperature seems to be stuck between "not enough interlayer adhesion" and "too much warpage". bed adhesion is either "too much" or "too little" but PEO plus bed glue seems to do the trick. 8/10
        • PA 6/6: in theory great properties, in practice warps too much for almost any part except the smallest ones (and it's hard to get tolerances down for the tiny parts too). can be dyed in theory. 3/10
        • ABS: gives off cancer fumes and fractures easily but otherwise a great high temperature filament with very little stringiness and warpage. somewhat worse interlayer adhesion than PETG but more than acceptable overall. 9/10
        • ASA: in theory tougher ABS, in practice more of a pain in the ass to print ABS. probably just use PCTG instead if you can. 8/10
        blue_on@qdon.spaceB This user is from outside of this forum
        blue_on@qdon.spaceB This user is from outside of this forum
        blue_on@qdon.space
        wrote last edited by
        #10

        @whitequark
        PLA has low shrinkage and less cooling difficulty. so it is more suitable for aesthetic prints. furthermore, it often sold as 'bi-color' or 'silk' variant.

        1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • whitequark@social.treehouse.systemsW whitequark@social.treehouse.systems

          3D printing filaments i have some first- or second-hand experience with, in no particular order:

          • PLA: naaah. no real benefits to it except "it prints fast" i guess. 1/10
          • PP: incredibly finicky (requires the use of special materials for bed adhesion!) but very chemically inert. 5/10
          • PETG: stringy, yes, but very strong, excellent interlayer and bed adhesion, great transparency, all in all fantastic filament, i default to it. 10/10
          • PCTG: an upgrade from PETG in terms of mechanical toughness but the hotend temperature seems to be stuck between "not enough interlayer adhesion" and "too much warpage". bed adhesion is either "too much" or "too little" but PEO plus bed glue seems to do the trick. 8/10
          • PA 6/6: in theory great properties, in practice warps too much for almost any part except the smallest ones (and it's hard to get tolerances down for the tiny parts too). can be dyed in theory. 3/10
          • ABS: gives off cancer fumes and fractures easily but otherwise a great high temperature filament with very little stringiness and warpage. somewhat worse interlayer adhesion than PETG but more than acceptable overall. 9/10
          • ASA: in theory tougher ABS, in practice more of a pain in the ass to print ABS. probably just use PCTG instead if you can. 8/10
          wren6991@types.plW This user is from outside of this forum
          wren6991@types.plW This user is from outside of this forum
          wren6991@types.pl
          wrote last edited by
          #11

          @whitequark PLA smells nice 10/10

          1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • whitequark@social.treehouse.systemsW whitequark@social.treehouse.systems

            3D printing filaments i have some first- or second-hand experience with, in no particular order:

            • PLA: naaah. no real benefits to it except "it prints fast" i guess. 1/10
            • PP: incredibly finicky (requires the use of special materials for bed adhesion!) but very chemically inert. 5/10
            • PETG: stringy, yes, but very strong, excellent interlayer and bed adhesion, great transparency, all in all fantastic filament, i default to it. 10/10
            • PCTG: an upgrade from PETG in terms of mechanical toughness but the hotend temperature seems to be stuck between "not enough interlayer adhesion" and "too much warpage". bed adhesion is either "too much" or "too little" but PEO plus bed glue seems to do the trick. 8/10
            • PA 6/6: in theory great properties, in practice warps too much for almost any part except the smallest ones (and it's hard to get tolerances down for the tiny parts too). can be dyed in theory. 3/10
            • ABS: gives off cancer fumes and fractures easily but otherwise a great high temperature filament with very little stringiness and warpage. somewhat worse interlayer adhesion than PETG but more than acceptable overall. 9/10
            • ASA: in theory tougher ABS, in practice more of a pain in the ass to print ABS. probably just use PCTG instead if you can. 8/10
            ratsnakegames@mastodon.socialR This user is from outside of this forum
            ratsnakegames@mastodon.socialR This user is from outside of this forum
            ratsnakegames@mastodon.social
            wrote last edited by
            #12

            @whitequark i like that PLA is biodegradable

            anymouse_404@glitch.socialA 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • whitequark@social.treehouse.systemsW whitequark@social.treehouse.systems

              haven't tried CF-PA66 yet, i heard that one is pretty good for certain types of parts

              lunareclipse@snug.moeL This user is from outside of this forum
              lunareclipse@snug.moeL This user is from outside of this forum
              lunareclipse@snug.moe
              wrote last edited by
              #13

              @whitequark CF filaments are kind of a nightmare because the fibres can shed and get stuck in your body if you don't seal the print, but also they're apparently not that good, here's a guy that tested a bunch of the properties and has some hypotheses about why this happens youtu.be/w7JperqVfXI

              Idk if this applies to the specific one you're talking about

              whitequark@social.treehouse.systemsW ppxl@social.tchncs.deP 2 Replies Last reply
              0
              • lunareclipse@snug.moeL lunareclipse@snug.moe

                @whitequark CF filaments are kind of a nightmare because the fibres can shed and get stuck in your body if you don't seal the print, but also they're apparently not that good, here's a guy that tested a bunch of the properties and has some hypotheses about why this happens youtu.be/w7JperqVfXI

                Idk if this applies to the specific one you're talking about

                whitequark@social.treehouse.systemsW This user is from outside of this forum
                whitequark@social.treehouse.systemsW This user is from outside of this forum
                whitequark@social.treehouse.systems
                wrote last edited by
                #14

                @lunareclipse I did watch that series and he says it specifically applies to CF-PLA, not CF-PA66

                lunareclipse@snug.moeL 1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • whitequark@social.treehouse.systemsW whitequark@social.treehouse.systems

                  3D printing filaments i have some first- or second-hand experience with, in no particular order:

                  • PLA: naaah. no real benefits to it except "it prints fast" i guess. 1/10
                  • PP: incredibly finicky (requires the use of special materials for bed adhesion!) but very chemically inert. 5/10
                  • PETG: stringy, yes, but very strong, excellent interlayer and bed adhesion, great transparency, all in all fantastic filament, i default to it. 10/10
                  • PCTG: an upgrade from PETG in terms of mechanical toughness but the hotend temperature seems to be stuck between "not enough interlayer adhesion" and "too much warpage". bed adhesion is either "too much" or "too little" but PEO plus bed glue seems to do the trick. 8/10
                  • PA 6/6: in theory great properties, in practice warps too much for almost any part except the smallest ones (and it's hard to get tolerances down for the tiny parts too). can be dyed in theory. 3/10
                  • ABS: gives off cancer fumes and fractures easily but otherwise a great high temperature filament with very little stringiness and warpage. somewhat worse interlayer adhesion than PETG but more than acceptable overall. 9/10
                  • ASA: in theory tougher ABS, in practice more of a pain in the ass to print ABS. probably just use PCTG instead if you can. 8/10
                  doragasu@mastodon.sdf.orgD This user is from outside of this forum
                  doragasu@mastodon.sdf.orgD This user is from outside of this forum
                  doragasu@mastodon.sdf.org
                  wrote last edited by
                  #15

                  @whitequark Interesting you don't like PLA at all, I default to it for almost everything. Fast, very strong layer adhesion, great detail. For me PETG is stringy and loses small details. I only use it when I'm printing parts that need to be softer than PLA. For example my SteamDeck Stand (PLA is very hard and can leave marks on the Deck ABS shell, not a problem with PETG).

                  doragasu@mastodon.sdf.orgD 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • doragasu@mastodon.sdf.orgD doragasu@mastodon.sdf.org

                    @whitequark Interesting you don't like PLA at all, I default to it for almost everything. Fast, very strong layer adhesion, great detail. For me PETG is stringy and loses small details. I only use it when I'm printing parts that need to be softer than PLA. For example my SteamDeck Stand (PLA is very hard and can leave marks on the Deck ABS shell, not a problem with PETG).

                    doragasu@mastodon.sdf.orgD This user is from outside of this forum
                    doragasu@mastodon.sdf.orgD This user is from outside of this forum
                    doragasu@mastodon.sdf.org
                    wrote last edited by
                    #16

                    @whitequark I like ABS, but my printer is not enclosed and that makes tricky doing long prints. Being able to smooth parts with acetone is also cool! The ABS fumes are also a problem though.
                    Other materials I have used:
                    * TPU: I love it, it's awesome being able to print flexible parts!
                    * Nylon: was not able to make a single decent print with this...
                    * CopperFill PLA: awesome if you want to oxidize the prints!
                    * SilkPLA: looks nice, but layer adhesion was poor, also more stringy than PLA.

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • whitequark@social.treehouse.systemsW whitequark@social.treehouse.systems

                      3D printing filaments i have some first- or second-hand experience with, in no particular order:

                      • PLA: naaah. no real benefits to it except "it prints fast" i guess. 1/10
                      • PP: incredibly finicky (requires the use of special materials for bed adhesion!) but very chemically inert. 5/10
                      • PETG: stringy, yes, but very strong, excellent interlayer and bed adhesion, great transparency, all in all fantastic filament, i default to it. 10/10
                      • PCTG: an upgrade from PETG in terms of mechanical toughness but the hotend temperature seems to be stuck between "not enough interlayer adhesion" and "too much warpage". bed adhesion is either "too much" or "too little" but PEO plus bed glue seems to do the trick. 8/10
                      • PA 6/6: in theory great properties, in practice warps too much for almost any part except the smallest ones (and it's hard to get tolerances down for the tiny parts too). can be dyed in theory. 3/10
                      • ABS: gives off cancer fumes and fractures easily but otherwise a great high temperature filament with very little stringiness and warpage. somewhat worse interlayer adhesion than PETG but more than acceptable overall. 9/10
                      • ASA: in theory tougher ABS, in practice more of a pain in the ass to print ABS. probably just use PCTG instead if you can. 8/10
                      kaidenshi@exquisite.socialK This user is from outside of this forum
                      kaidenshi@exquisite.socialK This user is from outside of this forum
                      kaidenshi@exquisite.social
                      wrote last edited by
                      #17

                      @whitequark I've only ever used PLA, PETG, and nylon for prints. PETG is my favorite of those for my own projects. At work I use PLA for prototyping and throwaway parts (e.g. we needed some caps for some aerosol cans that were missing their original caps and we wanted to protect them in shipping, five minutes to design in FreeCAD and 20 minutes to print each).

                      I use nylon for a floating bearing I designed to replace the obsolete mass produced bearing used in equipment we sell, it has to be nylon so it can slip and spin in the hinge without breaking down, while still structurally sound enough to not collapse and break under lateral pressure.

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • whitequark@social.treehouse.systemsW whitequark@social.treehouse.systems

                        @autkin I believe only ABS and ASA from this list have objectionable fumes (styrene, specifically, which is a known human carcinogen). the rest are fine

                        lunareclipse@snug.moeL This user is from outside of this forum
                        lunareclipse@snug.moeL This user is from outside of this forum
                        lunareclipse@snug.moe
                        wrote last edited by
                        #18

                        @whitequark @autkin from some cursory research it seems like all of them have some degree of unhealthy fumes, with ABS being the worst but PLA not being perfect either, and that's not considering the particulates

                        This has a general analysis of the dangers and specifically fig.5 has a chart of VOCs
                        www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132325008030

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • whitequark@social.treehouse.systemsW whitequark@social.treehouse.systems

                          @lunareclipse I did watch that series and he says it specifically applies to CF-PLA, not CF-PA66

                          lunareclipse@snug.moeL This user is from outside of this forum
                          lunareclipse@snug.moeL This user is from outside of this forum
                          lunareclipse@snug.moe
                          wrote last edited by
                          #19

                          @whitequark ah okay that makes sense

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • whitequark@social.treehouse.systemsW whitequark@social.treehouse.systems

                            3D printing filaments i have some first- or second-hand experience with, in no particular order:

                            • PLA: naaah. no real benefits to it except "it prints fast" i guess. 1/10
                            • PP: incredibly finicky (requires the use of special materials for bed adhesion!) but very chemically inert. 5/10
                            • PETG: stringy, yes, but very strong, excellent interlayer and bed adhesion, great transparency, all in all fantastic filament, i default to it. 10/10
                            • PCTG: an upgrade from PETG in terms of mechanical toughness but the hotend temperature seems to be stuck between "not enough interlayer adhesion" and "too much warpage". bed adhesion is either "too much" or "too little" but PEO plus bed glue seems to do the trick. 8/10
                            • PA 6/6: in theory great properties, in practice warps too much for almost any part except the smallest ones (and it's hard to get tolerances down for the tiny parts too). can be dyed in theory. 3/10
                            • ABS: gives off cancer fumes and fractures easily but otherwise a great high temperature filament with very little stringiness and warpage. somewhat worse interlayer adhesion than PETG but more than acceptable overall. 9/10
                            • ASA: in theory tougher ABS, in practice more of a pain in the ass to print ABS. probably just use PCTG instead if you can. 8/10
                            ppxl@social.tchncs.deP This user is from outside of this forum
                            ppxl@social.tchncs.deP This user is from outside of this forum
                            ppxl@social.tchncs.de
                            wrote last edited by
                            #20

                            @whitequark imma 2D print this and hang this over my 3D printer 😘👌🏾

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • lunareclipse@snug.moeL lunareclipse@snug.moe

                              @whitequark CF filaments are kind of a nightmare because the fibres can shed and get stuck in your body if you don't seal the print, but also they're apparently not that good, here's a guy that tested a bunch of the properties and has some hypotheses about why this happens youtu.be/w7JperqVfXI

                              Idk if this applies to the specific one you're talking about

                              ppxl@social.tchncs.deP This user is from outside of this forum
                              ppxl@social.tchncs.deP This user is from outside of this forum
                              ppxl@social.tchncs.de
                              wrote last edited by
                              #21

                              @lunareclipse @whitequark oof but in a thanks but nope-noppedy-never-nu-uh-no-thanks way

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • abraxas3d@mastodon.radioA abraxas3d@mastodon.radio

                                @whitequark ABS shrinks a bit, so if you have something that must be dimensionally stable to test as a prototype, then PLA can be the better choice.

                                Sometimes slightly enlarging the design for ABS works, but sometimes it does not.

                                atomizer@infosec.exchangeA This user is from outside of this forum
                                atomizer@infosec.exchangeA This user is from outside of this forum
                                atomizer@infosec.exchange
                                wrote last edited by
                                #22

                                @abraxas3d @whitequark keep in mind that it is only relevant for x/y. I recommend using correction coefficients in the slicer instead of model edits. Printing a long stick and calculating it once is enough in my experience

                                1 Reply Last reply
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                                • ratsnakegames@mastodon.socialR ratsnakegames@mastodon.social

                                  @whitequark i like that PLA is biodegradable

                                  anymouse_404@glitch.socialA This user is from outside of this forum
                                  anymouse_404@glitch.socialA This user is from outside of this forum
                                  anymouse_404@glitch.social
                                  wrote last edited by
                                  #23

                                  @ratsnakegames @whitequark That part of PLA is kind of a scam as well, sure, they can theoretically break it down within industrial composters, but if you bury it in the ground or yank it into the sea, it will break apart into microplastics and stay around for a really long time

                                  whitequark@social.treehouse.systemsW jripley@mastodon.socialJ 2 Replies Last reply
                                  0
                                  • anymouse_404@glitch.socialA anymouse_404@glitch.social

                                    @ratsnakegames @whitequark That part of PLA is kind of a scam as well, sure, they can theoretically break it down within industrial composters, but if you bury it in the ground or yank it into the sea, it will break apart into microplastics and stay around for a really long time

                                    whitequark@social.treehouse.systemsW This user is from outside of this forum
                                    whitequark@social.treehouse.systemsW This user is from outside of this forum
                                    whitequark@social.treehouse.systems
                                    wrote last edited by
                                    #24

                                    @anymouse_404 @ratsnakegames yeah... on the flipside, if it degrades in the environment where I don't want it to degrade, what will probably happen? that's right it goes into the trash

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • whitequark@social.treehouse.systemsW whitequark@social.treehouse.systems

                                      3D printing filaments i have some first- or second-hand experience with, in no particular order:

                                      • PLA: naaah. no real benefits to it except "it prints fast" i guess. 1/10
                                      • PP: incredibly finicky (requires the use of special materials for bed adhesion!) but very chemically inert. 5/10
                                      • PETG: stringy, yes, but very strong, excellent interlayer and bed adhesion, great transparency, all in all fantastic filament, i default to it. 10/10
                                      • PCTG: an upgrade from PETG in terms of mechanical toughness but the hotend temperature seems to be stuck between "not enough interlayer adhesion" and "too much warpage". bed adhesion is either "too much" or "too little" but PEO plus bed glue seems to do the trick. 8/10
                                      • PA 6/6: in theory great properties, in practice warps too much for almost any part except the smallest ones (and it's hard to get tolerances down for the tiny parts too). can be dyed in theory. 3/10
                                      • ABS: gives off cancer fumes and fractures easily but otherwise a great high temperature filament with very little stringiness and warpage. somewhat worse interlayer adhesion than PETG but more than acceptable overall. 9/10
                                      • ASA: in theory tougher ABS, in practice more of a pain in the ass to print ABS. probably just use PCTG instead if you can. 8/10
                                      multioculate@mastodon.socialM This user is from outside of this forum
                                      multioculate@mastodon.socialM This user is from outside of this forum
                                      multioculate@mastodon.social
                                      wrote last edited by
                                      #25

                                      @whitequark While PLA in general is dubious mechanically I do like that you can get cheap-ish conductive versions which are super handy for making ESD-safe objects, and it still prints pretty decently despite all the carbon black

                                      whitequark@social.treehouse.systemsW becomethewaifu@tech.lgbtB 2 Replies Last reply
                                      0
                                      • multioculate@mastodon.socialM multioculate@mastodon.social

                                        @whitequark While PLA in general is dubious mechanically I do like that you can get cheap-ish conductive versions which are super handy for making ESD-safe objects, and it still prints pretty decently despite all the carbon black

                                        whitequark@social.treehouse.systemsW This user is from outside of this forum
                                        whitequark@social.treehouse.systemsW This user is from outside of this forum
                                        whitequark@social.treehouse.systems
                                        wrote last edited by
                                        #26

                                        @multioculate oh, that's an interesting one!

                                        1 Reply Last reply
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                                        • multioculate@mastodon.socialM multioculate@mastodon.social

                                          @whitequark While PLA in general is dubious mechanically I do like that you can get cheap-ish conductive versions which are super handy for making ESD-safe objects, and it still prints pretty decently despite all the carbon black

                                          becomethewaifu@tech.lgbtB This user is from outside of this forum
                                          becomethewaifu@tech.lgbtB This user is from outside of this forum
                                          becomethewaifu@tech.lgbt
                                          wrote last edited by
                                          #27

                                          @multioculate @whitequark It also smells vaguely of corn when printing, as well as being "rather resistant" to most plastic solvents that aren't MEK, IIRC. (I do know that acetone won't really touch it though) But still not as inert as more specialized plastics.

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