Filament Types

• ABS
  • Print at 220-260C
  • can be acetone-washed post-printing for surface smoothness;
    thermal stable up to 98C;
    acetone solubility can also be used to ‘glue’ parts together;
    tends to shrink when printed;
    stinks, so printer in enclosure is recommended.
• ASA
  • ASA - higher temp and UV resistance
• PA (Polyamide - Nylon)
• HatchBox: Polyamide is a low-temperature nylon and can print up to 230°C, and a heating bed is not required.
• (link to:) HB product page
• HB recommended print temperature: 200 - 220
  Other sources suggest up to 260
• Recommendations for bed temperature also vary widely, depending mostly on what kind of bed surface you have,
  with 60 - 80C most often suggested.
  Also recommended to turn off part cooling fan
  If warpage is a problem, increase bed temperature
• One source says nylon can absorb 10% weight in water from atmosphere in 24 hrs.
  Always dry it before printing
• HB doesn't specify density, but Google says it ranges from 1.13 - 1.35
• Because nylon is so highly hygroscopic, you can soak it in water-based dye to color it.
  Of course dry it completely after dyeing.
• There are many different forumulations of nylon available. Many are some flavor of "nylon 6", and others may be "nylon 12". The latter is less hygroscopic, and more chemically and thermally stable.
• PA-CF (Carbon Fiber in Nylon):
• Nylon-X MatterHackers ($58 for 500g)
• (link to:) HatchBox Carbon Fiber PLA ($45 for 1kg)
• (link to:) MakeShaper CarbonX ($68 for 750g) [I think MakeShaper is out of business...]
• MakerGeeks Carbon Fiber PLA - no longer available - MakerGeeks out of business Feb 2019
• (link to:) Proto-Pasta Carbon Fiber PLA ($40 for 500g)
  This is a heat-treatable filament that withstands 155C / 310F after heat-treating.
• Per comment in MH product page for PETG-CF, Nylon-CF is lighter than PETG-CF, however I could not find actual density specs.
• PolyCarbonate (PC)
  • Strongest standard filament.
  • Can be smoothed with acetone wash.
  • High heat resistance, great mechanical strength, excellent fracture resistance and flame retardant.
  • PolyMaker Black PolyMax $25 for 0.75kg
  • MEXYDP9Q from MH in my inventory:
  • print at 250-270°C
    bed 90-105°C
  • recommend cooling fan OFF

  (link to:) MH product page $75 for 0.75kg, extrude 270-310, bed 100-135
  (link to:) MH product page $50 for 1kg, black
  They also carry a line of PC/ASA blends that print at lower temperature.

• PC + Carbon Fiber:
  • Prusa:
    https://shop.prusa3d.com/en/prusament/1576-prusament-pc-blend-carbon-fib...
  • 3dXTech:
    https://www.3dxtech.com/product/carbonx-pc-cf/
• PEEK blends
  • Very strong, but print at 380-410C
• PETG (PET-glycol)
• Print at 240C
• Density: 1.27 g/cm³
• Good high temperature stability of printed parts.
• I've used:
  HatchBox PETG Black (link to:) HB product page
  HatchBox PETG White (link to:) HB product page
  MatterHackers Build Series PETG ((link to:) MH product page
• PETG is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture from the air), but can be dried in an oven at 180F for 4-6 hrs (per MH)
  See also: Filament Drying Procedure
• Transparent PETG:
  • ColorFabb co-polyester (PLA? PETG? - stable to 70C)
    colorFabb_XT
    print at 240 - 260C, 60 - 80C bed
    colorfabb.com/materials
    learn.colorfabb.com
  • Form Futura HDglass
    print at 220 - 260C
    60 - 80C bed
    30 - 100% fan
  • Taulman TGlase
    Transparent Red (MD90W6VY)
    print at 235 - 240C, 60 - 75C bed
    cooling fan: On
• PLA
• Print at 190-230C
• This is the "beginner's" filament, easiest to print, included as a free roll with the Prusa.
• All in all works well with default slicer settings. Problem is that it has poor high temperature stability, and will reportedly warp if the printed part is exposed to high temperatures even as high as you might get in a car parked in the summer sun.
• PP (PolyPropylene):
  • Yogurt containers: ~ 25g incl lid == $2 worth of filament each
  • Print at: ...
  • (link to:) MatterHackers - $58 / 0.7kg
• PVA
• Prusa (PrimaSelect PVA - PS-PVAP-175-0500-NA), but have not yet tried.
• Has advantage of being water soluble, so you can print supports with it (if you have a dual-filament extruder like the Prusa MMU), then dissolve them away much easier than breaking, cutting, grinding that you normally must do to remove them.
• TPE:
  • (link to:) MatterHackers Flexible TPE:
  MH Pro Series: 600% elongation, 98A shore hardness
• TPU:
  • Ninja Flex TPU:
  • (link to:) Matterhackers Ninja Flex
  • Softest, at Shore hardness 85A. More flexible, and less stiff than Cheetah filament
  • Good abrasion and chemical resistance. Excellent layer adhesion and strength.
    Use for: functional belts for drives and gears.
  • Cheeta TPU: (mine is blue)
    • (link to:) Matterhackers Cheeta
    • Shore hardness 95A. Harder, less flexible, more stiff than Ninjaflex.
    • Print at regular PLA and ABS speeds without losing quality.
    • Good chemical and abrasion resistance.
      Use for: seals, plugs, snap-fit parts and semi-rigid accessories like phone cases.
    • Printing with 220 (210-230) extruder and 50 (30-60) bed on blue tape.
      Slowed speeds, and disabled retraction.
  • Armadillo TPU:
    • (link to:) MatterHackers
    • Hardest, Shore hardness 75D =~ 105A
      Harder than either Cheetah or NinjaFlex
      Shore hardness 90A ~= 50D
    • Excellent bridging capabilities and virtually no warping
      Abrasion resistance 84% better than PLA and 60% better than ABS
      Chemical resistance to many materials, including naphtha, ASTM Oils #1-3, petroleum and freon
    • Printing Guidelines:
      No heated bed required.
      Extruder Temperature: 220°C – 230°C
      Glue or blue painters tape is suggested if not using a heated bed.
      Top and bottom layers: 15-20 mm/ sec (900-1800 mm/ min)
      Infill speeds: 45-60 mm/ sec (2700-3600 mm/ min)
  • SainSmart TPU:
    • (link to:) SainSmart
    • (link to:) Amazon - SainSmart

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• Clear/Translucent Filaments:
  Tips:
  • Perhaps thicker layers, at least several forum notes said so,
    but others said not most important.
  • Be sure filament is dry, as water that comes out during printing leaves bubbles
  • maybe a tiny bit of over-extrusion
  • Print slowly, ~ 1mm³/sec
    Volume print speed = nozzle diameter x layer height x mm/sec print speed

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• Conductive Filaments:
  • Lots of listings for PLA, though none with measured electrical properties...
  • Proto-Pasta Conductive PETG
    CDP11705
    15 ohm-cm

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• Flexible Filament Printing Tips:
Printing Tips:

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