The worst ever filament I had was a sample, to show the capabilities of a home filament extrusion machine. the dimensions of the filament varied wildly between ridiculously bloated, to unusably thin...
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Herofu.
converly, I was chatting to the demonstrator for an integrated filament extruder / winder machine at athe TCT Show in Birmingham Last Year, and asked for a sample, the guy asked me to come back later and he would take a sample off the reel, that he was extruding as we spoke...
anyway, after chatting for a while, I noted that the spool was about to overflow... so he opened the case, took the spool out, and gave it to me. to hold whilst he installed the next spool... which seemed like a painless task...
then he told me I could take the whole spool... which has worked brilliantly since I got it! ????
I didn't buy the machine. it was out of my budget...
regards Joan
I try to make safe suggestions,You should understand the context and ensure you are happy that they are safe before attempting to apply my suggestions, what you do, is YOUR responsibility.Location Halifax UK
I don't have the Mini, I have the MK3S, but this topic caught my attention so I'm replying here.
I've been 3d printing for a few years now, first at our local 'makerspace' and since February with my own machine. I have yet to really get a handle on what's 'cheap' and what's 'expensive' as far as brand names, and it seems like the brand names get more and more each time I do an Amazon or Ebay search.
Before the Covid outbreak, I had kind of settled on Hatchbox as 'my brand' of filament, as I could get it readily in about any color in PLA and ABS in a few days, so that's what I used and had good luck with it. It was very consistently in the (US dollars) range of $20-ish to $30-ish for a to-the-door total-cost-of-ownership price.
Now it seems like catch-as-catch-can, with Hatchbox being very spotty in availability. I just received and Overture spool (black PLA) but have not used it yet and for white PLA about the only thing I could get for a non-extortive to-the-door price was a brand called Ultraline. (Last check with that vendor, they were out of everything, all types, all colors.) As soon as the current job finishes in a few hours (O scale railroad car body, being printed in Hatchbox ABS) I'm going to start the white Ultraline doing a resistor sorting box, so I'll see how that goes.
Prusament seems to sell for anywhere between $20-ish (US) to $70-ish, depending on the phase of the moon. As expected, I've always had good luck with it.
On a related topic, the spool that came with my printer was the Prusament silver gray, which I liked, but I have never been able to find it again, anywhere, either from the Prusa site or third-party sellers.
I would be interested in hearing more opinions on brands, prices and issues or lack of same, regarding filaments.
Don't dismiss cheap filament.
Some up and coming filament suppliers produce some really good filament at what are cheap prices, so sometimes it's worth taking a punt on one, but check they have a lasting presence as there are some companies whom have bought a job lot to sell and will never have any more, do a bit of background research to see if they actually manufacture the filament or are simply a reseller on Amazon. (If they sell cat toys, trinkets, voodoo mystical bracelets and filament and a whole heap of other stuff nothing to do with 3D printing, then I would stay well away)
Sunlu seems to be producing decent filament and so does TechnologyOutlet, whereas Sunlu PETG is some sort of blend which prints well, Technology Outlet PETG is more of a pure PET so is semi transparent, needs a higher temperature and generally a bit more tweaking, but when you get it right, it is really good, Sunlu is easier to get right, but being a blend, it prints at a lower temperature so cooling has to be minimal else you wont get good layer adhesion, but both produce really good prints and both are cheap.
Sunlu do some really nice looking silk PLA's, but I just checked prices, and everything has gone up since this virus struck. ( I foresaw this happening so stocked up on filament and IPA and if I were to sell these now, I would return a nice profit, but I wont.)
Normal people believe that if it is not broke, do not fix it. Engineers believe that if it is not broke, it does not have enough features yet.
I have a contraversial view on this... I started 3D printing about 6 years ago and have built a huge stock of colours (over 30) and ALL of my filaments are cheap.
They dont' get stored particularly well (i.e not sealed) but I have printed 100s of rolls with my Printerbot and then MK3 and now Mini with literaly zero problems.
Most of my filaments have cost me less than £10 per kg, except at times where the price has gone up due to supply issues (like now).
I have used many different types at difference price ranges, and these days just get what ever is the cheapest. I prefer to have a libary of colours, over a few colours in High Quality/Expensive filament.. But thats just me.
I actually run a small business where I print a couple of objects in PLA.. Another in PETG.. And another with PETG+TPU and because I charge for this service, I used to keep my "best" filament for these prints.. But after doing this for a year or so, I finally did some comparitive tests (cosmetic and strength) and could find no difference.. So I just print with what ever I can get my hands on these days.
I know that others might disagree with this.. But this is what works for me, and I have had no problems what so ever after printing 10s if not 100s of KGs of filament.
This post was modified 5 years ago 2 times by jweaverPosted by: @jweaverMost of my filaments have cost me less than £10 per kg, except at times where the price has gone up due to supply issues (like now).
That would roughly equate to US $12 and change, and I've never seen any brand of filament that cheap, except for maybe some 'open box' (and I assume open wrapper too) on Ebay and such.
I just started buying filament late last year. Before I was using the stock filament at the local 'makerspace', where they weigh the roll before and after your session and charge you accordingly.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Pla Film.
The only real off-brand I used is the Ultraline I mentioned before, and I just did a long print with it and it was perfectly fine. I was also a bit suspicious of the Amazon Basics at first, as I'm very sure it's sourced from various low-bidders, but that has worked fine for me too.
I also can't remember any specific clusters of reports on the Interwebs saying that any particular brand is consistently bad.
Another factor is what I call the 'to the door total cost of ownership', as a US $18 spool with $13 shipping charge (not uncommon on Ebay) is more expensive than a $30 spool on Amazon with free shipping.
I don't think I have ever come across such a cheap filament. Until now I have purchased filament at about 17-20euros/kg but from named brands. The results so far are pretty good and I think what makes a difference is how you store it and how well you preserve it after opening the sealed bag.
Other than than the winding and the width tolerances play a major role but I believe not as much as the humidity.
The European brands that I have found is Azure Film, Das Filament, Filamentum, Prusament, Real Filament and 3D Jake.
Original Prusa Mini + Smooth PEI
Prusa Slicer 2.6.0
I am using both cheaper and more expensive filament - although all "branded". From the shady chinese sellers on Amazon and eBay I stay away, but there's a local producer who sells PETG for €20/kg. There is a noticeable difference in material strength and temperature resistance when comparing this one to the expensive €30/kg Prusament, but it does print well and so is an ideal choice for my prototype prints or applications which don't demand the maximum performance from the material.
To note, I don't keep any of my started PETG spools bagged - only the PLA, Flex and PC ones. I am still printing with PETG spools that have been open for over a year and they still work like at the beginning.
But I would say €20/kg is the lower bound already, else you probably end up with stuff that destroys more nerves and gear than it saves you in material costs. Among the ~20 or so spools of the cheap PETG, I had one that apparently was contaminated and would unfixably clog the printer nozzle. Can't expect good QA at this price point. On the other hand, even the premium stuff like Prusament isn't free of this - recently bought a PLA spool that obviously was a mix of PETG and PLA. Clogged nozzle at PLA print temps but worked okay on PETG settings. Color changed over time from shiny to matte.
So far I have bought from Prusa (both Prusament branded and whitelabel), DasFilament, FilaTex3D, 3DPrima, Janbex, and Polymaker.
This post was modified 5 years ago 2 times by Skewed PerceptionSo I’ve had many 3D printers over the years. When I started 5 years ago, ABS was the “pro” filament and PLA was for everything else, and mostly I used ABS. As time went by, for my “Prusa” years, I thought PLA was good for most things, and it worked well. I know many “Prusa” people loved PETG, but I wasn’t a fan. Too stringy and too much of a pain.
So fast forward to . I have all X1C’s or P1S printers, each with an AMS. So PLA works, but I get many broken filaments in the AMS, especially if the PLA spool isn’t used all the time. So ABS/ASA I thought. But it does stink, and the fumes definitely cover the inside of the printer. I have a fume extractor, but that cools the air temp. And adhesion of ABS/ASA to the bed isn’t great. So am I crazy to rethink PETG? The Bambu printers do a great job with PETG. Anyone have PETG as their “Go To” filament for Bambu printers? It just might work.
If so, what is the best bed plate type?
I hear that - It does take a bit of trial and error to figure out what works best for the type of stuff you like to print. I do a mix of fun/stupid things, some prototyping, and then I also print functional pieces that need to be able to withstand some abuse, or just regular use. I use ASA about as much as I use PLA. I thought PETG would be great but, it can be a pain - it’s just too sticky sometimes. Depends on what you’re printing though - PETG or PETG CF works great for some prints. I’ve been using PC and PA CF more frequently. But like I said initially, it does take some trial and error to find a good filament/bed/settings combination for each material type, and sometimes things are different between manufacturers and even colors from the same manufacturer. Like the PolyLite ASA is good, but some of the colors need tweaked settings. Anyway, here’s what I’ve figured out works well for me. Keep in mind that the environment plays a factor too. I live in an elevated dry climate and my printer is in the basement. So it’s cool and pretty dry down there. Usually ~65ºF and 26-30% humidity. I have my X1C insulated with a couple layers of radiant barrier - that stuff works wonders and I wouldn’t be able to print stuff like ASA or PC without that.
PLA, PLA CF (various - Bambu, Inland, Overture, MatterHackers, FlashForge) - I usually use Textured PEI, PEO or PEY (choose textured plate in settings), or H1H (choose high temp plate in settings) - these usually work with the bambu settings, some filaments might need +5º on the print bed.
PETG, PETG CF (mainly FlashForge, some Bambu) - Textured PEI, H1H. (I print PETG the least)
ASA (PolyLite, FlashForge, Inland) - WhamBam PEX or 3DHUB PEX - settings are similar for both, sometimes I need to use elmer’s purple glue or a brim - depends on the model. Bed temp ~ 105-106ºC, hot end 220ºC first layer, and maybe 5-25º higher for the rest of the print - first layer temp is important though, or else you’ll ruin the PEX sheet. I’ve also used the engineering plate with bambu liquid glue or nano polymer, that works, but harder to clean. Some people say ASA works well with textured PEI, but I haven’t been able to get that to work at all. If I have trouble with a specific ASA filament I usually try drying it, but often it prints fine out of the box. The fumes are way less when printing at this temp too, which is great because that stuff is toxic.
PC (Bambu) - WhamBam PEX or 3DHUB PEX, elmer’s purple glue. Bed temp 108ºF, first layer ~290º, other layers at 280º. I always dry this first.
PA CF (various) - I try to reserve this for when I actually need it since it’s usually pretty expensive. I managed to get the eSUN PA6 CF dialed in and that stuff is great. They have a filament profile available on their website I think. I usually use the engineering plate and bambu liquid or nano polymer. Haven’t tried this on the PEX sheets yet, but that should probably work fine. This usually needs to be dried first.
Oh, and I absolutely need my enclosure at 40-45º to start printing ASA and PC, otherwise the print fails. So I pre-heat the bed for a bit first. I do the same for PA but only because that’s what’s recommended and it works for me. I haven’t had as much trouble with PC and PA filaments as with ASA.
Looking forward to trying the Lightyear G10 bed whenever that arrives.
I got your point. I do have space, yet I estimate that I would have a number of open spools similar (maybe slightly less) to yours, plus about 20/30 in the box; yet, it’s a nightmare to manage it.
I am not an aesthetic print hobbyist; my main interests in 3D printing are functional parts, experimentation (e.g. multi-material prints), kinetic and mechanical-driven prints, mechanical devices, etc…
My “Go To” filament is PETG, which I found to fulfil most of my print requirements at a low cost (11-15 €/kg). This choice wasn’t something I would have foreseen two/three years ago, as I always get better results with more demanding filaments (e.g. ASA, ABS, PC) than with PETG. I would say that besides PLA with 40% wood (the clogs and excessive brittleness are a nightmare), good-looking PETG prints were my greatest challenge.
Despite being available in various colours and providing good-looking prints, I wouldn’t see it as the best for aesthetic prints, mainly because post-processing (e.g. bounding, filling, painting) is more demanding and less effective than PLA.
A “Go To” filament relates to your needs (type of prints) and cost. If the latter weren’t relevant, I would prefer ASA, but it wouldn’t replace the regular PETG, PC, and TPU usage. I still use ABS (instead of ASA) for stiff interior usage as it is cheaper.
I love PA and PET filaments and their blends (CF, GF), yet the need for a larger nozzle hinders the look for small and complex prints; additionally, the cost and requirements (dryness) limit the usage to specific cases.
If, as most, you aim for good-looking and “stiff” prints and the cost isn’t relevant, I would advise PLA-CF or PETG-CF. You will, however, be limited regarding colourful prints.
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