3D Print Filament Material
CONGRATULATIONS! You have joined the world of FDM 3D
Printing and you are all excited to get printing. Well just hold on there a second. We need to have a little chat about FDM
Filament. By now you’ve probably seen the
plethora of FDM filaments available. But
what is PLA, why is PTEg a thing and you all want to know if you can use Nylon
with your 3D printer. All your questions
will be answered in this blog. I’ll keep
it short for you while trying to get the most important information across.
Ready? Let’s jump straight in.
Before I start talking about the types of filament, let’s
lay down some simple rules.
1. ALL
FDM filament is hydroscopic is one way or another, that means it absorbs water
from the air. You are advised to store
your FDM filament spools in an air tight container with the ‘silica gel’ packs
it was supplied with.
2. Get
used to loading and unloading filament from your printer. If you’re not printing for a few days, then
unload and store the filament. Doing
this really does save in the long run.
3. Not
all FDM filament is the same. Please DO
NOT use cheap unbranded filament. You
get what you pay for and cheap filament ALWAYS ends up in the bin, usually
after hours of failed prints and frustration.
4. Choose
the right filament for the right job. Making
a ridged bracket? Flexible or Nylon
aren’t a good choice. Want to make a
clip that has some give? PLA won’t be
good for this. FDM printing does not
have a “one for all” filament solution.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about the
different types of FDM filament available.
PLA
Polylactic acid, or PLA to the rest of us, is probably
the most popular FDM filament. It is
very easy to print with PLA. It prints
at a lower temperature than other filaments and is more resistant to lifting
and warping. It can be used without a
heated build platform, but having one does help. PLA does not produce any
offensive smell during printing. It is considered “odourless”, but some people
say it smells like popcorn when printing.
PLA is also used as a base material in many other
filaments e.g. metal filled, wood filled and glow in the dark filament.
PLA Properties
Strength | High |
Flexibility | Low |
Ease of use | Very easy |
Print temperature | 180°C - 230°C |
Print build platform temperature | 20°C - 60°C |
Warping | Minimal |
Soluble | No |
Food Safe | No |
PLA Applications
PLA is quite brittle, so items that are under bending or
twisting loads can fail in a very energetic way.
PLA will destabilise at 60°C and above, remember this if
your printed parts are going to be used with hot liquid.
Commonly PLA is used for prototype parts and space
models.
ABS
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, or ABS as we all know
it, may well be the second most popular FDM filament, after PLA. ABS is actually superior to PLA, despite
being slightly more difficult to print.
ABS can be found in many household products, the most famous of all is
LEGO bricks, we’ve all stood on those tiny bricks in our time. It’s strong stuff.
Unlike PLA, ABS prints will withstand high
temperatures but it must be printed at a very high temperature. This can cause the print to warp it gives off
very offensive fumes while printing. ABS
requires a heated build platform and should be printed in a well-ventilated
area. ABS prints better in a fully
enclosed FDM printer as this has a higher internal ambient temperature.
ABS Properties
Strength | High |
Flexibility | High |
Ease of use | Medium |
Print temperature | 210°C - 250°C |
Print build platform temperature | 80°C - 110°C |
Warping | Considerable |
Soluble | In acetone |
Food Safe | No |
ABS Applications
ABS is tough stuff.
It is able to withstand high stress and temperature. It is also a little flexible, depending on
the size of the printed section. It does
turn white around any high stress areas though.
Commonly ABS is used for tool handles, automotive trim
and manufacturing jigs.
PETg
Polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, is THE most commonly
used plastic in the world. Well all know it as the material used to make water
bottles and food containers. Raw PET is
rarely used in 3d printing but it’s variant, PETg, is a popular FDM filament.
The ‘g’ in PETg stands for “glycol-modified” which makes
a filament which is clearer, less brittle and easier to use than base PET. PETg is considered as “between” between ABS
and PLA because it is less brittle than PLA but easier to print than ABS.
PETg is very sticky during the FDM process. This makes it a bad choice for support
material, but it has very good layer adhesion.
Be careful with the first layer height on the build platform, you have
been warned.
PETg Properties
Strength | High |
Flexibility | Medium |
Ease of use | Easy |
Print temperature | 220°C - 250°C |
Print build platform temperature | 50°C - 75°C |
Warping | Minimal |
Soluble | No |
Food Safe | Refer to manufacture guidelines |
Commonly PETg is used to make mechanical parts and
protective components.
Nylon
Nylon is often referred to as the “Number one” FDM
filament when looking at strength, flexibility, and durability. Many grades of nylon exist, the most common
Nylons in FDM filament are Nylon 618 and Nylon 645. Nylon does not like to stick to the build
platform.
Often an interface layer of
PVA glue is required on the build platform. Some FDM printers are unable to reach the required print
temperature. For these printers a
‘Bridge’ Nylon product exists.
Nylon Properties
Strength | High |
Flexibility | High |
Ease of use | Difficult |
Print temperature | 230°C - 280°C |
Print build platform temperature | 70°C - 100°C |
Warping | Considerable |
Soluble | No |
Food Safe | Refer to manufacture guidelines |
Nylon Applications
Nylon has great strength, flexibility and durability.
Commonly Nylon is used to create jigs or mechanical parts
(e.g. hinges or gears).
TPE
Thermoplastic elastomers, or TPE or Flexible filaments,
can be described as plastic with rubber qualities. These filaments are unbelievably
flexible. As such, TPE is commonly found
in automotive parts and household appliances.
Be warned, TPE is like NO OTHER FDM filament. Even on the spool it is very soft and
flexible. It is printed VERY VERY slowly
and some printer setups can not print TPE at all.
TPE Properties
Strength | Medium |
Flexibility | Very High |
Ease of use | Medium to High (depending on printer configuration) |
Print temperature | 210°C - 230°C |
Print build platform temperature | 30°C - 60°C |
Warping | Minimal |
Soluble | No |
Food Safe | No |
TPE Applications
TPE can withstand repeated flexing and stretching.
Commonly TPE is used to create grips, shock absorbing
mounts and belts.
PC
Polycarbonate, or PC, is possibly the strongest FDM
filament listed here. It has very high
durability and is resistant to impact and heat.
It can withstand up to 110°C. Clear PC is used in items such as diving
masks and display screens.
PC Properties
Strength | Very High |
Flexibility | Medium |
Ease of use | Medium |
Print temperature | 240°C - 310°C |
Print build platform temperature | 90°C - 110°C |
Warping | Considerable |
Soluble | No |
Food Safe | No |
PC Applications
PC has great strength and temperature resistance making
it ideal for mechanical or automotive components. It’s optical properties make it a good choice
for lighting diffusers etc.
ASA
Acrylonitrile styrene acrylate, or ASA, is a variant of
ABS. The big difference with ASA is
that, where ABS “yellows” and becomes brittle with exposure to the elements,
ASA does NOT. When flexed, ASA does not
turn white at the point of highest stress.
ASA Properties
Strength | High |
Flexibility | Medium |
Ease of use | Easy |
Print temperature | 210°C - 250°C |
Print build platform temperature | 80°C - 110°C |
Warping | Considerable |
Soluble | No |
Food Safe | No |
ASA Applications
Anything you want to make that’s going outside.
PVA
Polyvinyl alcohol, or PVA, is soluble in water. That’s it, it melts in water. That’s exactly what it does, so what’s the
FDM use for it? Dual head FDM printers
use PVA as a support material when printing shapes that can’t be printed. As you can imagine, PVA needs to de stored in
a DRY place, or it will melt.
PVA Properties
Strength | N/A |
Flexibility | N/A |
Ease of use | Easy |
Print temperature | 190°C - 230°C |
Print build platform temperature | 40°C - 80°C |
Warping | N/A |
Soluble | Dissolves in water |
Food Safe | No |
PVA Applications
PVA filament is often the only choice of support material
when printing parts with impossible features and / or shallow overhangs.
Carbon Fibre Filament
This type of FDM filament blends carbon fibres with a
base material. PLA, ABS, PETg and Nylon
can all be filled with carbon fibres.
The resulting FDM filament is extremely stiff and ridged. Sounds great really, BUT……………FDM printer
nozzles are usually brass. Carbon fibre
filled filament will wear out these brass nozzle FAST. Tests show that printing just 500 grams of
carbon fibre filament will damage the brass nozzle. Hard coated nozzles are available, but not
for every FDM printer. Please check with
your printer manufacturer before using carbon fibre filament.
Carbon Fibre Filament Properties
Strength | Greater than base material |
Flexibility | Greater than base material |
Ease of use | Same as base material |
Print temperature | Same as base material |
Print build platform temperature | Same as base material |
Warping | Same as base material |
Soluble | No |
Food Safe | No |
Carbon Filled Applications
Having high strength and low weight, carbon fibre
filament stands alone for mechanical components. Be warned, it destroys brass printer nozzles.
I hope this list has given a better understanding of FDM
filament and you can now select the correct material for your application. All these materials are available from
SolidPrint3D. If you require any further
information, please get in touch.