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SoliForum - 3D Printing Community → Filament → What issues are there with filaments?
Hello all! Hope all is well. I'm new to the 3D Printer scene and just trying to learn as much as I can. I was wondering, There are so many places to purchase filaments, but I also hear there are a lot of complaints with them as well. What problems can occur with them, and can any improvements be made to make them better for the future?
There are many different printing filaments and even more if you consider printers using different printing methods such as SLM, DMLS, SLS, SLA, and LOM.
Assuming you are talking strictly about FFF (or FDM) where the filament is extruded through a hot nozzle, the main issues result from
thermal expansion properties of the material,
humidity and other forms of contamination,
and uniform diameter of the material.
Different materials expand when heated and contract when cooled. 3D printing in ABS is well known to have issues with warping. Warping results from a hot layer on top of a colder layer cooling at different rates which results in internal forces contracting sections of the 3D printed part. PLA has a lower coefficient of thermal expansion and results in less warping but it does not have the strength of ABS.
Anything that would allow for an inconsistent extrusion will result in an inconsistent final product.
This is a material science problem that plenty of scientists and engineers are researching.
A bit of an open question.
Like anything else quality usually costs more than run of the mill. The two biggest quality issues to worry about is moisture in the filament (indicated by popping noises when printing) And consistent filament size. Te issue here is this the amount of filament delivered by the nozzle. not critical for infill but on outer layers you can have a thin spot or have hanging loops if the filament is suddenly large and you are printing a bit of overhang. The other issue is unwanted contaminants in the material that will cause a nozzle clog.
Most folks use straight ABS or pla to start out.
Many manufacturers are adding powder to the filament. wood powder ,metal powder, carbon fiber etc. Here you may need a larger and or harder nozzle as some material will easily clog a small (0.3 0.4 nozzle and carbon fiber and steel powders will wear a brass nozzle.)
Advanced users may use Nylon or PET or even elastomers for a rubber effect. These materials require quality all metal hot ends , and higher temps . the benefit is stronger parts that can be used for real world applications.
IIRC octave filament is made in USA
http://www.octave.com/
Precision 3d is another one made in usa and these guys have many years experience extruding plastics.
http://precision3dfilament.com/
Anonother great company is
http://printedsolid.com/
The owner is an engineer and has likely tested everything he sells. He sell only quality printers and material he knows works.
Based in Delaware USA.
Like anything else buy a good name brand from a known factory and it will likely be good if you get a bad roll they will likely make good on it. Buy from an unknown manufacturer in asia and you will save money but it is a gamble may be good may be a waste of money.
And yes the material manufacturers are continually looking for ways to improve existing products and develop new ones.
Tin
Disclaimer I have not tried octave filament or precision 3D . I have spent time with the owner of printedSolid. I have no vested interest in the company other than trying to help a USA businessman.
there are hundreds of filament makers most are high quality with a few exceptions (not necessarily the cheaper ones) some average to upper cost filament have dirt etc in the filament also like saw dust. I have found. so if possible get samples of some to try then see what works best for your use. most of us have at least a dozen rolls in stock to pick from. so that can get more costly than the printer. also all filament must be stored sealed with dry packets to keep moisture from ruining it. besides using in cool dry conditions for best performance and less failed prints wasting time and material
SoliForum - 3D Printing Community → Filament → What issues are there with filaments?
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