1 Topic by jason_ (edited by jason_ 2014-03-15 16:45:02)

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Topic: Increasing print quality by decreasing filament diameter?

I have a filastruder and make my own filament.  I have noticed that when I make my filament a little smaller in diameter I see much smoother walls at low layer heights.  Do you think this is a reduction in moire effect due to the extruder stepper having to turn faster?  Or is something else at play here

This effect is quite noticeable when comparing filament thats say 1.7 diameter +-.05 with 1.55 diameter +-.05 .  I would not have thought that would make a very large difference

2 Reply by elmoret

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Re: Increasing print quality by decreasing filament diameter?

Are you also changing values in your slicer?

Filastruder - the robust, inexpensive filament extruder
E3Dv6 All Metal Hotend - the premier 3D printing hotend

3 Reply by jason_

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Re: Increasing print quality by decreasing filament diameter?

The only change in slicer is the filament diameter which I am changing

4 Reply by elmoret

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Re: Increasing print quality by decreasing filament diameter?

Then it's a slight change from either less volumetric flow per step (what you described) or slightly increased backpressure from the greater clearance between the filament and the hotend.

Filastruder - the robust, inexpensive filament extruder
E3Dv6 All Metal Hotend - the premier 3D printing hotend

5 Reply by Tomek (edited by Tomek 2014-03-16 19:41:53)

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Re: Increasing print quality by decreasing filament diameter?

As a conceptual idea, there are benefits to the 3D printing world moving to maybe 1mm or something else smaller than 1.75mm. If it becomes large enough that all filament wire is custom anyway, the cost increases might be negligible. It would require more care to avoid buckling of the filament as you feed it through the processes, though.

But, anyway, 1mm filament is easily to through through a 0.3mm nozzle than 1.75mm filament, because the constriction backpressure pressure is related to the third or fourth power (I'm not sure which.)

Elmoret might have more ideas and better understanding of whether it could be beneficial for 3D printers to move towards thinner filament.

one downside that comes to mind is this: greater surface area to volume equals more care needed to prevent water being soaked by hydrophillic filament (is Hydrophobic the right term? I mean, for example, Nylon.)