3D printer filament

Draft

Introduction

This article should list the major 3D printer filaments that are available for 3D printing machines

"Normal"

ABS

• ABS ((Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is used for Legos and car parts for example. It is solid, but warps when printed a room temperature. I.e. it is difficult to print objects that have a larger than 4cm footprint. When hobby 3D printers emerged, ABS was the material of choice. As of 2015, it is still popular, but there are other similar alternatives.
• Temperature: 220 - 260 (temperature depends on both type of ABS plastic and the kind of object your print).
• Bed temperature: 65

Amphora

Also sold as XT-COPOLYESTER

High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS)

• Similar properties as ABS, but warps less. Unlike ABS it is biodegradable. It is often used to pack food.

Nylon

• Nylon is a very strong material but probably difficult to print

PET / PETG

• PET is strong filament similar to ABS in strength, but prints more like PLA.
• Temperature: 210 - 260
• Bed temperature: 55

PLA

• PLA (polylactic acid) is made of starch (i.e. plants). It doesn't warp, but it's not very solid and starts deforming (melting) at relatively low temperature. PLA is probably the most popular filament.
• Temperature: 180 - 220
• Bed temperature: 55

Solubles

These are great for printing support structures with a dual head printer.

PVA

• PVA (Polyvinyl Alcohol) can dissolve in water

Flexible

Soft PLA

Is a kind of PLA that is flexible (or is this also considered to be a TPE ?)

• Temperature: 220-230
• Bed temperature: ?

Thermoplastic elastomer (TPE)

Well known variants of Thermoplastic elastomers are:

Arnitel

• Arnitel is a flexible filament that produces very strong prints, but difficult to print since it doesn't stick well and since it warps like ABS
• Temperature: 220-230
• Bed temperature: 65

Nunus

• Nunus
• Temperature 210 - 230° C
• Platform temperature: 20 - 50 ° C
• Speed 30 mm / s - (?)

Composites

Composites are often based on PLA (e.g. 80%) plus other ingredients (e.g. 20%) like metal particles or wood fibers

Links

Filament maker and suppliers

See:

• Printing Material Suppliers (RepRap Wiki)

The ones below are randomly chosen as examples, no endorsements here !)

• Colorfab
• Matterhackers
• Lulzbot
• Fenner Drives (NinjaFlex)

Tip: If you buy a printer with institutional money, e.g. for a school, include filament in the printer "package". This way it will be financed by "investment" money which is always easier to get at than money for buying smaller supplies. Most often, the company selling printers offers a decent enough choice of plastics...

Filament comparisons, introductions, etc.

• Filament comparison Guide at MatterHackers, 2015
• 3D Printer Filament Types Overview, 2015
• What Material Should I Use For 3D Printing?, feb 2015