Whether you have just bought a 3D printer and want to know more about the types of filament available on the market, or if you are an experienced maker, you will find this post about the unique characteristics of 3D filament very useful:
On our website we have a wide range of 3D filaments and each of them has a technical sheet where we detail the printing guidelines to be applied to each material, recommendations and printing tips.
3D Filaments: Types and Qualities
3D printer filaments are made from a variety of materials that behave differently. But what types of filaments are there? What are the differences between them?
- PLA Filament Polylactic acid or PLA is a material with a natural origin (its main raw material is corn) and is biodegradable. This material offers a higher printing speed than other options, which is why it is crowned as the preferred option for 3D printing novices and also for experienced users. Another advantage of PLA is that a heated bed is not needed for printing. The extruder temperature will be around 200º, depending on the printer.
- ABS Filament In second place we find ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) and it is not the most popular among novice makers because it is a highly resistant material, both to impacts and high temperatures. It is important to know that as a disadvantage it produces harmful gases at the time of printing. It is necessary to have a heated bed at about 70ºC-100ºC and the extruder temperature must be higher than that of PLA (between 230º – 260ºC).
- Flexible filament A very interesting and widely accepted material is flexible filaments. The most common are TPE and TPU. These materials are made of elastomers that give them great elasticity and, as their name indicates, the parts that are printed are flexible.
Its properties are unique on the market, it is resistant to bending, traction, compression, temperature and tearing in the direction of the layers. With this material you will get very versatile pieces. In our store you will find it under the name FLEXIBLE in different varied shades to give life to your creations.
- PETG Filament PETG is polyethylene terephthalate, with a modifier (Glycol-modified), which makes a change in the chemical structure that makes it more transparent, less fragile and easy to print. The difference with ABS is that it is more resistant and easier to print because it melts at a higher temperature. Its mechanical properties are optimal, it has more elasticity, it is more resistant to impacts, it has more adhesion between layers and it is more resistant to temperature compared to PLA. It is necessary to have a heated bed at about 60ºC-80ºC and the temperature of the extruder must be between 220º – 240ºC.
- PLA HD Filament PLA HD filament is one of the most popular materials in the world of 3D printing. This filament, also known as polylactic acid, is an ideal choice for those looking for a versatile, resistant and easy-to-use material. One of the main characteristics of PLA HD filament is its high quality and precision in prints. This material is characterized by its excellent detail and surface finish, making it ideal for projects requiring high definition.
In terms of applications, PLA HD filament is ideal for creating prototypes, decorative pieces, toys, models and much more. Its strength and durability make it perfect for projects that require a reliable, high-quality material.
- Recycled PLA HD filamentIn the production of 3D filament, we create surplus material that we do not throw away, but rather recycle and create a new recycled HD PLA filament for 3D printers. In this way, we reduce the amount of filament that is wasted, we reuse the waste to create new products and we recycle the filament, the boxes where we send the filament and the spools where we wind it.
The new light filament and dark filament colors are created from filament waste that is grouped by color range. The color is uniform and the tone results from the mixture of filaments of various colors, so the tone will never always be the same, it is an ideal resource for tests or models.
We recommend printing with an extruder temperature between 200 and 230℃ and a bed temperature between 50 – 60℃.
