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The Easiest Way to select 3D printer filaments

Printing great results can be more of an art than science. There are many ways to improve your odds of success, and also obtaining top quality prints. This filament guide will help you choose the right filament.

Some of the variables you'll have to work with include the printer and the software, the filament, setting up and last but not least your personal style. You may already have one 3d pen filament or one already in your mind. We'll begin with choosing a good 3D filament for your printer.

The reason why you shouldn't choose the filament with the lowest price

With the large selection of filaments available and the variety of vendors out it isn't easy to find that perfect one that suits you without wasting money and time to locate it. I can't tell you what firm to choose however, don't get too cheap. You'll receive what you pay for and often it's notcheap, if for no reason.

Some of the things you should be aware of when selecting filament is:

* Consistency in Diameter

* Moisture

* A consistent viscosity and debris

Inconsistency in the Diameter of Filament

Let's start with 3d print keychain diameter of the filament; 3mm against 2.85mm and 1.75mm. Personally, I think 1.75mm is superior and here's why. It's easier to find and is of higher quality. It's generally more recent and is taken out of stock more quickly which allows for more recent products to be manufactured and placed on shelves. It is believed to be superior in extruding, retraction and generally better plastic flow. This makes sense since the extruder motor requires more rotations to extrude the same material in 3mm or 2.85mm. This results in better precision and better control over the flow. No matter what size you choose the diameter should be constant and even throughout. Many printers now have spring tensioners in the extruders, so minor variations in diameter like -/+.03mm aren't much of trouble.

Filament Moisture

Another concern is moisture and it usually occurs because of poor packaging or being stored for too long outside of packaging. Plastic absorbs moisture from the atmosphere relative to the humidity and time of exposure. It is easy to detect the presence of moisture in the filament when you see spitting and splattering on the hot end due to water rapidly turning into tiny pockets of steam. This can result in poor printing and weak adhesion of the layers. Learn more on our website. more about hips filament.

Moisture free filament

Certain 3D printing substances like PLA and Nylon easily absorb moisture from the environment. The absorption of moisture can cause problems like poor print quality or blockage of your hot-end.

Hot-End Damage: Moisture absorption causes filament swell. If the swelling is sufficient that the plastic blocks the nozzle, leading to permanent hot-end damage.

Print Quality: During melting of the plastic, the water trapped transforms into steam, causing some bubbling. It is this bubbling that affects the rate of extrusion and leads to a print that lacks strength and quality... not even mentioning not looking good!

Solution: To combat filament moisture absorption and serious damage to your equipment an easy option is to purchase vacuum bags. Put your filament spool into the bag, and then add a couple of silica gel packs to remove all the air.

Impurities in the Filament

Impurities in plastic are the primary issue when choosing filament. Chemical impurities leads to low viscosity of the plastic and particles can block the extruder nozzle. A plugged-up nozzle is an extremely negative experience! Not only will the print fail costing time and money , but it may also mean dismantling the extruder and cleaning in out. There seems to be an immediate correlation between low-quality filament and plugging extruders. Although you're probably trying to cut costs on filament, cheap filament may accidentally cost you more at the final. If you select an affordable, well-rated filament, you'll be fine and save yourself a lot headaches.