Guide to 3D Printing Filament! PLA ABS PETG TPU PEEK ULTEM

[@johnhopkins6260]

0:45 PLA 2:00 ABS 03:16 PETG 04:38 Nylon 06:25 Carbon Fibre Nylon 06:58 TPU/TPE 09:50 PolyCarbonate 11:08 PVB 12:30 PVA ("Glue Sticks") 13:38 BVOH 15:20 PEEK 16:40 ULTEM (PEI)

[@3DPrintingNerd]

THANK YOU for this. Will pin.

[@Kenopy]

what I like is that you don't ask for likes and provide useful information.

[@richhobo4449]

E

[@Rafaelguitarplayer]

Not Every hero use's cape. Thank you my friend.

[@goddamnmaddog2024]

8:27 Destruction XD

[@the_average_canadian]

"Maybe we should revisit this in a year or two" Well well well, here we are two years later and I'm just getting into the hobby! I'd love to see an up-to-date revision, this was very informative.

[@vince7189]

ditto

[@3DPrintingNerd]

Planning the trip right now in fact!

[@the_arcanum]

Check Zack Freedman YT, he did an excellent recap lately !

[@OokamiMurasaki]

@@3DPrintingNerd can't find the updated video, or hasn't it been produced yet?.

[@3DPrintingNerd]

Not yet. Haven’t been able to get back out to Printed Solid

[@Torsan1977]

Now that's a guy who know what he's talking about. Thanks for the comprehensive list!

[@Electryppi]

!

[@lazyrobotlabs]

Just came here to mention that Matt was so dang informative that I ended up looking up his company that he works for out of curiousity, and ended up grabbing their filament vacuum set, just to support this dudes paycheck cause he f@$#ing deserves it, big ups.

[@maricarcalero9077]

This is the best and most informative video I've watched regarding materials for 3D printing. The video was straight forward and easy to understand even for beginners and dummy like myself. Excellent video and thank you.

[@3DPrintingNerd]

Thank YOU

[@dbtest117]

@@3DPrintingNerd If I now only knew which printer to get. I’m pretty sure I want to be able to print with Nylon and maybe PC besides PLA. I can’t find any video reviewing printers with those requirements :/. Good information in this video keep it up.

[@scatwater]

@Kenny Eaton Thank you for the info!! 3 months later. I just bought a printer a couple of days ago and just soaking up all the info..

[@dennisk147]

@@scatwater my suggestion, don't try to rush to the high temp materials. Just take it slow and make sure you got a chunk of experience with PLA. After that you will find it easy to test out with PETG too to get a variation. If you have a good direct drive printer you could even step up towards TPU/TPE if you like. But already become aware that this will be a big step up in experience and information needed to get to work. But as said before, enclosure is needed for PC/ ABS and you need something to keep moisture out of the filament if you want to print nylon. So as I said, take it easy. Will be a long, but enjoyable, road ;)

[@scatwater]

@@dennisk147 TY I am looking forward to this.. Currently watching my 3rd print. lol The ideas and possiablies seem endless. I bought printer to get to see if I could make parts for a organ we got for my wife for free. Its just a little square piece with tabs. Looks pretty simple. Currently just learning about materials and the basics. Im not in a hurry. :)

[@pinklemonade2014]

13:45 The "OH" in BVOH comes from the fact that in chemistry alcohols have a hydroxyl (-OH) part in the molecule.

[@FilamentFriday]

That was ... just awesome. Great summary, great pace, tons of knowledge and experience. I’ll be referring a lot of people to this video.

[@buttersstotch2014]

Love your channel man

[@Demoni696]

Great starter guide for all the people who got printers for the holidays! PLA all the way as your primer into the world of 3d printing, so easy and forgiving. I got pushed into the deep end learning with ABS (wish I knew about this channel back then). Spent more time tuning the printer and being disappointed with failed prints vs getting that initial encouragement of success. Granted I learned a lot of lessons but not everyone is persistent or stubborn as I am.

[@ivangutowski]

For someone researching what filament to buy, this is an invaluable video. The best parts are the comparisons between each back and forth, plus small notes about it being a faff to print with.. So much experience here.. invaluable. Thank you

[@jasond.valentine5931]

I know this is kind of an old video, but i would like to express my gratitude. All this knowledge condensed would have taken a lot of time out of my day just to be aware of all the listed filaments. Thank you gentlemen for your great explainations and exposition!

[@3DPrintingNerd]

Aww thank you for the kind words!

[@mlubecke]

This was amazing 😉. Thank you !! Matt knows his stuff..... these videos help our community so much.....

[@EpicLPer]

8:26 - "This is also a TPU but you cannot flex him at all" > Nerd flexes it > Breaks it instantly

[@outcast341]

This is why can't have nice things!

[@joshuartaylor30]

HAHAHAHA...Was just gonna comment. Why I don't hand most my 3D prints to friends. "Wow this took 60 hours to print, what happens if I apply pressure.....?"

[@HB-ps6rn]

"Oh"

[@linagee]

If someone ever does this, the correct response is: Weird flex, but ok. :-)

[@FireheadLazzo]

It was an innocent mistake. No foul.

[@UNSCPILOT]

As a PETG user, can verify even when you get the stringing under control there are plastic boogers everywhere, but clear PETG looks darn pretty and is wonderfully strong, it's also fun to be able to tell people that I'm printing from nearly the same plastic as your everyday water bottle. Also bought a roll of ABS when I got my printer (Anet A8) but even a couple years on I don't really even want to try printing it when PETG offers similar or better preformance in many aspects. And yes, PLA is probably here to stay, forever, I don't think anyone will be finding a viable or equally versitile replacement for it anytime soon.

[@dennisk147]

"Maybe we should review this video in a year or two" I am reminding you for it, would love to see it ;)

[@thetranspanzer3692]

Ive actually dealt with Matt about a year or so ago having him print a large model. Matt was great to communicate back and forth with via email and delivered the part in a timely fashion.

[@Mike01Hu]

One of the better videos, not that the others aren't good. It was a nice consise presentation on a complex subject and leaves room for further research. Thanks Joel!

[@colsoyeti1]

The best 19 minutes spent learning about the variety of filament available the their pros and cons. I thank you for this informative video and hope to see a remake of it covering newer filaments. Is there a filament compartibilty matrix that details hotend types and nozzles that can be used? open question to all and thanks in advance.

[@m3chanist]

This chap is simply brilliant, huge knowledge, charming as all hell and a master with metaphors "can't push a rope"

[@stratman1234]

What a great video. I've always been overwhelmed with all of the material choices. That helped a lot.

[@NipkowDisk]

This is MUCH better than watching a movie at the Crest Theatre! (quite near my old stomping grounds) Subscribed.

[@trentsimmons8608]

I am a new subscriber and a new 3D printer I picked up an old broken bfb 3000 and I was able to fix it up thanks to you. You my friend have taught me more that I would have ever thought you know. Thanks you and keep up the great videos. 👍🏼

[@StopChangingUsernamesYouTube]

Oh yeah, I remember the PETG boogers fondly. Couldn't figure it out for weeks (was new to printing at the time), but I kept having parts print fine until the infill really started, and then some blackened mess would fall off the block and find its way into the infill, too carbonized to really melt again easily, cause a layer shift when the nozzle knocked it the next time around, and basically confuse and scare me like a caveman seeing fire for the first time. The consistent part there was that I was either printing PETG, or had switched to another material after PETG. Nowadays, my pre-flight check involves heating and taking a brass brush to the block and nozzle.

[@spikekent]

Great run down guys. Thanks to Matt for sharing his views and advice.

[@darkaardvark5432]

I made a phone holder for my car and learned the hard way about PLA in a hot car. Awesome format for the info, thanks!

[@MMuraseofSandvich]

HIPS (high-impact polystyrene): From personal experience, it's a good ABS-compatible support. It can be dissolved (sort of-- you need regular agitation and a lot of time, and if you soak ABS in it too long it will soften) in d-limonene, but you would only do that if the void supported by HIPS is more than a simple gap-- most of the time you can cut into it with a sturdy pair of wire cutters and then just pull it off. The guys at Raise3D cautioned against using HIPS because d-limonene, while not as nasty as THF or acetone, can be easily ignited. Being one of the styrene materials, HIPS has the same VOC/particulate emission concerns as ABS-- because the extrusion and bed temps are essentially the same as ABS, you'd want to print the whole shebang in an enclosure with an air filter. I've made ~30-40 big supported prints with ABS/HIPS, and when the print is finished, it peels off like Velcro. Fun stuff. I haven't tried to make an actual structural part with HIPS, mainly because I've found that it doesn't like to stick to BuildTak. I've heard that it's surprisingly stiff/strong. I've also been told that you can just leave HIPS lying around because it's not hygroscopic at all.

[@superdupergrover9857]

i wouldn't say d-limonene is less nasty than acetone. acetone has an extremely low toxicity, albeit not quite as low as d-limonene. the EPA does not consider acetone to be a VOC. d-limonene is by itself an irritant and allergen, yet its chemical instability causes it to easily oxidize, at room temperatures, into a powerful allergen and sensitizer to allergic reactions in general. that said, there is not nearly as much data on d-limonene as there for acetone.

[@MMuraseofSandvich]

@@superdupergrover9857 The Raise3D guys told me that after a customer took one look at the datasheet for d-limonene, they were like "Nope! NOPE!" and decided to never use HIPS. So far I've never needed d-limonene even though I have a bottle of it in storage.

[@riakata]

Given how the studies are going everyone without direct exhaust fume hood should not print ABS like materials without proper engineering controls. Be careful with enclosures and air filter as there are a number of requirements for it to work properly. You need to negatively pressurize the enclosure for it to work properly and the exhaust even if partial recirculating to reduce makeup air requirements you must still exhaust it outside the building. HEPA and cheap carbon filters won't work for long or properly trap all the UFPs and VOCs you would need a big ULPA and deep bed carbon filter (very heavy) to capture all the VOCs/UFPs in a semi-recirculating system. For hobby use these kinds of safety requirements are too much so it is simpler to just not recommend it as it is unlikely all hobbyists can make a proper fume extraction or filtration system that is effective. For a home user you should just have a duct with a very strong powerful fan sucking air out of the enclosure (100% exhaust) and out a window be very careful though that you get fresh air from somewhere else and your exhaust does not just get sucked back into your house this removes the need for very expensive filters that need constant maintenance. (Use a roof vent ideally) If you do not regularly replace the activated carbon media filter breakthrough could occur and the activated carbon will just start releasing the adsorbed VOCs. Even when the activated carbon is not in use the VOCs will slowly migrate through the media which means timed replacement is also required. This can quickly become very expensive for hobby level purposes. Even in industrial applications unless emissions exceed regulations direct exhaust with the solution is dilution is the economical way about it. (Your heating or cooling costs will rise though)

[@titaniumapple1]

What printer did you print ABS and HIPS with, UM3? I tried but couldn't get the right settings, could you share your settings files? Thanks!

[@colinfindlay4790]

I was surprised to see HIPS was left off too! I like it a lot - functional parts are light, easy to post-process and easy to glue (Unlike PETG) Printing is roughly the same as ABS for temps. But... very thin sections can fatigue and break.

[@richardsmith3324]

Watching someone that really knows their stuff is a pleasure. Thanks!

[@benthompson754]

Awesome video Joel. Really glad you're able to reach out to Printed Solid and get to pick their brain about the things they know so much about. And it's pretty awesome to see that you're still learning too, despite the fact that you've been doing this for the last 3+ years basically.

[@Johnn_T]

Excellent video Joel, probably one of the most useful and informative 3D printing videos I've ever seen anywhere even with it being a "high level" look at materials. 10/10👍

[@dadandme]

3 years after, this video is still perfectly right! I mainly use PLA, PLA+ (pro), PETG and TPU.

[@quentinrufin4025]

Regarding peek: Extruder Temp: 375 - 410°C Bed Temp: 130 - 145°C Requires enclosure

[@marianocurti7032]

ez

[@WrexShepard]

So basically I'm gonna need an all metal hot end with a badass heater and thermocouple, a mains heated bed, and an enclosure? Yeesh. My ender is bad ass now but not THAT bad ass lol.

[@Samcanplaymusic]

Matt's knowledge on this topic is crazy. He understands a lot of materials engineering terms well.

[@empiricusdremomys7210]

Excellent summary. I print PETG almost exclusively. Never had problems as mentioned but I use silicon boots.

[@serge933]

Great video! Finally something with clear pros and cons on each. I'm just getting into 3D printing.

[@3DPrintingNerd]

Glad you liked the video! One day I'll return and do a follow up!

[@johnxzx9139]

Great video! Thank you. I just got into printing and no idea there were so many filament options.👍

[@wildone1584]

Doing my homework on buying and using my first 3D Printer, you Matt have just explained in simple terms the materials used, you were clear and informative to a tee, well done sir, I'm a lot lot clearer on the material now. Thumbs Up Subbed & happy 👍🏻😊🇬🇧🇺🇸

[@JJ-vp3bd]

What printer you have now

[@freeelectron8261]

Great to hear about all the 3d printable plastic types and the pros and cons - thanks Nerds!

[@user10476]

PETG is my go to material these days. Cheap, durable, food safe, many colors. My latest favourite color now is "clear", looks really good in PETG!

[@robertd654]

Very informative video....Keep up the great work Matt...I love my Maker Box each month!

[@EandEDesign]

BVOH is less moisture sensitive unlike PVA which can absorb moisture very quickly from the environment. BVOH has higher temperature resistance compared to PVA and works well with higher temp materials like ABS

[@Hunikengt]

Awesome episode, I'm a rookie to 3D printing and this helped me alot!

[@machoneboard]

Pla story - printed vacuum adaptors for a sander and some other workshop tools and it was totally unsuited. Same thing for a shower fitting. Material choice for functional parts is important. More videos like this please and thanks.

[@vencibushy]

We use PEEK at work all the time. For now we only do machining but soon we will be getting a 3D printer for it. It truly is a bad ass engineering material. Sometimes it's hard to believe it's really a plastic.

[@nubletten]

This was great. kinda new to 3d printing, and havent tried half of these mats. An annual filament update would be nice, perhas even epand and include other 3d printing mats.

[@bethisway]

This video is SOOOOO crucial. I know a lot of us would probably like more analytics on each filament and that would take for a whole nother episode. so I totally support you Joe and I'll buy you 15 coffee's.

[@bethisway]

I mean, top 5...lol not all these!

[@antalz]

I'm really happy to see a video like this but without the inaccuracies that are propagated in many other places. I did miss HIPS though, and I'm still wondering what the point of that stuff is. PP is also missing.

[@pri-altaezrarappa7256]

BVOH many dont know but you can actually use other poly materials and blend them together without any corrosetic reactions after they come in contact. Awesome stuff

[@not_riley]

Hi Joel, am i supposed to run a part fan with PETG? I read that it should be off or very low. I can see the part fan running at 3:50

[@CarolinaCowboys]

Best part of the video - "You cannot bend him at all, 'crack' "😂

[@nikozg2091]

So I was scrolling and I saw this comment and just as I read it , it happened EDIT: OMG thx

[@LD-pt5ur]

Exactly, it’s brittle. It doesn’t bend, it breaks.

[@jonhocut]

@@nikozg2091 same

[@jonhocut]

@@LD-pt5ur lol

[@1320wolf]

He was correct

[@eingelvf]

8:27 in the store touchin everything and u break something and act like nothing happened lol

[@3DPrintingNerd]

I'm like a bull in a china shop!

[@MeinElektronikHobby]

... danke für dieses Video. Nach meiner Meinung eines der Besten, die auf Deinem Kanal produziert wurden. Ich wünsche Dir ein erfolgreiches jahr 2019 ...thanks for this video. In my opinion one of the best produced on your channel. I wish you a successful year 2019.

[@g.s.3389]

amazing video, it would be nice to make a video with Matt on how to fine tune a printer for PETG and ABS.

[@octogames6823]

I know this is an old video but what good info on filaments. I have a printer in the mail so I was going to buy filament and hit a brick wall, haha. I had an idea what I was looking for and a good understanding the types of prints but OMG soooo many filament brands ,types, colors, textures like wood and carbon fiber. Ugh. So many choices. Ty for the knowledge, I will be picking up a roll of PLA, PETG and TPU, that should cover all my current projects atm :D

[@kurtlindner]

8:29 Time for some CA. This was a really good Podcast format, I'd really like to hear Matt talk more about his perspective on the supplier side, like how at the end the questions became more open ended.

[@CarsonKendall]

Most helpful video I've found on the subject so far. thanks guys this was great.

[@rogero9633]

I am totally impressed by this video. It will remain valuable over time - it can now be called a Bench Mark for future videos of this type (as you mentioned). I've read a few comments and they are saying similar things. You covered about 2 dozen types of printable filaments... are there any more at the time of the video or is that the list of this moment? Well, when the video was made and posted - since I'm posting this comment almost 2 years later! 1) When 3D printers were created in the beginning and up to the Jan 2 2019 date of posting your video, did they have the ability to handle many of the filaments that came along after that date? 2) Have changes been made after that date to the new print heads being invented and produced on newer machines which could handle the old and newest filaments? 3) Those two questions mean that it would not be fun to be the one who jumped into the market place and purchased one of the first 3D printers. After I wrote questions 1 & 2 I thought of the "Metal" filament. Not only would I have thought that Metal would NOT be done - but they found a way. And that means that something special had to be done to the print head so it would be possible, not to mention the filament had to be developed which could be melted in some creative way and would harden afterwards. Is it truly metal as we know metal? Well, how about doing an update to this video in about a month? Tell us if these existing filaments have been enhanced and reformulated so the bad or undesirable properties have been developed out of the product now. Same filament name or new name? Keep the same video title with a suffix on it. Thanks

[@nathanpayne7396]

Great video guys! This really makes it nice and clear about what filaments are good at what.

[@kaizentechnic7962]

Great video, very informative. I haven't rendered in years, looking to brush up on this and this helped a lot. I also am in the PNW!

[@bigd135ful]

Great video! I know it is an old video now but I recently bought an entry level 3d printer. Thanks for the info on the different materials out there.

[@deathshaker0026]

I love this video. I remember watching it when it came out. I think it would be interesting to do a follow up video of where filament is now.

[@ChevTecGroup]

I've noticed the boogers since unopened up my first petg roll. But only on more complex parts. My simpler parts with basically no retractions has printed pretty well

[@Mehecanogeesir]

Did 3DPN just break that guy's print? lol 8:39

[@natashashark85]

I use Overture PETG quite a bit, needs to be hot for sure but I haven't noticed it on my Ender3 yet. I'm on my third reel now and still goin great. Requires going much slower though.

[@truetech4158]

Extremely useful knowledge. Nylon sounds very worthy. I am going to find a way using an IV drip to recycle my winter runny nose talent, to create a removable support material. Happy year that is new!

[@J-S-T-E]

Thank you for explaining the different materials, i surely will try others than PLA now

[@3DPrintingNerd]

I hope you have awesome results and have a rad time experimenting!

[@terryk3118]

Great information. Thanks! No idea so many plastics were printable.

[@sclm55]

Just getting interested in possibly purchasing a 3D Printer, as I have several inventions ideas, and want to make some working prototypes. Came across this video. Very informative. Thanks.

[@usertogo]

A comprehensive test of magnetic materials (thinkable one that has its Curie temperature in the printing range) would be nice and also one really comparing general ferromagnetic filaments on real numbers or magnetic hysteresis curves, Then to spawn an idea for a contest on the question - how many years from 2019 superconductor filament will appear?

[@TheHiddenPearl]

hope in the future there are versions that can print from materials rather than just plastic or similarities of plastics; others are like metals, silicones, woods, etc.

[@jakegarrett8109]

They do have metal printers, but the cost is extremely high. I'm thinking about testing some concepts with them as they are very close, and I've got $1k to mess around with and buy stupid powerful lasers just for lols to see if I can do any better. Wood is not something you can melt, you could only grow it, and people have grown wood into shapes they've wanted for many many generations, so you sort of can. Silicone you can print a mold for, then make your part (unless you mean shoving it into a syringe like they do for printing chocolate or clay.

[@InsideTheMindOfMatt]

Very informative very heard of some of these materials thank for the exposure and I've always said I've never Met a Matt I didn't like :) Can't wait to see you in March!!

[@antprintdesignprint5003]

As a entry level printer (me) this video is awesome to find out truthfully which polymers to use before even buying a 3d printer, keep up the good work and that sub buttons been hit ;)

[@JJ-vp3bd]

Which printer u get

[@g3moe]

Matt, a treat guest. Thanx Matt!

[@1objection]

Great video! I didn't realize there were so many types of filament.

[@hobbycollector]

Very informative. Thanks for the video. Matt is great!

[@pappafritto]

A great video! I can feel a man of science here

[@mscraftyperson]

I just got a new printer for Christmas and this perfect video came out just in time :D

[@yvesduchesneau2206]

I am presently shopping for a new 3D printer but there are so many. I presently print ABS with a Solidoodle4 and the results are just OK. Most of my parts are for model airplanes. I would like to print PC and nylon and if possible Glass or carbon reinforced materials. What whould be a printer of choice for this? I am looking for best combination and ease of operatin, software and hardware. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[@richykong2930]

Yes thank you a lot of good information especially trying to get petg & pccf to work my way too pekk

[@EldeGraus]

TPE can be used at a very high temperatures. DSM have a TPE up to 190°C (Arnitel ID2060HT)

[@ElixirGraphics]

One of the best videos I've seen from this channel. Loved the knowledge found herein! Thanks!

[@pr0xZen]

Maybe there's a way of crystallizing flexibles in the filament production process, without permanently altering material properties? Or could such filament be skin tempered? Maybe some inert or compatible coating rigid enough to survive extruder push and retraction when cold, that blend with or gets absorbed by the material when going through the hotend and nozzle?

[@jamesssena7336]

Very solid explanation... None like other

[@Terror-Gene]

Please make a video on the Klipper Firmware! pretty much no reputable youtubers have really made a video discussing the pros & cons. I'm about to receive my V6 & BMG & plan on setting up Direct Drive on my CR-10S. I was looking into Marlin features like Linear Advance, S Curve Acceleration, & Junction Deviation But I've just come across the Klipper Firmware & discovered that the small detailed movements that i see the printer kind of pause on could be resolved by using Klipper... but does Klipper have any similar features to the ones I was looking at in Marlin?!

[@uwtab6898]

What a great video! Very nice. Me as someone with no printer and no experience, am looking for what printer en there for also what kind of material is best to start with. I would start printing for my drones when it comes to my everyday use. This video doesn't really tell me the material I should consider. Anyone any tips?

[@martinpirringer8055]

What About HIPS? I will try printing some instead of ABS on my Pulse. As for PLA and cars. If you print PLA on a bed at over 80 C and and enclosure and the print takes more than 2 hours and you leave the enclosure closed until the bed cools into the low 30s you have printted annealed PLA and it will hold shape until up to 150 c. It will be less brittle and less stiff. It will feel kinda like ABS and yield a bit before breaking. And yes if you have good bed adhesion it will hold its dimensions.

[@MMuraseofSandvich]

Joel did a video on PLA annealing not long ago, for a gear shifter handle.

[@martinpirringer8055]

@@MMuraseofSandvich I must have missed that one. We are still experimenting with it as we have 3 printers. A Matterhackers Pulse and in school 2 Makerbot Replicator+. Unfortunately the replicator+ are PLA only and no heated bed. We would like to use them too. On he Pulse which is a Prusa clone we got a garolite plate E3d V6 etc so can print all kinds of things. Using the Makerbots would be helpful but unannealed PLA is useless for us. We are printing a 32x30x55in or something close to that FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition) style robot that can weigh up to 150lb. So standard PLA is too brittle. Now annealing PLA will change dimensions. So initial tests have shown that you can make and "Anneal Print" on the pulse with a cage a PLA mold then you place the makerbot PLA part into the mold and anneal it at about 150-180F. Works fine an the part maintains dimension only the anneal printed PLA mold "wears out " after 5-6 uses simply cause it gets overcome sooner or later by the warping force of the part being annealed as most of them are 267x54x45mm and the Makerbot PLA is super warpy. I tried Nylon for molds but I'd probably would have to make them realy thick as the PLA during annealing bends them and yes after cool down when you remove the PLA part the nylon mold straightens back out but you still got a warped PLA part so we might have to go a combination of PLA and Steel or aluminum to combat the warping. But that will be on hold for a couple of months Saturday is the reveal and start for the FRC season and we will have 6 weeks to build above described bot. We will post updates on how that goes on our new channel. So wish us luck maybe this is the year for the very first 3D Printed FRC style Robot to compete.

[@repairfreak]

Martin Pirringer Yes what about HIPS? I was thinking of trying this for parts that need to withstand summer heat inside a car. Will this material print as smoothly as PLA in my cheapo Anycubic Kossel delta style printer? Thanks

[@martinpirringer8055]

@@repairfreak IDK I have a pulse. It probably depends on what you do and what kind of nozzle/hotend you have. I use the Hobbyking variety. As a matter of fact we (FRC team 1989) Like it so much we cleaned out their US warehouse think bought/used about 12 kg (There is more in Hong Kong and we might order the 14kg require to get free shipping as it sells between $10-12/kg) I print with a .8mm Nozzle at 55mm/s (ABS speed) and have the temp at 270. Out of the 13 kg I had 2 parts warp. I print on a garolite plate with gluestick bed temp at 100C on those 2 parts I tried to not apply glue stick before every print or just refresh it with a damp towel. So it needs glue stick and 100C and I also got a cheap enclosure set over it IDK if it makes a difference but we print tons of ABS and it makes a big difference there. I like it better than ABS. It still smells a little but less than ABS and I would suggest to still have the area well ventilated. Compared to ABS it has a little more Flex so it will give a bit before braking and man its tough. Not quite Nylon Tough but much better for brackets than ABS. We had a hollow hex tube with 4mm walls 1/2 in id (to take a hex reenforcement shaft) and a Rack attached to it and it took 340 in/lb without a problem (We can't test higher cause the current tester we sometimes have access to maxes out at that) Its currently the 2nd best material we have for gears (after Nylon) It is in the process of replacing PETG and ABS for a lot of mechanical things. Well and selling for 10-12 bucks a kg helps lots with the budget. Granted the hobby king ABS sells in the same price range and is pretty good but not as good as this HIPS. Will do a video on my channel on it as soon as we get a breather. Right now all efforts are dedicated towards building our robot. Right now Im printing it faster than I can get it.

[@SoNoFTheMoSt]

Im so glad you addressed the cracking sound lol :)

[@mrputerpro5383]

Just wanted to add my thanks for this one, well done guys! :)

[@armandosimon9780]

Thanks for the quick intro! I wished you touched also on the aspect of biodegradability and filaments with wood, industrial hemp and other fibers and also recycled materials...next vid? Keep the great work! Thanks

[@diagonalskyline]

Two related bits polymer chemistry from a materials engineer to supplement all the practical info from Matt & Joel: BVOH - "OH" is the chemical abbreviation for any generic alcohol because of the -OH hydroxyl group that makes it an alcohol. Not sure why it's abbreviated BVOH while PVA uses "A" for alcohol though. PEEK - polymer names aren't usually creative, they just describe the structure of the polymer chain. Matt was correct in that it is polyether ether ketone with two ethers because each monomer has two ethers (and a ketone). Polyether ketone (PEK) and polyether ketone ketene (PEKK) (and others) exist as well.

[@pbrglez]

Finally, someone who gives ABS some credit

[@markrichards5630]

Here here. With a printer that's dialed in (and an enclosure and extra heaters, fume hood etc) ABS gives a great non glossy finish (the more gloss the more those layer lines show up and the more reflections change the perceived surface shapes - critical for product design/development, yes I'm looking at you PLA). ABS also has excellent strength, high heat capable, takes taps well, parts can be acetone welded, doesn't deform over time and can be vapor smoothed. BUT, there are different recipes for ABS depending on manufacturer (its a combo of three or more polymers in different ratios - hence the three letters in the name). So don't discount ABS until you've tried a few different brands. Warping can be an issue but if you heat the bed, heat the environment and direct the fans correctly its is minimal on sub 500mm cubed parts.

[@mariom9399]

Thanks for the vid. You guys forgot about one very good material with very unique properties which is PP (PolyPropylene) - mostly as a printing filament it's a PP+PE copolimer. I've printed PP and it is a very nice material that can be used for a lot of things that need to be strong or semi flex or high temp resistant or chemical resistant. I found it really usefull and quite easy to print with extremly good layer adhesion.

[@somnathbanerjee1673]

Thanx for such a detailed video about the filaments.

[@microArc]

the OH in BVOH is the organic/chemistry abbreviation for the Oxygen+Hydrogen (hydroxy) group that represents the alcohol group. for a more common example, organic chemists will abbreviate ethyl alcohol (as in drinking alcohol in beer/wine) as ETOH.

[@carpupstream]

Indispensable info for this Nube!You guys are funny! Thanx!

[@DrSkiba]

Awesome info, excited to try some new materials this year. Thanks for the vid, Joel!

[@theGermanPrintingNerd]

Great Video Joel and Super Information Thank you Joel and Matt

[@thepartsrunner5758]

3D Printing Nerd is Rock Star status..!!

[@TheSentientCloud]

Yay! Happy this is out now! I've always wondered about materials!

[@pascaldobler3259]

Best video and most informative video for a long time! Keep on the good work :)

[@darwinmounsey376]

Just watched this and it's time to revisit

[@donaldhollingsworth3875]

What is the best filament to use to achieve best surface finish? Something along the lines of a 63 surface that you would get machining a part?