Carbon Fiber 3D Printer Filaments: What Are They Good For?

In this video I talk about the 9 most popular advanced 3d printer filament types. Brought to you by Sovol, makers of the SV07 and SV07 Plus, and recently, their own line of filament. Check out jle.vi/sovol and use the coupon code NEXTLAYER at checkout to save $10-20 (on orders of $259 or more).
In this video, we're going to explore the 9 most popular advanced 3d printer filament types that you can print with in your at-home 3D printer to understand their differences, their ideal applications, and why you might want to check them out. That includes carbon fiber nylon filament, PETG-CF filament, nylon filament, and even polycarbonate filament. I hope you find this video valuable and informative, and if you do, don't forget to leave a like (and subscribe if you haven't already!)
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🎥 IN THIS VIDEO: 🎥
00:00 Introduction
01:36 Nylon Filament
04:28 Polycarbonate Filament
08:04 PLA-CF Filament
12:44 PETG Carbon Fiber Filament
15:39 PET-CF Filament
18:14 Carbon Fiber Nylon Filament
21:26 ABS Carbon Fiber Filament
23:58 ABS-GF Filament
25:23 Conclusion
🔗 LINKS MENTIONED IN THE VIDEO: 🔗
👉 Shop Kexcelled filaments: shop.kexcelled3d.com/shop
👉 Other 3D Printer Filaments Featured: jle.vi/bambu (supports 3D Print General, who’s channel was deleted) | plastics-app.com/3d-products/ | www.filamentech.co.il/ | YXPolymer: geni.us/YXPolymer [Amazon]
👉 PETG-CF vs. PET-CF: store.bambulab.com/products/p...
👉 My previous video about the 5 common 3D printer filament types: • The 5 Filament Types Y...
👉 My previous video where I talk about the 10 must have Klipper upgrades: • The 10 Upgrades I Inst...
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[@thenextlayer]

Thanks for watching this video! Sorry I couldn't print out more examples to show you guys... not easy with the situation in Israel right now... but I appreciate you guys watching, commenting, liking, and subscribing!

[@DCMasturmindz1]

Great video! Praying for you and your family's safety.

[@user-gg9ou6ib1b]

I'm new in 3d printing and want to get started. I was looking at the bambo labs cause there supposed to be pretty easy to use almost plug and play any 3d printers you suggest?

[@treaustin1]

@@user-gg9ou6ib1b Bambu P1S is what I would get if I was buying right now. Looks so awesome for the price point.

[@AwestrikeFearofGods]

@@user-gg9ou6ib1b For a modern, inexpensive 1st FDM printer in late 2023, I'd probably get a QIDI Tech X-Smart 3, or a Bambu Lab A1 Mini (without AMS lite). One has an enclosure, while the other has multi-color/multi-material-ish capability. There's a waitlist on the A1 Mini, but you can get it a bit sooner if you are willing to spend more money to order it with the AMS lite. If you end up getting into this hobby and want to spend more money, you could buy the AMS lite (if you don't have it already), or get a 2nd larger printer. Printer technology is still rapidly evolving, so the top dogs might be different in a couple years. By then, you'll probably know what make and model you're looking for.

[@nicksmith1415]

Been thinking about you a lot fella. Stay safe

[@militar3rd]

I am the main Engineer that 3D Prints for an organization in a big Aerospace Company and could attest to the robust characteristics of Polycarbonate. We print prototypes, structural placement of brackets for flight parts, Drilling Fixtures, Mold for flight RTV parts, and Shop Aids. That thing is awesome.

[@Eltuty14]

Where you from? I would love to be part of the team

[@discosanandreas]

I bought a 3D printer and haven't even used it yet. But I keep watching your videos. No need to apologize for the content you can or can't create. Just keep doing the best you can.

[@thenextlayer]

Awesome, thank you!

[@PSimonsen]

Learn a cad program, and the ide's will keep comming. trust me.

[@TheAciditty]

That is a nice thing to say.

[@OdellMoise]

@@PSimonsen I've been always curious which CAD software to use to get out ideas on a 3D printer.

[@phuturephred]

@@OdellMoise fusion 360

[@Mango_416]

Polycabonate was actually the second ever material i ever printed on my X1c and i was genuinly supprised at how clean and smooth it printed

[@davemccann7446]

PC prints so well on my X1C (with the multi filament feeder / dry box) that I've been using it almost exclusively. Color choices is about the only reason I use PETG at this point. PC separates from support material so much better than PETG, and ends up cleaner than even PETG with a support interface material. I think the PC I've been getting is a blend of PC and PETG, so I don't know if I've ever used more pure PC.

[@irishdrunkass]

PC works soooo good on X1C. I print the collapsible katana swords with it, and wire in a small LED circuit so the whole sword glows. I up my bed temp 10 degrees higher than Bambu's PC preset. I originally bought a roll of it almost as a meme/bet with a friend that has a bunch of open source printers and runs lots of custom fw. Was trying to sell him on the Bambulab and he wouldn't listen. This helped lol

[@Ebonyqwe]

Listening to your kid speaking made me cry. I don’t know why, I guess they reminded me of my kids when they were little. Loved the video, very well researched and written. Thanks from a big softy.

[@thenextlayer]

Oh wow! I hope good tears!

[@Ebonyqwe]

@@thenextlayer yeah good tears

[@TechieTard]

I was raised in a, macho man no crying type of home, but man, kids are the exception. I'm watching this video and have my 4 and 10 year old on mega blocks right in front of me. I know exactly how you feel.

[@prongATO]

I absolutely LOVE Proto-Pasta CF HTPLA! It prints so beautifully and can be annealed.

[@brentowen8857]

It's so cool to watch a video and see my own model being displayed for a second or two. Made my day. The lamp shade is my most popular model that I made from scratch after watching another KZbin video on how to make it. Great video by the way, I will have to save it as a reference.

[@Baldavier]

Ive never given you the credit you deserve. Youre more professional and experienced than most. From your background experience to your industry connections. I appreciate your openness and honesty too!

[@thenextlayer]

Wow! Thank you. I’m very flattered.

[@dduca73]

A few years ago I used to print replacement nylon gears with 1.5mm trimmer line. All of then still going strong!

[@SillacSaurfang]

PA-CF is also one of the more popular filaments in the printed "pewpew" community. Most parts are designed for PLA +/Pro, and filled nylons do an excellent job meeting or exceeding its physical properties while having drastically better heat resistance, albeit with a higher price tag. I've switched to using it almost exclusively.

[@tommyc8333]

Which brand PA-CF are you using ? I'm trying to switch over, but having a problem getting it dialed in.

[@izzywakefield72]

they dont call it black aluminium for nothing 👍

[@notyouraveragegoldenpotato]

I liked taulman nylon 910 alloy. Haven't tried too many others but lemme tell ya. It's some TOUGH stuff. Alot of squirted pew pews are small caliber. 910 was tough enough to handle the big boys without issue. I'm sure there's better and newer out there but 910 was epic once I got settings dialed in. Looks phenominal too

[@heathbecker420]

I like CF polycarbonate. It is harder than nylon and sands/files down better. It can be a real pain to print well with.

[@SpaceRanger187]

can you use it in a printer. or do u need a fancy expensive one

[@MartynDerg]

the stock footage of a guy dipping a soldering iron tip into some flux with a fully assembled drone in front of him killed me

[@ubiratamuniz]

Hi Jonathan! Hope you and your family are doing well. My contribution: There´s one type of filament that is VERY rarely mentioned by 3D printing channels (and some consider it as quite engineering-capable) but that is my personal favourite that I use for ALMOST everything: Tritan. It has the same thermal resistance as ABS (about 110-120C glass transition) which makes it ideal for car parts (even in the engine bay, as I did some air cleaner assemblies for my vintage VW Beetle, which I used for over a year, only taking them out because of other mods I did to the car and they didn´t fit anymore), for example. It also have chemical resistance so it can be used in environment with fuel vapors (like the top of a car carburetor). But it DOES NOT have the tendency to warp and delaminate like ABS/ASA , it´s not higroscopic as PETG, it´s quite easy to sand and prime for painting (unlike PETG) and does not require an enclosure. I´d say it´s almost perfect, the only problem is a tendency to ooze a little bit (not enough for causing stringing with retractions properly tuned though) and build up on the nozzle (which is sort of a hassle when using Revo nozzles, as it tends to build up in the heater core), and the lack of color options (only black, white and clear). It´s also a little hard to tune the first layer on an PEI sheet (brims tend to lift up), but once the actual part adheres you will have no lifting problem. It´s not as tough as Nylon, but it´s between ABS/ASA and Nylon. Also have some flex which makes it NOT to be brittle (as shown in my Beetle experiment, with all the heat and vibration from the old aircooled engine, I took them away for other mods one year later and they were still in one piece like the day they were printed - I gave them away to a friend who still runs them on his dual-carburated VW T2 Bus as of today). However, it does require an all-metal hotend (it prints between 250 and 270C depending on the batch/colour and other characteristics like the manufacturer formula) and requires a heated bed capable of at least 100C (110C is the ideal). The only problem with it is the price, usually is somewhat more expensive than ASA, at least here in Brazil, and it´s not all filament manufacturers that make them. To save I usually buy "low cost" lots in which one kilogram is made of a few smaller rolls that are made from leftover material (when the amount in the filament extruder is less than 1KG) during the manufacturing process. Gridfinity boxes I printed out of PLA/PETG and ABS a few months ago are starting to delaminate, unlike the ones printed out of Tritan. Tritan is also deemed to be "food safe" (it´s used in microwaveable tupperware-like but made from injection molding), although let´s be honest, no FDM printed part is actually food safe because of the inter-layers spacing that can build up bacteria. All 3D printer upgrades I print at home are made out of Tritan. It´s awesome for parts that stay close to the hotend, like fan shrouds and such. One of my current rebuilds have fan shrouds and ducts made of Tritan, an external electronics enclosure (GalvanicGlaze´s enclosure with some remixes for using parts I had) also fully printed on Tritan. I only don´t use it for decorative parts, to which I go with plain old PLA. I do have some rolls of PETG and ABS but I rarely use them. I did try to print Nylon and actually had some success with CF Nylon on an old enclosed Ender 3 V2 (which I don´t have anymore), but really it´s so much trouble that I personally gave up on it for now as Tritan is doing the job. Currently I´m printing a cat food stand, check it out (hoping there isn´t a power outage as here in Brazil heat these days is extreme and power outages are happening on a daily basis, the grid isn´t keeping up with all the A/Cs on countrywide, and my UPS can´t handle the Mega X very well):

[@thenextlayer]

Wow. Haven’t heard of it. I’ll need to research and figure out what actual plastic it is

[@ubiratamuniz]

@@thenextlayerthere´s one (very old, 8 years ago LOL) video by @MadeWithLayers in which he tests the one roll from Taulman: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5eaapawjN1lY7Msi=WqIaFUPBXNi7wqDF I´m actually not surprised you haven´t heard of it, I rarely see any video about that filament. But I, personally, just love it, it´s my go-to material. To be honest, apart from Thomas´ video I linked above, all the other reviews about this material I saw online are from Brazilian youtubers, all in Portuguese-BR. I decided to give it a go, and never left it. Another good thing it´s that it doesn´t smell nasty as ABS. I don´t even know if it´s easy to find out there. Here in Brazil we have a lot of filament manufacturers but only two of them (3DFila and 3DLab) make Tritan filament. And to be honest, I think my brim adhesion problem is due to the fact that my PEI sheet is quite worn out, as you can see on my shared Obico feed . 🤣

[@Kendrik01]

@@thenextlayer Looks like it's a co-polyester? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritan_copolyester

[@imacmill]

I wasn't surprised to NOT find it on amazon USA or Canada. The only source I could find by googling showed 'out of stock'. Not looking good for availability.

[@AikaCraftyCat]

@@imacmillcolorFabb HT is what you're looking for, it's Tritan based filament. Available on their website.

[@josiahmcthompson6856]

I must say that I love your channel. You always use technical language and accurate descriptions which I appreciate!

[@WpA09]

I printed all the non-accent parts of my Voron 2.4 in ABS-CF on a Prusa Mini. Worked suprisingly well and it looks so good!

[@jipiboily]

Great videos about. I found it very informative. Would love to have this also as a cheatsheet or kind of a table with all those details! Amazing stuff!

[@theebadge]

12:00 I love the Kip Dynamite moment. Thanks for this great vid!

[@dbyrd7827]

Great attention to the details and accuracy of the information. You covered a lot of materials too. Thank you

[@joshgoble]

I did try out glass filled nylon for some flashkills to protect my airsoft optics. I originally tried pla and tpu, but the pla shattered instantly after being hit with a bb and while the tpu did deflect most of the bbs, eventually it did let a few through. The glass filled nylon withstood 50 airsoft bbs from two feet away and didn’t seem to even scratch the print. It was pretty expensive and took a little time to get it printed right on my ender 3 (with upgrades), but well worth it.

[@ChrisWilliams-pu8pj]

Great job! Informative. I like the fact that you acknowledge others contribution as well!

[@delgueda]

I've noticed that PA-CF is very rigid right after printing, but becomes quite flexible once it absorbs some moisture (at least with esun PA-CF). I think it's important to consider how these materials behave after some time of use, because nylons usually change a lot once they absorb water.

[@hebijirik]

I found PETG-CF to be very usefull for large printers. I have RatRig V-Core 3 500 so I get asked to print big things sometimes. Depending on shape they can be done in many materials or also not. The worst is long straight walls. A roughly box-shaped cover 600mm long, 60 wide and 80 tall that required UV resistance was unprintable in PETG - the long walls would just buckle outward more and more as the shrinkage of hte material kept lifting the ends higher and higher off the bed. Increasing bed adhesion was useless because the part would just take the metal sheet up with it. I don't have a rigid bed to try but my guess would be something breaks or the part warps once released from the bed. Once I tried PETG-CF for this same part all the problems basically disappeared. It is way more hygroscopic than normal PETG (water creeps in deep along the fibers) so for very good surface finish you want to dry it before printing but nothing crazy is required and it does not have to be printed directly from a drybox - it can be outside for a few hours or even days. But what you get for this added trouble and for the price is basically no warping on a 600mm long straight wall. Other materials like PA-CF could probably do the same but at much higher price and difficulty level. And on a part that takes a whole 1kg spool for just one print you want the difficulty low and the price adds up quickly too. So PETG-CF is a great choice for that. I had same results with PCTG-CF too. And for a part I was asked to print white I tried PCTG-GF. The polymer has no pigment in it a the fresh-snow white color is achieved by light reflecting and refracting in all the tiny bits of glass inside. It is slightly translucent but once thick enough it becomes really white. And even with 0.6mm nozzle and 0.3mm layers this effect hides layer lines pretty much completely. It looks great and price is similar to PETG-CF.

[@UnifiedInfo]

Ya on longer parts the banana warp is exaggerated alot more😅 I remember a similiar struggle

[@climbercal2122]

Very informative. Comments on PAHT-CF are consistent with my experience. It's an excellent material in the right applications. Thank you!

[@mrduck12345678]

I've used nylon carbon fiber for a lower receiver. It works quite well for the application.

[@raytitone1583]

having your little one film some footage of you made the whole video for me! Love to see it. editing this comment because i just seen on your K1 review video, you mentioned Israeli customs, i hope you and your family stay safe thru the troubled times right now, everything comes to an end eventually, this will to. God Bless you and your family, America stands with and for you!!

[@zviratko]

PLA-CF is not just a gimmick. It works absolutely great for printing things under tension or constant load (I print the Hex Ukuleles with it). I also tried annealing it and it barely changed in any dimension (but I haven't made any proper temperature resistance test, just that it didn't melt in hot water when normal print did). I'm thinking about making a proper test because getting something with PLA-CF properties but temperature resistant would make it the greatest filament ever ;-D

[@terryclair2914]

I agree on the PLA CF as I have noticed no notalbe increase in strength but love the finish and use it often. Now Nylon CF works great for me and fixes 95% of my warping issues.

[@thenextlayer]

Surprised that you still use it despite the added cost. Do you like the finish that much more than just regular matte PLA?

[@Waco630]

Cf is definitely something I’m interested in printing. This was very helpful. Thank you.

[@kaytrim]

Perfect timing on this video. My Sovol SV06 Plus just arrived yesterday. I'll get their klipper pad later. I went with the SV06 over the SV07 because of the linear rails over the V-wheels. And I don't like that huge noisy part fan. I purchased a part fan upgrade kit for my SV06 that is printed in ABS and points the air to all sides of the part. I want to use my printer to make fittings for outdoor hydroponics. The PETG-CF you talked about sounds like the perfect material for my application. I am also a 'Mr. Fixit' so adding this to my arsonal will allow me to build replacement parts or redesign better ones. Glad that you and your family remain safe and keep making this wonderful content.

[@thenextlayer]

Nice! Enjoy!

[@vince2lille]

Great video ! I learn a lot 🤩 Thanks

[@nocturnalpotato]

I've printed Nylon for FIRST robotics on a Prusa MK3S a few years back. The nylon parts were mounted to 80/20 and held up very well. I haven't printed nylon since. Ultimately I had to build an enclosure around the printer to make it work. We first tried ASA, but the Nylon help up better overall.

[@thenextlayer]

Yep, that all is consistent with my findings. Must've been a good enclosure!!

[@hjbasson]

I discovered PLA CF recently. Prints beautifully and love it. Still struggling with PA CF. Very hard but lots of stringing.

[@wardlegrow7276]

You asked about experiences with printing Nylon... Well, I was working on a prototype Theatre grade - curtain track carrier with a hardware designer/manufacturer and printed up 50 carriers of his design in Nylon. 3 parts to each carrier - the main body and two wheels. It was a huge learning experience for me as it was my first printing in Nylon (on a Prusa MK3). After tuning, and adjusting many times, I ended up getting some pretty good adhesion and sucessfully completed the printing of the parts. I ended up loving printing in Nylon (the one I used was Taulman 645), and now that I have a Bambu Lab Printer, I'm starting to tune that one to printing Nylon for some work prints.

[@noway8233]

Good, my expitience was terrible, 😊 but i know what i did wrong,need to adjust the flow

[@themeandrousengineer]

I've been trying the Overture PLA-CF out on my Ender 3 with no enclosure for a few months now. Prints can look really nice and almost like carbon fiber nylon. There is a little oozing on the nozzle when traveling. I can absolutely agree with the layer adhesion issue. If the cross sections in your prints are small, I've dropped the print and it will just split. Regular PLA will normally just bounce around and barely suffer a dent. At my work we have a Markforged printer with their proprietary carbon fiber nylon and that stuff is gorgeous and useful. I have never seen prints come out looking so nice and hold up in a manufacturing environment. Dimensional stability is great with the ability to create press fits. I've had a carbon fiber nylon part in a cnc coolant environment for almost two years now. Even with the hygroscopic nature, the finish part performs really well.

[@h.n.4060]

I printed car parts in nylon, specifically clips that went inside the cars cabin. It needed to hold something to the roof without warping or failing during the summer.

[@VonSpud]

Great info thanks 😊 Owned an AnyCubic Kobra 2 pro 3d printer since Christmas... My first. Very much a rookie

[@Walt1119]

Thanks for another great video! Do hope you and your family are safe!

[@thenextlayer]

Thanks!!

[@chris993361]

I have printed things like pa-cf, but I have never tried printing pla-cf because adding stiffness to a filament that is already brittle didn't make sense to me. That, and I generally do not use pla anywhere that really needs to survive any kind of abuse simply because of its ability to melt inside a hot car. I have recently started printing with a petg-cf, and I love it. I used it to print some components for some items that KZbin is not a fan of, and it is holding up incredibly well. You now have me wanting to check out pet-cf though.

[@Roskellan]

Carbon Fiber Nylon - I printed footplates for my EUC with it. Worked a treat 🙂 Heated enclosure, on a glass plate, I used a ruby nozzle brass but with a stainless insert replacing the capricorn tube within the nozzle- fabricated this bit myself. The nylon is hygroscopic, so the footplates have more give in them from when they were first printed, but this is a good thing.

[@anorak_2902]

Ive personally used PC to print a Squirtle and a bike rack both of which held up flawlessly

[@tribolex]

This was really informative!!!

[@thenextlayer]

Thanks!!

[@MinnesotaHomesteading]

Petg CF is incredible as I've found you can bump the nozzle temp to 265 and no cooling fan for incredible layer adhesion and still little to no stringing

[@hobonickel840]

Do you mind if I ask what printer are you using? .. just curious and collecting random data for my own inference and purchase.. synchronicity style lol thanks

[@MinnesotaHomesteading]

@@hobonickel840 mk3s and a heavily modified mini

[@chrismay2298]

Yep. Atomic filament makes some spectacular PETG CF that is my favorite material yet.

[@paolobernardoni4663]

I've used some different CF filaments in the last years, printed with a modified Prusa i3 MK3S+ (enclosure, heated chamber, petg parts reprinted in PCCF, hotend high temerature modifications) and BambuLab X1C, your description of the properties of the filaments fits quite well with my experience: - PLA-CF (BambuLab, printed on X1C) the only advantage over regular pla is on aesthetics and reduced warping in very large prints, the downside is that it is even more brittle, it was bundled with the X1C so i used it but i won't buy it on purpose. Regular matte pla has a similar look while being more mechanically resistant and cheaper. I used it to make some feet for the chairs in my kitchen because CF makes it more resistant to abrasion, i didn't find any other application where it is better than regular pla. - PETG-CF (Treed filaments printed on i3) It is one of the best looking filaments i found so far but i found it much more prone to clogging the nozzle (0.4 with 0.6 is ok) than the other CF filaments i tested, fair resistance to heat (better than regular petg and any pla) and high rigidity i plan to replace it with ASA-CF which has similar price and should have a lower risk of clogging the nozzle. It is very fragile and with poor layer adhesion and i found out that it doesn't bind well with brass heat mounted inserts (only filament i tried so far with this problem). I used it mainly in parts used in measuring setups on an optical bench where i needed high rigidity and moderate heat resistance. - PA12-CF (Treed filaments printed on i3) This is the filament i love the most because has good rigidity (lower than the other CF filaments anyway), high mechanical strength, high temperature resistance, prints very well and looks great. PA12 absorbs less water than PA6 but anyway it has to be thoroughly dried before printing, and being nylon never use it in applications where creep could be an issue, CF reduces creepage but doesn't solve it completely, the only big downside of this filament is that it is by far the most expensive of the CF filaments i tried. I used it in parts for optical bench setups, sample holders for a climatic chamber (withstands +125/-40°C cycles and 85°C/85%RH tests flawlessly) and jigs for electronic and mechanical assemblies. - PC-CF (Prusament printed on X1C ;)) Very similar to PACF in look, mechanical resistance and heat resistance, probably a bit more fragile due to lower layer adhesion but nothing dramatic, the main advantage is that it is cheaper and doesn't creep, it needs to be dried too. I used it to reprint the ASA and PETG-printed parts of the i3 (this is one of the steps of the high temperature modification), a hinge for an heavy toolbox (the original one had broken) , and a smartphone holder for my car. - PP-CF (Treed filaments printed on i3) The only reason to use PP in 3d printing is for its chemical resistance and to make live hinges otherwise it is an awful material to print, if you think that pure ABS, PA or PC are difficult to print compared to PP they are easy as PLA, the CF improves greatly the printability but even with CF the objects warp a lot even in an heated chamber and printed slowly. I wanted to use it to make parts for different setups to perform electrochemical etching with hydrofluoric acid but i couldn't make the prints water tight, probably because of the high carbon content (regular PP has an exceptional layer adhesion). I resigned to use it in non watertight parts printing the others in regular PP or PVDF (which is crazy expensive). I also bought ASA-CF but i haven't used it so far, it should be a good trade off between mechanical properties and cost with the plus of UV resistance.

[@conorstewart2214]

Bear in mind when making things abrasion resistant, like your chair feet, both surfaces get abraded, the carbon fibres might be very abrasion resistant but they will most likely be harder than your floor and effectively act like sandpaper, especially if the chair is moved with weight on it. A better choice for something like that would be a low friction or wear resistant material that doesn’t have any kind of fibres in it.

[@BrownMInc]

😮 thank you so much for your comment!! This is a real useful / insightful one. I was looking into using CF filaments but didn't know where to start. I also got 2 free rolls of the Bambu Lab CF rolls n now I'm kinda disappointed they aren't that great compared to whats out there for the price.

[@PaoloBernardoni]

@@conorstewart2214 Your're right about the mutual wearing but even with CF added PLA is not nearly as resistant as the ceramic tiles in the kitchen floor. Obviously in the rooms with wooden flooring i use felt anti scratch pads on all furniture.

[@user-mt6lh5gk7x]

Never, never, never give up.

[@db4jazz]

Excellent and very informative. I do have a request, please consider creating an on going updated PDF spreadsheet of all the filiments that you have tested so far listing the pros & cons as well as notes on the best uses and application requirements along with any words of wisdom. It would be GREATLY APPRECIATED by those of us that are new to the space. Again thank you soooo much for your time, assistance, and valuable information.

[@spoopypenguin1215]

Part of my job is designing new attachments for commercial siding. I have used GF ABS, CF ABS, and CF Nylon for prototyping. CF ABS is by far my go to for any prototyping. GF ABS has some weird layer adhesion issues that I don't get with CF ABS. I was also able to print them in an open printer (Ender 5 S1, and Sovol SV05). I will note that my prototypes are fairly small, so the prints usually didn't take long enough for the lower layers to cool and warp. CF Nylon is a different beast that just didn't suit the needs of my parts. My parts need to stay rigid, with little to no flex. CF Nylon was just too ductile. I did end up using it for jigs and fixtures around our fab shop, but I do not use it for prototyping at all anymore. I have not tried CF PETG yet, but I will probably give it a try. I have heard that PET is a much more difficult filament to print than PETG, but I have not personally used it yet.

[@thenextlayer]

Interesting, thanks for sharing. Why not just prototype with normal ABS though?

[@conorstewart2214]

If your printer can cope with higher temperature filament, like PC, in the 280 - 300 C range, it will probably cope with PET fine. If you have an X1C and possibly the P1S then the PET-CF prints with no issues. The main properties of PET-CF are its rigidity (around double that of PLA) and high temperature resistance (around 200 C for the Bambu lab PET-CF).

[@travisg1759]

There should be an app that has all the attributes where you can select the properties you need and the printer you have and it will tell you which filament to use.

[@dorianvincent2101]

There are softwares existing for material choice already.

[@bahadir716]

which one is it@@dorianvincent2101

[@HALOGAMESPWN]

@@dorianvincent2101 What software?

[@nmallory42]

I printed an AR15 lower receiver with PLA+. Its held up great and over 300 rounds through it so far no issue. You can put one hand on the stock and another on the hand guard and do a push up on it with zero flex. Going to be printing another lower in carbon fiber nylon today.

[@Paul-in-Viet-Nam]

Thanks for that info! When I first heard of 3D printing, my first thought was an AR, FAL or something similar. I currently live where those aren't legal, so I'd have to make my own.

[@nmallory42]

@@Paul-in-Viet-Nam I’d just be careful on the legal aspect. Luckily in the states it’s completely legal to print your own guns and you don’t need to register a printed receiver. I would check out Hoffman Tactical. They have great information and files for printing.

[@ericschatz4943]

Ive used PC quite a bit, great stuff. My P1S does not print it well out of the box as advertised I heat the chamber as much as I can to get good results and max out the temps.

[@goatmodegaming]

Great vid bro, I love the background too, the orange and black looks dope

[@thenextlayer]

Thanks!!!

[@Zeldalovesme]

I've been printing parts for my ARCTOS 6DOF Robot arm. I've printed it all out of ABS but I bought some Nylon to reprint the gears for the gearboxes. It has been a little tough. I dried it originally for 4 days straight (since my filament dryer only goes to 50c) and it started off printing great, but I think it absorbed some moisture just within a few days in my BL AMS unit for my X1C. After the first two days, my nylon prints have been stringing a LOT and aren't as finely detailed as they were within the first few days. I had no problem putting my gears together made out of ABS, but I am having a really hard time slotting them together in the Nylon.

[@conorstewart2214]

Some nylons can absorb moisture in hours, so you should probably change the desiccant in your AMS and transfer it straight from the dryer to the AMS and keep it shut until you are ready to take it out. It could also be due to your drying temperature, you really want 70 C or above for nylon. Different filaments expand and print differently, so just because it worked with ABS doesn’t mean it will work with other filaments, you may have to adjust the setting and sizes. Also when printing gears make sure you use a raft, it prevents any kind of elephants foot which makes the gears not mesh properly.

[@irishdrunkass]

I made one of those collapsible katana's (like the toy lightsabers) with some Black PC from BambuLabs on my X1C, I ended up turning up all the PC presets up by 10-15 degrees, especially the bed temperature, and it turned out almost perfect. Then ended up wiring a small little LED circuit inside it, and it glows, really freaking cool. Stands out great with how translucent it is.

[@horstsysselbeck]

My go to material for tough parts is PBT+ (polybutylene terephthalate) and it’s very easy to print with

[@Xizervexius]

I'm really loving the finish from PETG-CF. I have some PLA-CF I have yet to try, and may buy some of the PET-CF you mentioned and give that a go as well. I just have open frame printers, so can't really try the fancy versions yet.

[@AjayiPelumi]

I appreciate your work here good sir, very much job well done!

[@precisioncompositestechnol6835]

I use PET-CF quite often now instead of PAHT-CF on the Bambu X1C. It prints better without the warping issues of PAHT-CF and is still remarkably tough. Using the Lightyear hi-temp smooth plate and don't need glues. Printed a set of custom designed wall light sconces for our stairwell that use a couple LED lights in them. Also, using it for some aviation parts on experimental aircraft; i.e. mounting brackets, electronics boxes, etc. Side note/FYI: PLA is biodegradeable, BUT only with proper processing. Tossing it in the ground will just stay the way it is for a long time. PLA can also have warping issues; been there, done that.

[@bobnovak9624]

I stumbled across your channel about a week ago and have been overdosing on watching. Very informative and your sense of humor is very entertaining! I've been throwing around purchasing a 3D printer for some time now. Good grief! With all of these different kinds of filament, it's becoming almost overwhelming! Use this for that, use that for this, but watch out for that, and this is important to consider and it goes on and on and on. I'm almost at the breaking point of saying, I don't have one now so do I REALLY need one? Hmmmmm... Stay safe over there!

[@thenextlayer]

Thanks for the comment!!! It’s a lot to learn for sure but it’s fun learning imho. Having a printer has changed my life for sure!!!!

[@Rumblestrip]

Years ago, and im dating myself here, they used to make bug shields for trucks out of polycarbonate.... They were around 1/8" thick and the aluminum base they were mounted to made them consumables.... Would love to get another one like that, they actually worked very well.

[@billstech1715]

I was surprised not to see ASA-CF, it is one of the only plastics that is considered UV stable and carbon fiber is a great addition. I use it for greenhouse plastics and for things like outdoor handles, slides for doors, anything outside or subject to the sun. Also I want to do more with PC-carbon. My prayers are with you in Israel right now, really tuff situation.

[@mjodr]

ASA-CF is somewhat rare compared to the other base polymers with CF added. I almost never see it listed for sale in the various online stores I am shopping on.

[@luislongoria6621]

I can't imagine anything that might be restricted in Israel unless you're not in Israel

[@jcwilliams1974]

I just started printing petgcf and love it, prints great on my creality k1.

[@VictorLopez-ws4iq]

Great content!!

[@tavelkyosoba]

There is also a glass fiber pla from 3dfuel, it's actually pretty awesome. I mostly use it when i need something that is extremely resistant to creep

[@jameslmorehead]

ABS-GF sounds like a great filament for my company. We are an R&D company specializing in next generation traction motors and associated electronics. Right now, we use PC-CF for high voltage insulators between low current bus bars using a Bambu Labs X1C with the AMS. I know, the carbon fiber is conductive. But, it our testing, the conductivity is in the tens of mega-ohms range, so it's a moot point. One thing we do have a problem with is printability and overall strength. If ABS-GF can give us an improvement in any aspect, it would be well worth the cost of experimenting with a spool or two. The insulators, for the most part, are shaped sheets 2mm to 2.5mm thick. Some have sleeves that come up to insulate bolt holes. On the top side of those sleeves, we add printed washers to complete the insulation. It's amazing what we can do to condense the electronics packaging all thanks to the 3D printer.

[@talmokady8528]

Informative video. Thanks

[@thenextlayer]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Jeff-tr8kf]

Top quality video and content! Best info in the 3D YT world. Thank you.

[@williammartinez7987]

The cutest youtuberdad-kid interaction Ive ever seen.

[@ThisReactiverse]

Better than Linus Tech Tips, but for the printing community. I love it!

[@Callum195]

Thank you sir, for this you've earnt my subscription. You also couldn't of planned this better with black friday and many people looking at the P1S :P Very well done

[@thenextlayer]

Woo! Glad to hear

[@akihide.uchida]

I've used ASA CF for a lot of proejcts recently. It has a high enough glass transition temperature (105 C) for use inside my vehicle without warping, a major factor while living in the American southwest, and I've found it quite easy to print without much hassle in or needing a high nozzle temperature. I primarily chose it over ABS CF because it is more resistant to UV degradation.

[@TylerMillhouse]

It boggles my mind that people don’t talk about ASA as much as other filaments! It’s amazing! It prints better than PLA on my modified Ender 3 w/ enclosure and is far better for functional parts-esp here in the SW. Doing a whole project that requires rigidity in CF ASA right now.

[@DebianDog]

I was going to say the same thing. I don't know why anybody would use ABS over ASA for anything. (unless you're really penny-pinching) ABS is harder to print and has a horrible smell. ASA is basically ABS version 2.

[@onjofilms]

lol, inside heat is a thing I found out as I made some things for inside the car out of PLA, and on a hot day, they deformed badly.

[@twanheijkoop6753]

​@@TylerMillhousecf-asa is also my choice to print printer parts from. Works wonders in a passively heated chamber

[@TylerMillhouse]

@@twanheijkoop6753 True! I replaced all my printed printer parts with asa ones as soon as I got an enclosure.

[@bens3641]

Nice video! It would be nice to also add how these different CF blends take finishes, like paint, sanding and filling, etc.

[@Rob060870]

Useful video, you got a new follower thanks 😊

[@thenextlayer]

Welcome aboard!

[@sevequinn7070]

I've printed with nylon before. I made a forming die to press form a stainless steel cone using a 20 ton hydraulic press. It was very successful. Nylon was perfect for the application.

[@user-jf2je7rs9w]

I've been doing material testing using a truss breaker and breaking blocks of various materials. I found giroid infill to be the strongest for weight/strength and solid parts to have the greatest strength/weight ratio. I found pla prime to be the strongest, then sls printed nylon 6, PA12-CF next (it has a ton of give and bent before snapping), then PETG. PA12-CF was actually pretty disappointing in terms of strength. What it's good for is heat deflection and abrasion resistance. Nylon is super tough and best of luck is you need to sand it down, you'll need it. Files won't even cut it

[@LitecoinLou]

Always good to know this (:

[@rodmorgan7041]

I have been using ABS-CF10 on the 3D printer that I use at work. I was starting to get very bad prints halfway through the spool but all our materials are kept in a dry cabinet at 10%, so the last resort was to buy another spool ($900 AUD), the printer is a StrataSys F170 worth $54k. The new spool was perfect. I came to the conclusion that it was the light that has effected the material because the dry cabinet has a glass door, so I put the old spool in an oven for 48hrs at 60 degrees C, to dry it and now it's ok, so I store it in the sealed silver bags that were provided. The light does not effect the ABS though. It has taken about 2 weeks to solve the problem. So everyone, don't let your material get moist.

[@owenminor]

Totally duffed it with PET-CF. Its the go to for 2A printing, now. Considering that it has to withstand highest temp in the sub 300c printability class, not creep, a balance of strength and toughness, not weak over weeks due to impacted humidity. UV resistance. And it prints beautifully.

[@TechieTard]

Thanks for that 2..A comrade.

[@livedeliciously]

PET-CF when annealed changes it material properties into that closely resembling PC.

[@overtorquednut]

One great thing about ABS-CF is that you can vapor smooth it with acetone. It really helps the layer adhesion, and gives it a nice cosmetic micro pattern on the surface that looks a bit like forged carbon.

[@thenextlayer]

Good point

[@thynameissprinkles6837]

I personally prefer PA6 from polymaker because of its easy to print and doesn’t warp that much.

[@thynameissprinkles6837]

There cfpa is amazing as well

[@makeitreality457]

PLA CF might be better-suited than regular PLA for annealing, due to dimensional stability. Annealing improves temperature resistance significantly. And it might improve layer adhesion.

[@velocistafpv]

I used to like PA-CF but my current choice of filament is PC-CF. Great video!

[@thenextlayer]

Wow I haven’t tried PCCF but I can’t wait to. I assume it’s easier to print than PC

[@velocistafpv]

@@thenextlayer in my experience, at least with my Sidewinder X2, it is way easier than just PC. And the finish is much cleaner, more rigid and nicer finish than PA-CF in my opinion. Try it bro!

[@AshokLama-qx5zq]

Great work 👏💯🎉😊

[@thenextlayer]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@garrettlimberis9313]

I just got into 3d printing at college and petG is the goat. same price of pla and so much stronger

[@olive3365]

that bit in the middle of the PLA-CF chapter with your kid holding the camera at you and constantly asking "why" was the cutest thing this whole video is basically telling me "build an enclosure" because they all look like such cool filaments and i'd build something stupid like pull up bars with them or something 😂 good work on the video and well wishes with the whole shituation, stay safe

[@thenextlayer]

Stay tuned. In a week or two I’ll have a video about enclosures….

[@RS-bw5we]

Thx for the video 👍🏿 Do you have a good list where I can find all those information on one place? Which material for which purpose of use?

[@johnmessenger7292]

I love PLA-CF for its appearance, it makes layer lines disappear so I use it for parts I want to look great

[@AndrewWorkshop]

Just printing Nylon CF surfboard, surprised at how strong and light they are but a little more flexible than I would like. PC i thought would also make good fins but they were not strong at all.

[@ericlopez8096]

Awesome video and im excited to try out all of those filament in the future. But i have a question and sorry if you get ask a lot by this. Which filament type would you recommend for paintball/airsoft type project's and parts?

[@ZROGST]

PETG (and occasionally PETG-CF) is also used in the marine hobby industry for saltwater fishtank equipment, etc. It resists salt and the UV from coral lamps.

[@ghost405060]

ive printed with PETG-CF and its great !! matte texture and the easy print made me believe again in PETG prints but as you said its not much better in durability just good looks and nice stiffness in the models great filament tho i really want to recommend try it if you didnt yet

[@MisterDeets]

I know that the addition of CF can sometimes slow creep deformation in plastics and was wondering if this works more or less the same for ABS? ABS is not amazing when it comes to avoiding creep deformation, but it's among the best in the lower temp plastics (which is why a lot of Vorons are printed out of ABS). If the addition of CF or GF does reduce creep deformation to roughly the same levels as PC, that could be a feather in the cap of this type of material and make it well worth the purchase price. If it also enhances the printability and reduces warping when printing, that is a nice addition as well. Any thoughts are welcome.

[@arsenyspin1726]

Awesome video. Hah I like when people start chasing rigidity by using CF-filled filaments while the best affordable rigid filament type I found is Glow in the dark PLA, essentially, somewhat close to GF-PLA

[@brainfarth]

polypropylene would be a good topic. I found that if you have a small footprint like a benchy, run a PC profile (X1carbon) (brim) over packing tape with a bed temp of 27c. It will print full speed with no issues. For big footprints, you'll have to go the very slow and hot route or it'll pull off the bed.

[@chrismay2298]

Atomic filament makes a spectacular CF PETG that is my go to for RC rock crawler parts. The matte finish looks great as well.

[@Exstaz]

Maybe you want to add that nylon suffers from creep. Under tension it will start to move and fairly quickly also.

[@thenextlayer]

True, true! I forgot about that.

[@peterboy209]

Very informative, 👍

[@erikhoffmann1252]

Great video! I’ve been looking for a material for prolonged underwater (salt water) applications. Looking for strong rigidity, strength/durability, and can be left under the tropical sun for prolonged periods (heat resistance). Have been using PETG-CF so far but would love to hear any other recommendations.

[@owenminor]

PET-CF. Better temp, strength and toughness. Also easier to print. You need to be able to print at 290c

[@KyleSSamuelson]

This was a really good quality video

[@PeterDiCapua]

I use PC as a staple as a design engineer. I use it for small mechanical parts and camera mounts. I print it on glass on a Ultimaker 3 ex

[@happytorrentt4500]

I recently tried PLA CF for some rc components I designed. I knew going into this it was kind of a gimmick but surprisingly, it's a lot more stiff compared to the same part printed in normal PLA+. I haven't had a chance to test the full RC (still waiting on bezos to figure out when Next Day delivery starts) but the parts have at least survived some uncomfortable rough housing while getting them fitted lol

[@michaelabraham9177]

I jumped into 3d printing completely blind. Just sounded cool. Immediately I bought all sorts of exotic plastics. Carbon fiber does make everything print better. It also like you say doesn't really improve anything without taking something somewhere else. I am strictly a hobbyist. I'm not trying to make money. As a hobbyist I try the gimmicks. Cf seems like a gimmick for most applications. It's a good gimmick for making everything print easier though. I've given up on most exotic composites however. Printability is no#1 with me. Window handles, horn buttons for my truck, phone cases, soap dishes, what have you can all be printed with pla, or tpu, no need for carbon fiber, no need for petg, or petg cf, nylon cf etc. Pla holds up a lot better even outdoors than most would have you believe. Also once I have an stl I can just print replacements.