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

[@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.

[@ChrisPelletier-m9s]

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]

@@ChrisPelletier-m9s Bambu P1S is what I would get if I was buying right now. Looks so awesome for the price point.

[@AwestrikeFearofGods]

@@ChrisPelletier-m9s 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

[@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.

[@TheOfficialOriginalChad]

I agree. But there’s a reason we don’t see these tests performed more often. Environmental conditions over the long term drastically affect the results of each metric. Outdoor tests are far too complex for the results to be significant to anyone. For instance, the results from the arctic circle might resemble results from the Sahara more closely than another cold environment like Chicago. Indoor testing in a climate controlled environment can be useful. However, there needs to be separate chambers for various humidity levels, and even DIYing that climate control costs thousands. This complex testing is important for the same reason your PA-CF becomes flexible, as individuals in Denver (extremely low humidity) can expect very different performance.

@@TheOfficialOriginalChad And here I am with a bambu lab X1C on the side of my desk, thinking I bought that printer to get specific parts for my fishing rods and fly reel... Since I am in the pacific northwest and spending about 200 days on the water... This kind of makes me want to bite the bullet and sell it all. I've spent HOURS trying to find the darn filament that will actually do the job without falling apart after a few months of use. I don't even care if I have to buy a 200$ roll IF it will actually hold-up to being constantly exposed to water and moisture as well as UV exposure.

[@TheOfficialOriginalChad]

I’m not following you. Are you publishing test results based on…umm..err…fly fishing pole part performance in Oregon?

@@TheOfficialOriginalChad not here to publish anything.... I work on fishing rods and reels (as a competition angler) and basically went down the rabbit hole thinking I could model and 3D print improved parts for my use case. But I jumped the guns by not taking the time to ensure that the parts to be printed would sustain the abuse of being constantly in contact with water while needing to be strong without flexing and deforming (reel parts) and lightweight.

[@TheOfficialOriginalChad]

Ohhh I see. Yes you’re exactly the type of person I was thinking of when I wrote that! It sounds like you’ve invested a lot of time, so I do think you may be able to recover some losses with this suggestion: Cast aluminum. There are quick ways and not so quick ways of using a printer to make cast aluminum parts. It sounds like a lot, but you can build a foundry capable of this out of a coffee can and concrete! It certainly takes practice to get perfect parts, but it sounds like you’re familiar with practice ;) Good luck in competition!

[@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.

[@FutureDMZ]

@@OdellMoise fusion 360

[@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

[@slyoldowl]

It's not Boeing is it 😂 In joking

[@militar3rd]

@@Eltuty14 I work for a program in Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

[@mezhkolape]

@@militar3rd I am a structural engineer conducting research for my master's degree. Do you have any recommendations for materials that have a high stiffness (as close to galvanized steel) for 3d printers that are not listed in this video?

[@militar3rd]

@@mezhkolape Unfortunately that's out of my wheel house. The strongest material we have is Ultem 1010, we don't use it asuch as it causes changes in tooling and our track record for reliability on the filament is not as robust as PC.

[@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.

[@forgeddesignslab]

I used PLA-CF for outdoor uses mainly, the UV resistance and weather resistance, (I.E.drip irrigation in the garden, etc) Worked like a charm!

[@dduca73]

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

[@georgerockwellll6143]

Like weed eater line?

[@dduca73]

Yes

[@Pat.Mustard]

Huh! So I’ve been paying way too much for trimmer line.

[@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?

[@sworn7705]

@@dorianvincent2101 We still waiting

[@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.

[@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.

[@MichaelJHathaway]

We use Nylon based polymers from automotive to aerospace. 3:23 PA6 is not stronger than PA12, it is just higher temperature.

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@lorenzobruschetta9919]

Hello, let me tell you i have 3D printing business and we tried a lot, i mean, a lot of CF loaded polymers. Imho CF is way more of an hype, generally speaking the higher the fiber content the lower the layer adhesion, the higher the water absorption the lower the performance when humidity balance kicks in. Generally speaking the only advantage you really get is improved print ability, fibers addition is much more useful in injection molding due to non linear orientation of fibers wich compensate the lower amount of polymer in the mix. I’m oversimplifying of course but we done lot of testing on this subject i would discuss with anyone if interested. Much more beneficial and suited for FDM are mineral and spherical glass loaded polymers over fibers.

[@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.

[@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.

[@kody7041]

ive printed petg-cf in my x1c and it works amazing i made a battery box and a bumper for my onewheel and its very durable

[@jenspetersen5865]

We are using primarily a Bambulab X1C for engineering parts, and we have dabbled in the PLA-CF and PETG-CF, and are using them for individual parts, brackets, mechanical design tests etc. Especially with the PETG-CF it prints a lot better than PETG, and looks and dimensions are better. The same goes for PLA-CF, but the PLA prints so well that I find the CF marginal for other than looks. I find that especially supports are much better with the CF versions and does not seem to mar the parts. We will start printing with ASA-CF and will comment back.

[@KP-ty9yl]

PLA-CF can actually be strong if you run as little fan as you can get away with. Since the filament stays in place better due to the fibers, on a lot of models you can do no fan if you slow it down a bit You can also anneal it - it also barely warps while annealing - and end up with something very strong and temperature resistant, that's cheaper than CF-nylon, looks fantastic, and is easy to print

[@squirralien1863]

I recently printed Overture Nylon on my Ender 3V3 and it was about a year old, never been in a dryer and no enclosure, I was very happy with how it come out and it is holding up a magnifying lamp which has a lot of pressure on the base from the spring loaded shaft so it is doing a great job and looks good. Absolutely love the Ender 3V3, hasn't let me down with anything yet and Overture Nylon has been great, might be different results for others depending on your location and humidity in your area and season. Oh no warping either.

[@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.

[@Kid_illithid]

I work at a textile factory in Pennsylvania, we make all kinds of stuff. My bosses just got a really nice Prusa and have been printing nylon gears and replacement parts for lots of our machines. It’s a really nice piece of equipment

[@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).

[@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.

[@Jack-ny7kn]

CF PLA is good for anything that requires a very high degree of precision. Like for example I once made a drill jig with CF PLA using some hard steel bushings, and the resulting tolerances were extremely accurate, like almost lathe level accurate. I also once used it for a small, very intricate puzzle box I designed, and no other FDM filament would have worked because it really called for CNC. Like it was the kind of thing you might normally make out of CNC aluminum. It can also print very nice threads. One of the biggest strengths of any CF filament is being able to print greater overhangs, and standard thread profiles are beyond what an FDM printer can handle in that regard. Small threads aren't a problem, but larger threads are. So like 3mm thread pitch and up is where FDM has issues, but with CF PLA and low layer height you can make it work where no other filament would. I also wonder about HT PLA and if CF infill might help the part keep its shape while heat treating. That would be a helpful experiment. Protopasta has both CF and unfilled versions of their HT PLA so you could do a side by side comparison.

[@mrduck12345678]

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

[@xanthrax4206]

@@mrduck12345678 hasn't broke or fractured anywhere? Looking for best filament for this application

[@cowboy124aa3]

One filament you should take a look at is DuraPet PCR. Made from 91% ocean bound certified rPET extreme durability, Excellent chemical resistance, Painted and printed without treatment, Replacement for PETG, Nylon, PC, ABS. Its available from a company near my house called Factory Filament. I haven't tried it yet, because I'm waiting for their colors I want to come back in stock. It also have great bed adhesion(you need to let the bed cool down to room temp flex the bed, and then run under cold water to remove but for its properties worth the effort) , doesnt need a fan for cooling or an enclosure to print. I will be getting one of the other colors later today to try out.

[@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.

[@3DPSQ]

So I print tons of PETG-CF, and I just wanna say your review is pretty good, except right at the end there where you say its good to print without a dryer. It really does need to be dried, unless your ambient is under 20%, you need to dry this stuff. I say this as someone who has developed multiple finished products with it. I love the stuff, its fantastic, couldn't ask for a more adaptable, useful, and good looking material. Its really good for snap joints and fitments, stiff, but with just enough flex, and its strong as hell... Affordable... But if you want the best and most consistent results and best finish, you gotta dry it.

[@williammartinez7987]

The cutest youtuberdad-kid interaction Ive ever seen.

[@keithjaz]

I've used polycarbonate but not for it's clarity. Polymaker makes a flame retardant PC in white which I've used for production parts (pretty small ones). In general, in a lot of plastic enclosures you need UL94-V0 which basically will self extinguish when an active flame is removed. The face that there is a very cost effective PC-FR product out there (which prints pretty easily in my X1C), made it very cost effective to 3D print these parts instead of tool up an injection mold (parts are pretty small, internal parts where cosmetics isn't critical in fairly low volume). Cost saving is almost 10x.

[@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.

[@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.

[@alksmdlaks]

I think it's a bit biased for you to not mention that PET-CF is much more brittle than PETG-CF. You seem to hate PETG despite it being a great all-around filament for just about any project. It's stronger than PLA, readily available, low printing temp compared to other strong filaments like ABS or PC without the added VOCs that come with PC or ABS, it doesn't warp and lift like Nylon, it won't warp in summer heat like PLA. There are a lot of reasons to go with PETG and the only real downside is that it is harder to print than PLA and support profiles can require some tweaking. If you're making functional prints instead of trash to sell on etsy then PETG is the most cost effective option for something strong that can be used indoors and outdoors basically forever.

[@anotheraggieburneraccount]

not only that but PETG is just generally probably the second plastic a new 3d printer owner will probably use. Alongside PLA and PVB it is one of the few that doesnt fume.

[@ManticorDrones]

@@alksmdlaks I think I will try petg cf but I’ve been impressed with Bambu’s PAHT CF and PPA CF

[@Goofydays1]

Hey can you tell us which printer I should buy for these filaments specially carbon fiber Pls I need guidance

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@livedeliciously]

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

[@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.

[@armandsdreijers5983]

Actually i had situation where PLA-CF outperforms Nylon. I had to print guiding pins with reinforced plate for camera screen and i tried to print with PLA-CF (Red, grey), PETG-CF (Teal) and dried Nylon from Zortrax and red PLA-CF was toughest of them all. Pins are 3mm in diameter and there is center bore like right next those pins. Nylon just snapped right away, same with PETG-CF.

[@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.

[@johnmessenger7292]

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

[@ulvsbane]

I read something about CF filament that I found quite worrying, and that were that small dust pieces of the fibre can get into the smallest parts of the lungs and there act like asbestos. The person who said this talked to someone at a lab where they worked with CF and their rigourous cleaning scheme after they used it. Unfortunately, back when I stumbled upon the piece even printing in PETG were an adventure and I stuck to PLA, and now Iwhen I would like to take a closer look at it I can't find it :/

[@conorstewart2214]

You should be careful with any kind of fibres but filament with fibres is pretty safe. It getting in the lungs is only really a concern if it is airborne, like when cutting or sanding. When printing the fibres are suspended in molten plastic and when cooled they are stuck in the plastic, there is little chance of them escaping whilst printing.

[@kieculpitt407]

​@conorstewart2214 someone should make that a pint in a video that cutting, sanding, milling etc is hazardous .....

[@terabytejohnson5814]

The process of printing itself can create airborne particles and we also have stringing. Some fibers may fall off or wear off from the surface just from handling a printed part. So, this is a legitimate concern. However, probably not very dangerous if you are carefully making a few parts. For business/work check with occupational health. This really goes of all printing. Having plastic /fiber particles in your lungs is not great.

[@conorstewart2214]

@@kieculpitt407 in general cutting, milling or sanding isn't that good for you, it doesn't matter what you cut, even doing it with wood can be hazardous, especially with things like MDF. Even sanding 3D prints isn't that safe because you are creating loads of little plastic particles that get airborne too.

[@danielfreitas9301]

Got some CF to test. Lava Gray from Bambu. It looks beautiful. The finish is good to the touch and hides the layer lines. I will definitely use more for aesthetic pieces.

[@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.

[@StumblingBumblingIdiot]

I have used PA6 to print out an inlet diverter for our pool and it has worked well being under water and in the sun all the time it is up made me use this. I don't think Nylon is as hard to print as most say but you definitely need an enclosure for anything more than a few layers high. I got it first try so maybe it was beginners luck but get your temps right, have your printer setup properly, print from a drybox and have an enclosure and you will be printing Nylon in no time......blobs, warps, cracks or whatever it will at least print :)

[@thenextlayer]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@noanyobiseniss7462]

I'm trying to design clips that will hold down but need to flex up to 1mm during install due to variance in the board production. These clips will be under tension, what material should I shoot for? I am guessing petg will suffice but am not sure, I think pla is too brittle. The clips will be 3.5mm thick and width is not a consideration as they can be as wide as I need.

[@henrysiegertsz8204]

Just bought a Bambu Lab A1 Mini, on eBay UK, only turned it on today for the first time and uploaded a firmware update. I have some PLA filament to try some printing this weekend. I need to print a plastic Auto-reverse Pinch roller support for my TEAC HiFi cassette deck. I know the A1 is supposed to have excellent print quality, but I have no idea how good the filament is as it was what the seller bundled with the printer, I suppose I'll find out soon enough. Thanks for the great educational content as I'm an absolute novice at this.

[@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.

[@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

[@Kotaztrafee]

- I am using ASA, mostly for its UV tolerance as my product is for fishing. I tried ASA-CF a couple years ago and it seemed brittle. Nylon-CF seems to have the proper and exceptional characteristics except for the intolerance to UV. - A drawback I see is the lack of colors for these carbon fiber filaments. - I wonder if and how graphene is going to come into filament. Maybe a video on that. - I've been working on this invention for about 6 years learning everything about 3D printing from scratch. My research always pointed to ASA as the wonder filament for my product and it is doing good (not is sales stage yet for many reasons). But now I learn that PETG is UV tolerant??!!! My product can be explained as a Half Pipe that slips onto a particular fishing rods foregrip with a tight fit. So to get it on or off it needs to be spread open a bit. I've never printed with PETG. Do you think PETG would be suitable for this application?

[@thomascarruthers839]

Using Pet-g and Pet-g CF to print my robotic arm, the cf is for the strucutral bits enjoying pritning petg a lot in general feels kinda easy when you get the settings right.

[@skaltura]

I use PC-ABS now daily, very low warp and not impossible to print at larger sizes. I use it for the fire resistance characteristics in electronics enclosures. Enclosed printer, chamber at ~50-55C. Needs to print really slow tho as it reaaaally doesn't want to melt even at 310C

[@josiahmcthompson6856]

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

[@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

[@Nkkdxn45j]

I use PC quite a lot, mainly for small quad parts. The stuff I use isn't pure PC, it's Priline PC+CF, that is to say it's a blend (not clear what with) in the first place, and secondly has carbon fibre in it. I have never had any warping problems - though the parts are usually small, and practical use and materials websites indicate that it isn't very hygroscopic at all, that's my experience anyway. As a blend it doesn't need pure PC temperatures, and it's worst characteristic is that it oozes like fury, in fact I'm continually reducing nozzle temp to try to reduce that. Subjectively (no measurements), it's the toughest filament I've ever used, parts are much less likely to break than any of the more common filaments.

[@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?

[@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.

[@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!

[@owensiegel-k4j]

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

[@MrJudgementday99]

Hi, Sorry to ask a potentially stupid question and very niche question. We have a 60ft sailing yacht, that we are just about to set off around the world. One of my friends suggests a 3D printer to act as a parts replacement system in remote places. We have starlink, so potentially get parts designed for us. Is this a realistic option? And if so I presume we need a higher end printer and nylon and better materials. If Billy is correct, could you recommend a printer suitable for engineering printing and materials we should or could take with us. For the materials that suck liquids we have a vacuum machine for storage. I have allowed $10,000 for a complete system, is this realistic?

[@crsv7armhl]

In theory it sounds like a good idea...In practice the heeling and rocking of the boat would likely result in terrible prints

[@Heiserton]

PET-CF is superior to PA-CF’s in heat resistance. I’ve switched over to PET-CF for a lot of stuff instead of PA12/PAHT-CF. The cost savings is drastic also.

[@conorstewart2214]

It is also more rigid I have found and also seen looking at the properties and doesn’t absorb moisture and reduce its properties like nylons do. The only real downside is that in some cases it can be weaker and isn’t very impact resistant.

[@Heiserton]

@@conorstewart2214 All true. It is also a bit harder to print with simply because the filament is fairly easily to break on the spool, so any hard bends run the risk of snapping it while printing unfortunately.

[@horstsysselbeck]

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

[@coledavidson5630]

12:54 I'm sorry, redeeming quality about PETG?? What do you NOT like about it? It's extremely easy to print bc it's not warp-prone and gets even better bed adhesion than PLA. Compared to PLA it also has more UV resistance, is less brittle, prints at only slightly higher temps, and has similar cost per kg. Plus, it's not very hygroscopic. Imo it's an all around great material for any application where you just need a step up from PLA without much extra cost or effort.

[@martinmckee5333]

PETG-CF is a material ive printed a significant number of functional projects with. Except for rhe difficulty in gluing it, I've found it to hevan excellent material for my needs. That said, i haven't printed with it for quite dome time because I now have a printer that can handle PC-CF well. It does everything as well or better, and the difference in cost (for a cheap version) is minimal.

[@kvernesdotten]

Nylon is horrible to deal with and it took me many tries but its a great material that is tough, heat resistant and most importantly (for me), alot of nylons are self lubricating, making them really good for moving and/or rubbing parts. There is a reason why plastic gears are almost always either nylon (pa) or acetal (pom). My use case? A bushing for a car part. Just straight up a small nylon tube. I do hear that adding CF to nylon makes it alot easier to print though, but havent had a chance to try it myself yet.

[@koenvanduffel2084]

Plain ABS is my daily driver as it prints so easily in a properly enclosed and heated printer (humble Creality CR6 in an acrylic plates actively heated with a ptc heater, controlled at 60 °C). The main disadvantage of ABS is layer adhesion, even with the heated chamber. So when I need better later adhesion I will use Nylon (PA12) or PC. With the heated chamber both don't suffer much warping. However the slightest moisture and stringing is terrible with Nylon. I have used PETG-CF. Results were great but the parts suffer from fatigue quite quickly. Just breaking apart along layers after 6 to 12 months. The parts I print are mostly mechanical functional parts. So strength and the right level of toughness determines my material choice.

[@SianaGearz]

Why not HIPS? Better adhesion and less shrinkage than ABS, good flow and flow control under elevated temperature, little die swell. Comes out matte, super cheap.

[@garrettlimberis9313]

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

[@fitybux4664]

Is there a way to make polycarbonate even more flat and clear so it looks molded? Maybe a torch treatment? Or a flat iron?

[@KennethScharf]

I've had awful issues with PETG stringing, especially if I tried to print multiple parts at once. I thought that the materials hydroscopic properties might have been the cause, be even first prints from a newly opened sealed bag 'straight from the factory' had issues. Then I tried drying the filament before use. I don't have a real filament dryer, so I simply placed the filament spool back in the box it came in (no bag) with the pack of desiccant inside the spool hub. I put the box on top of the printers heated bed (set to about 60C) and left it there for a few hours, flipping the box over once an hour. Then I tried printing multiple parts at once. WOW! ZERO stringing! And the parts looked great! Think I'm going to get a real filament dryer.

[@thenextlayer]

Yep. It has to be dried!

[@conorstewart2214]

Unfortunately straight from the factory does not mean it is dry. Quite often filament will need dried right out of the sealed bag, especially with highly hygroscopic filament like nylons.

[@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.

[@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.

[@Wassermelonenbaum]

But.. Why cant you break it???

[@thenextlayer]

How adorable is he though?

[@SayNoToRioAccords]

@@thenextlayer🥹🤙🏻

[@puravidafpv]

Yeah but, would you able to brake it if it was just pla?

[@masondavid8398]

@@puravidafpv break*

[@karkerodon]

how durable < how adorable haha

[@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!

[@SpaceDeviant]

Have been using PETG-CF. My only dislike is that it is so gummy, even when dried, if you don't baby sit it or have a wiper setup larger prints are impossible. Super stuff though for finished characteristics, the most chemically resistive of the cheap filaments. Makes the ideal filament for direct chemical metal plating because it does not breakdown hardly in the caustic solution.

[@webslinger2011]

I have used Fusrock ABS-gf. It requires 40C and above chamber temp which I achieved by dexterizing (enclosing it with a thin roll of plastic) the cr10s pro. Heated the bed to 100C and 250C nozzle. Adhesion solved with some painters tape and gluestick. It's very stiff. Enough for building an enclosed 3d printer.

[@conorstewart2214]

A 40 C chamber should be easy to accomplish just with a cardboard box over the printer and using the radiated heat of the bed to heat it.

[@Noah-Runge]

hey! What filament is best for parts that are out in the sun all day and will keep contact with water and a very little bit chemicals. Doesnt need to be extra tough and so on. I thought maybe abs or asa?

[@thenextlayer]

ASA OR PETG only in the sun. No ABS.

[@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!!

[@BadCrabb]

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.

[@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

[@jesselima_dev]

Great video bro!!! I am learning about filaments before dive into print tests.

[@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.

[@FreedomToRoam86]

I’m planning on getting/using as much recycled filament as possible for my new A1 printer. So this was a great, helpful video, and I’d love to see an update every year at least. Keep on creating great content that helps the world’

[@GearWizards16917]

Ive been printing robotics parts for about two years now, and the PLA-CF that came with my X1C printed incredibly strong and in a lot of situations, I physically couldnt break it by hand on normally fragile parts. It does show that the marketing definitely comes into effect when everything I print is purely functional to be used in competitive robotics.

[@TheGariuk]

Which of these filaments would be the best choice for outdoor use (UV resistance)?

[@pushthebutton4602]

Which plastic type holds up best in all weathers. Which one will last the longest before it weathers to pieces from the weather and sun.

[@guy19942]

Great video. A small side note, PEEK stands for polyetheretherketone, not polyetherketone as the video says in one point

[@thenextlayer]

Ah thanks!

[@xxmrrickxx]

One time my part cooler fell off while printing PETG and discovered it didn't make a difference (of course this is not the case for other materials). When I built my own 400mm^3 printer I never even added a part cooler and it's been a great PETG machine. The simplicity of the direct-drive head with no part cooler is awesome.

[@stevesmith-sb2df]

For printing 3d printer parts I am more interested in flexural modulus than failure strength.

[@Mikehatespigs]

Pc is one of the best for printer parts well I'm sure ultem peek pek etc would be superior but also empty your wallet and uneeded you could also cnc your parts cheaper than those filaments

[@conorstewart2214]

Temperature resistance is important too. For Bambu PET-CF and probably other PET-CF the bending modulus is over 5000 MPa (around double normal PLA) and has a temperature resistance around (200 C). So it would probably make a very good choice for 3D printer parts if you can justify the cost. I also don’t think it creeps like nylon does. I also saw a nylon with ceramic microspheres from spectrum, it’s datasheet claimed a bending modulus of around 10000 MPa but other than that it’s properties weren’t spectacular and it is expensive.

[@DrMatthewHudson]

Are there and data on lab style strength tests to determine maximum force before breaking (or similar)?

[@heathbecker420]

I have a love-hate relationship with Polycarbonate. Its a pain to print with, sticky to the nozzle but not to what you want it to stick to (bed), high temps make it prone to warp even with the CF reinforcement, but the parts it produces are beyond strong and durable, great for pew pews.

[@ZigamusRainbowWizard]

See all of you, on the next layer. Thanks for a useful information blurb about these products. I feel much more informed now.

[@anorak_2902]

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

[@rdh2059]

One problem with a lot of these filaments is there are very few color options. PC for instance seems to only be available (now on Amazon) in 5 colors. Black, Grey, clear, clear-purple, white. Industrial use may be able to simply print in black, white or grey, but most people want more color options. Regarding PETG, Anything that's going to be left in a Car, for instance cannot be made of PLA. It WILL melt and deform. PETG handles those kinds of heat well and it is only slightly more expensive than PLA. In my experience, PLA is good for prototypes and things like anime, cartoon and game characters. Things that can sit on a shelf and look good for years. PETG is much more durable in things like impacts, which usually causes PLA to shatter. PLA has the most colors. PETG has the second most colors, so it can be used for a lot more color sensitive items that need to be more durable than PLA. Regarding nylon, one of my many hobbies is RC cars. I print bumpers out of nylon. The softer nylon is more impact resistant than the harder nylon. This makes it the better choice for bumpers which get brutalized with every collision the car has. A good thick nylon front bumper can literally save your RC car's frame in an impact with a curb in the parking lot you were going super fast in... Yeah, It broke the bumper, but the only other damage was minor scratches in the lexan skin. In this specific case, I believe the nylon bumper literally saved the RC car. I tried that same bumper with PLA and PETG, but both were not good at kinetic impacts and broke quickly at much lower speeds than the nylon. Regarding PLA-CF, PLA in general, is very weak to kinetic impacts. This brittleness makes it a very poor option for use in things like drones that sooner or later will crash. When they crash, if they're made of PLA or PLA-CF, they WILL break... PLA is GREAT for aesthetic things such as busts, cartoon/anime models, etc. These usually are printed and put on a shelf and stay at room temps in areas not exposed to the heat of the sun. Regarding PETG-CF, it doesn't seem to be much better than PETG. The matte finish is probably the best advantage of CF over non-CF PETG. The temp difference is in a range that's higher than boiling water and even on dashboards in the sun. This makes the temperature not much of an issue. It's still plastic so if its near fire 451 F), its still going to melt and burn... PC-CF is one of the most amazing filaments that can be used in hobbyist 3D printers that can print at high temperatures. It's extremely durable, is one of the best filaments at dealing with kinetic impacts and is virtually impervious to water and UV. It's my GO-TO for prints requiring high strength and durability.

[@MrWheezyE420]

I was printing planetary gears for E-Bike motors in Nylon. They worked fine, but ended up being more of a consumable than I would like so ended up getting some local fab shop to do them up in metal on their CNC. Couldn't work out if it was torsion or if it was the heating a cooling that would end up weakening the teeth.

[@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.

[@rudolfaeschlimann6959]

Thanks for this video, great stuff. I never got friendly to ABS, I hate the smell, I hate how it ages, I hate the layer-layer adhesion. PET(G) is way better in any ways.