Carbon Fibre  

Re: Carbon Fibre

I've done 20mm cubes that looked very nice, but you'd definitely lose some fine detail. It really depends on what you're planning to print. Functional parts look good. 28mm miniatures not so good.

Re: Carbon Fibre

Carbon fibre in what--PLA, PETG, ABS, Nylon...(other)?

I was very interested in printing with carbon fibre, until I watched a ton of videos.

I'm still interested, but I learned there are some caveats--it's not always stronger/tougher, and in some cases, adding carbon fibre to some filaments is more aesthetics than structural superiority. It also depends a lot on the direction you print (layer adhesion & all).

It's also very abrasive on nozzles--moreso than many/most other filled filaments; it can ruin a brass nozzle in very short order--a hardened nozzle is recommended. If you're planning on significant printing with carbon fibre, I'd consider a jeweled (ruby) nozzle--YMMV.

Another way carbon fibre filaments can differ is in the size & shape of the "fibres" (some are just particles). I'd also be wary of those that claim to be "graphene-filled". They may (or may not) contain actual graphene, but I've yet to see one that demonstrates/improves properties that justify the expense/price (IOW, IMO it's a gimmick).

Bottom line: Like other specialty filaments, carbon fiber filled filaments have their niche, but do your homework. 😉

3d printing with carbon fiber pros cons

3d printing with carbon fiber (Youtube)

Re: Carbon Fibre

Thanks all
I am hoping to make some moderately strong mechanical part and levers. Not super strong but similar to high grad aluminium. They need to be smooth.

Re: Carbon Fibre

I've tried Proto-Pasta CF-filled PLA, Colorfabb XT-CF20 and Atomic CF PETG. All print slightly textured, so not glassy smooth although a very nice finish. The immediate difference is rigidity. The parts are much stiffer than the regular materials. Perhaps a bit more brittle. They resist bending, but are prone to snapping when they do give. The Atomic PETG is my current favorite. Colorfabb's is very nice, but must be printed at very low flow rates to prevent jamming.

I think the benefit of CF, at least with these materials, is mostly cosmetic. For mechanical parts, you might be better off with a nylon.

Re: Carbon Fibre

I think the benefit of CF, at least with these materials, is mostly cosmetic. For mechanical parts, you might be better off with a nylon.

Glad I read to the end of the thread before I posted. This was the exact thing I was going to say.

Re: Carbon Fibre

I am hoping to make some moderately strong mechanical part and levers. Not super strong but similar to high grad aluminium. They need to be smooth.

I don't know it, but fiberglass or kevlar-filled nylon might fit that requirement.
3D-Printed Plastic Parts Are As Strong As Aluminum

See also: https://www.youtube.com/user/ThomasSanladerer/search?query=strongest

Re: Carbon Fibre

I've tried Proto-Pasta CF-filled PLA, Colorfabb XT-CF20 and Atomic CF PETG. All print slightly textured, so not glassy smooth although a very nice finish. The immediate difference is rigidity. The parts are much stiffer than the regular materials. Perhaps a bit more brittle. They resist bending, but are prone to snapping when they do give. The Atomic PETG is my current favorite. Colorfabb's is very nice, but must be printed at very low flow rates to prevent jamming.

I think the benefit of CF, at least with these materials, is mostly cosmetic. For mechanical parts, you might be better off with a nylon.

Nylon is a little too bendy I think. is is possible to layer CF over the Nylon?

Re: Carbon Fibre

I don't know about layering anything on. I have seen a variety of CF materials, so there's very likely a CF nylon or PC out there. Brings up an interesting thought though. Has anybody done anything with laminating different materials together? "Plastic plywood" might be well suited to some uses. Rather than embedding nuts into a CF PETG print, could you put in layers or shims of nylon?

Re: Carbon Fibre

Nylon is a little too bendy I think. is is possible to layer CF over the Nylon?

Again, layer cf WHAT over Nylon, and over what Nylon?

There are Nylons, and there are Nylons. There IS cf filled Nylon (CarbonX™ coming to mind OTTOMH--there are others as well), but again, I don't know how it stacks up (objectively) against other Nylons, or other cf filaments.

Have you perused the Taulman line? Their Alloy 910 is tauted as being "as stiff as PLA yet retains the durability of a hard Nylon." They have many formulations with a variety of properties.

Re: Carbon Fibre

Clearly I have a lot to learn.
So my secondary question is;
as a potential customer do you think the i3 mk3 will handle these filaments such as carbonX or the Alloy 910

Re: Carbon Fibre

[...] as a potential customer do you think the i3 mk3 will handle these filaments such as carbonX or the Alloy 910
It may be possible, depending how much you're willing to live around the printer as modified to do so. I'd expect to require an enclosure. If you don't want to poison your household, filtration or ducting costing as much or more than the printer may be required. If you don't want to get in trouble with whoever wields the true power in your home, you may have to make it look nice or be relegated to working in an overly hot or cold shed. My take on it is: "not without a lot of work".

Re: Carbon Fibre

Clearly I have a lot to learn.
So my secondary question is;
as a potential customer do you think the i3 mk3 will handle these filaments such as carbonX or the Alloy 910

Not to worry; you're about where I was when I first heard of printing with Nylon, and thought it would be a cool thing to print. That was just a few weeks ago. There's a lot of 411 out there--you just have to put in the time on Google & YouTube.

Nylon and Composite filaments (including carbon) are referenced in the Knowledge Base; ability to print those kinds of materials is one of the reasons I chose it--an all-metal hot end being crucial to printing higher temperature filaments. As far as the filled filaments (cf, meatal, wood, luminous, etc.) you'd be wise to invest in a hardened nozzle at the very least (I just bought several in different sizes), as (I think I already mentioned) these filaments can be extremely abrasive.

Since I haven't actually gotten into printing with them yet, I'll defer to bobstro on the ventilation stuff, but I'll second the advice for an enclosure. (I think his cost estimates may be a bit high) An enclosure doesn't have to be fancy or expensive--in some cases, a cardboard box will do. But if you need to ventilate, I think something more substantial is in order. There are many plans & kits online, and Prusa has a video as well in the Knowledge Base.

Also get acquainted with the advanced search facility in this forum--there's a lot here.

Regarding materials comparisons, IMO, I like the ones from independent folk, like Tom Sanladerer, CNC Kitchen, 3d Printing Nerd, et al rather than any site/reviewer/tester that may have something to sell you (i.e. filament). That's just me--YMMV. 😉

Re: Carbon Fibre

Some great info here all

NylonX (albeit expensive) is sounding a possible product but as I said rigidity is the key for me. There are even more expensive ones too.

A couple of other queries while I’m here;
I assume because it is nylon based it would suitable to integrate a pure nylon Bush/axle/bearing surfaces.
Also any comments on bridging - would PVA work or are temperature differences too great.

Re: Carbon Fibre

i print many structural components (including automotive and motorcycle parts) and almost exclusively use carbon filled filaments .
all is printed on mk2s with only slightly (and unnecessary, except hardened nozzle) upgraded hot end + enclosure

let me tell you this , most of the general carbon filled filaments are junk . many of them are weaker then non filled filaments .
i took me allot of time and money to find really strong cf filled filaments , and i didnt test them all .
if a company publishes material datasheets that makes things much easier , unfortunately most of them dont do that .

i didnt test any pla cf filled filaments because pla only good for toys and prototypes .
most of the filaments are types on nylon filled , all of them need to be dried for several hours before printing . storing them with desiccant wont help , must dry them in an oven before print , some of them need to be dried during print, if the print is too long !

here are some cf filled filaments i tested and my opinions :

esun epa-cf very flexible nylon . there is no real carbon fiber in this filament . i dont know what they added to the filament but i almost sure its not cf . very soft but looks very nice on the outside . prints easy .
cannot be used for high temp environment (above 100c)

colorfabb xt-cf20 stiff but weak . carbon fibers look real . great finish on the outside and easy to print .
cannot withstand high temp .
no better then pla for structural stuff .

matterhackers nylonx again ,stiff but weak filament with lots of marketing bs .looks good on outside and thats it .
can withstand 100c temperature , the only advantage over pla lol .

3dxtech carbonx nylon (gen 1) didnt test the new gen 2 version , the first version was weak . looks good on the outside but mechanically not strong enough . absorbs moisture like crazy , parts look stiff once printed (with dried filament) but become soft after a few days .can withstand 100c .

treed carbonium finally something stiffer then good old pla . this is my go-to "general" filament . harder to print then other filaments , but considerably stronger overall . can be drilled and tapped (no need to insert metal nuts like with pla and other filaments)
withstands tepms higher then 100c , moisture absorption not so bad .

treed carbonium PAHP this is based on luvocom 3f 9742 HT industrial 3d printing material , suited for automotive parts .
so far the stiffest and strongest filament i tested . hard to dial in the print settings , will clog nozzles less then 0.5mm in diameter(for me anyways) , very high printing temp for good results (290c, still can be printed on stock set up) .
low water absorption , can withstand continious 150c temps .
this is the only "plastic" i have tested that can trully replace some aluminium parts (depending on application)
after testing this material i stopped dreaming of printing peek or pekk . this gives me same results for much less money and hassle .

3dxtech carbonx ultem this is carbon fiber filled PEI . printing temp very high (390c) needs some upgrades to the extruder .
i didnt get usable prints yet , needs very high bed temp and heated chamber also (which i dont currently have)

Re: Carbon Fibre

here are some cf filled filaments i tested and my opinions :

This is good info, thanks!

Have you tried polycarbonate? I'm curious how that stacks up against the other stuff you've tested.

Re: Carbon Fibre

Have you tried polycarbonate? I'm curious how that stacks up against the other stuff you've tested.

yes , i tested few pc filaments but non of them was carbon fiber filled.
stiffness and strength is not as good as the good nylon cf filaments .
pc warps allot , needs heated chamber and very high temp heated bed . also the are not as chemical resistant as nylon , can crack when exposed to oils .not worth it in my case .

Re: Carbon Fibre

I was wondering about the difference in strength too. E.g. to me it felt by trying to brake a part by hand, that my printed parts with Colorfab XT-CF20 were a lot stiffer, but also stronger than Prusa PETG. But as the proof is in the pudding... Is there a good test print model out there that can be used for testing?
And also: did you try baking the printed parts a bit in the oven? That might make them stronger, but perhaps also deforms them... not sure.

Re: Carbon Fibre

Great info Sergey - Thanks
treeD carbonium looks a good option but as it isn't available in Australia - have you seen any recommended distribution?

cheers John

Re: Carbon Fibre

esun epa-cf very flexible nylon . there is no real carbon fiber in this filament . i dont know what they added to the filament but i almost sure its not cf . very soft but looks very nice on the outside .

Reference?