Filament Type
Which filament type is pretty hard and solid but has the ability to slightly bend under force and come back to its original form when letting go?
We use PLA but it breaks and doesn't have this very mild flexibility that we are looking for.
I am thinking of a material that is like the one they make toy soldiers out of.
A material that acts like that:
Thank you for anyone who can help.
Your link goes to a password/login wall so I can't access it.
It rather depends on the toy soldier manufacturer; Smaller toys are often HDPE - horrible to print, polycarbonate - not so difficult, ABS - quite easy to print but it releases fumes that require an externally ventilated enclosure. Most of the rest are metal alloys and moulded composites.
What are you trying to make? If you really are into detailed minatures then resin printing is your best resource and many of the standard resins will work - but they won't flex well.
If you are just looking for a resilient texture for a practical project then try polyamides like PETG - easy to print but not great for fine detail and nylon - even tougher but tricky to print. Polyamide filaments *must* be dry before printing or you will get a stringy mess.
Tel us more, someone here will have appropriate experience.
Cheerio,
RE: Filament Type
PETG for more elasticity but I wouldn't try to print minis with it.
Formerly known on this forum as @fuchsr -- until all hell broke loose with the forum software...
RE: Filament Type
We print prosthetic arms and they need to be pretty durable but affordable as these are donated. We have found that some PETG is the trick. It has a little flex to it but enough ultimate strength. We also found by testing that not all of them fill the bill. There is variation across brands. Cheaper isn't really suitable for all applications.
RE: Filament Type
Thank you for your help. I tried PETG and it hardly flex at all.
Please let me know if you are able to watch the video in the link below and if it helps you get a better idea of the material I am trying to find.
This material is able to flex when I press hard on it but it wont break. It comes back pretty much to it's original position.
You might try a TPU - 98a would be close but you will have to print very slowly. It MUST be kept dry or it will string badly.
Cheerio,
RE: Filament Type
I watched a video of the 98a and it looks too soft. Does anyone have any experience with shore D80 or anything that falls under the "Extra Hard" category on this Chart: https://help.prusa3d.com/article/flexible-materials_2057
D80 should, effectively, be attainable with PETG by tweaking the number of perimeters and perhaps modifying fill densities.
Cheerio,