I created a filament properties visualizer : totally free
I had a hard time mentally keeping track of how different filament parameters relate to each other, so I built a small visualization tool for myself with data pulled from the USA store for Prusa, Polymaker, and Bambu.
It lets you plot filament properties against each other in 2 or 3 dimensions, filter by property or material type, and compare things like strength, temperature resistance, price/kg, print settings, etc. Click any data-point and it takes you to the PDF data sheet. It turned out useful enough that I figured others here might be interested too.
For example, you could try plotting tensile strength vs impact strength vs deflection temperature with a price cap of $50 and you would find out PC is an interesting high performer.
Free, no account needed, no ads, and currently Prusa, Polymaker and Bambu Lab filament only.
Feedback welcome.
https://filament-plotter.vercel.app/
RE: I created a filament properties visualizer : totally free
Any chance of getting the actual temperatures and strengths instead of the manufacturer's paper?
People can print the materials, and send in their test results?
Can we use this to figure out who Bambu's filament supplier is?!
RE: I created a filament properties visualizer : totally free
By the way I tested Bambu PLA Tough+ a while ago and I noticed a consistent 20% difference in strengths across the different colors.
RE: I created a filament properties visualizer : totally free
Crowd sourcing sounds cool, but there are too many uncontrolled variables (different printers, different temps, different nozzles, different ambient temps, enclosed, open, etc) to allow crowd sourcing. To say nothing of how test rigs. I don't want to end up like 3dfilamentprofiles where they have 26000 filaments in their db and none of it is trustworthy or makes any sense and lots of the profiles are incomplete or with errors. The manufacter data isn't perfect, but it is fairly consistent, and they tell us in detail how they test, and they have the same tests run the same way for most materials.
I think it is well known that Bambu's supplier is Sunlu. The open question is whether they use the same recipes and specifications or not.
RE: I created a filament properties visualizer : totally free
Thats interesting. What colors were better, which were worse?
RE:
It's a nice tool but I don't trust TDS reports. In a lot of cases I've found them to exaggerate properties of the material or tensile strength and young's modulus etc is derived from an injection molded part. The My Tech Fun channel on Youtube has done an awesome job calling out these discrepancies between the TDS and actual testing of 3D printed parts.
The point about colors is accurate and other variables such as nozzle size and print temp also need to be included.
RE: I created a filament properties visualizer : totally free
I knew someone would ask about the colour. Silver was the hardest to smash probably because they added tpu to get the shine.
RE: I created a filament properties visualizer : totally free
I only had silver, grey, and the light blue.
RE: I created a filament properties visualizer : totally free
Fair enough on TDS, but we have to go on something. An independent testing lab that tested every filament would be best, and I'd be thrilled to include that data. But we have to make buying decisions on something, and at the very least, it can be used to compare within manufacturer, and get a directional sense of what filaments are good on impact, which are good on strength, heat resistance, etc. I also include the test specimen settings in the graph, which helps a little.
RE: I created a filament properties visualizer : totally free
Fair enough on TDS, but we have to go on something. An independent testing lab that tested every filament would be best, and I'd be thrilled to include that data. But we have to make buying decisions on something, and at the very least, it can be used to compare within manufacturer, and get a directional sense of what filaments are good on impact, which are good on strength, heat resistance, etc. I also include the test specimen settings in the graph, which helps a little.
Would point out as well that there is a very wide differences in PC filament (for example) between vendors. Pure PC is practically unprintable and has to be blended with something. Prusa PC-Blend is blended with PBT (most likely) and Bambu is with ASA (or perhaps ABS). Other vendors will blend it with a polyester like PETG. Even for filaments that have CF or GF fillers, the percentage of filler will alter the filament's properties.
RE: I created a filament properties visualizer : totally free
An independent testing lab that tested every filament would be best, and I'd be thrilled to include that data.
If you join the My Tech Fun patreon channel, Dr Igor Gaspar who is a professor of materials science and mechanical engineering, has a spreadsheet he shares with members that has empirical test data for 100's of filaments.
His free youtube channel is here: MyTechFun
RE: I created a filament properties visualizer : totally free
Support Mytech for $5 a month, well worth it for the data.
An independent testing lab that tested every filament would be best, and I'd be thrilled to include that data.
If you join the My Tech Fun patreon channel, Dr Igor Gaspar who is a professor of materials science and mechanical engineering, has a spreadsheet he shares with members that has empirical test data for 100's of filaments.
His free youtube channel is here: MyTechFun
Core One L MMU3, MK3S