What to print with?
I've noticed the Prusament items on the menu on the website and how you can go from there to the site just for Prusament. I've also seen references to using just "regular old" PLA.
A few questions about what filament to use. I'm just talking normal newbie starting out stuff. I know eventually I'll have experience and want to try different materials and I'll gain a sense of what filaments can do what. For now, this is just a "get it started and start learning" kind of thing.
1. from experience, how much of a benefit is it to use Prusament?
2. If I don't use Prusament, is there something else that is recommended as generally working?
3. Where is a good breakdown on the different types of Prusament and what each one is good for? (I've seen the table that lists specs, but I'm trying to understand on a more basic level. For instance, what kind of things would I use PLA for that I wouldn't use PETG for?)
4. I have filament I bought for my current printer, but the printer has serious issues, so I don't know if I'll ever actually be using it. Will this PLA filament work in a I3-MK3S? I've seen some reviews that say it works, others that say it doesn't, and some that say, "It works, just do - - - - -," and the advice can change. (One that made the most sense was to increase the hothead and print bed temperatures.)
I'm not trying to avoid using Prusament, but I'm wondering if it's the only good option, the best, or one of many - and if I can use the two 1Kg spools of filament like in the link above.
RE: What to print with?
I've noticed the Prusament items on the menu on the website and how you can go from there to the site just for Prusament. I've also seen references to using just "regular old" PLA.
A few questions about what filament to use. I'm just talking normal newbie starting out stuff. I know eventually I'll have experience and want to try different materials and I'll gain a sense of what filaments can do what. For now, this is just a "get it started and start learning" kind of thing.
1. from experience, how much of a benefit is it to use Prusament?
2. If I don't use Prusament, is there something else that is recommended as generally working?
3. Where is a good breakdown on the different types of Prusament and what each one is good for? (I've seen the table that lists specs, but I'm trying to understand on a more basic level. For instance, what kind of things would I use PLA for that I wouldn't use PETG for?)
4. I have filament I bought for my current printer, but the printer has serious issues, so I don't know if I'll ever actually be using it. Will this PLA filament work in a I3-MK3S? I've seen some reviews that say it works, others that say it doesn't, and some that say, "It works, just do - - - - -," and the advice can change. (One that made the most sense was to increase the hothead and print bed temperatures.)
I'm not trying to avoid using Prusament, but I'm wondering if it's the only good option, the best, or one of many - and if I can use the two 1Kg spools of filament like in the link above.
That PLA is Sunlu filament and it is decent. You can get just about any filament to work on a Prusa with some tinkering.
--------------------
Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: What to print with?
You can get just about any filament to work on a Prusa with some tinkering.
Ha, tell that to mine please, I am going mad with the attempt to get a new brand of PLA to print properly, slipping gears although reasonably well within width tolerances...
RE: What to print with?
You can get just about any filament to work on a Prusa with some tinkering.
Ha, tell that to mine please, I am going mad with the attempt to get a new brand of PLA to print properly, slipping gears although reasonably well within width tolerances...
WHAT brand?
--------------------
Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE:
As long as you stay away from dirt-cheap crap filament you should be fine with just about anything. Some filaments may require some adjustments such as lower/higher temperature. Some will be more or less stringy. Some will require more frequent drying than others. But if you start with the Generic profiles, it shouldn't take much effort to dial them in (but some will be a real bitch). But the same is true for Prusament. I find Prusament Orange PETG, for example, one of the easiest filaments to print. Prusament Neon Green PETG, on the other hand, tries as hard as it can to ruin my day…
For what it's worth, I buy Prusament Orange and Jet Black PETG to match the colors of the original parts, and Galaxy Silver and Black PLA because they're just pretty. Everything else is Overture, Solutech, TTYT3D, Atomic, Protopasta, Sunlu, etc etc.
RE:
A new user should stick to high quality filament for the first couple of months. It's important to reduce complicating factors in the early learning stages.
In time and with experience you can move to the cheaper brands and eventually to the real bargain bin odds. I use cheap and nasty stuff for early prototypes, especially for the bigger projects that may involve dozens of design iterations but as the end approaches I switch to good quality filaments and fine-down the tolerances.
I also produce trial-fit-test objects in cheap PLA to offer up to projects in remote locations and then reprint in end-product filaments once they're right. Eg. a recent job modifying a semi-industrial planing machine was test fitted with cheap pink PLA and finally installed with Prudsament PETG and
Cheerio,
continues
Grrr. Mistype stutter and miss the edit window...
... Prusament PLA and Filamentum Flexfill.
Cheerio,
RE: What to print with?
Brand is called KiwiFil, made here in NZ from virgin pellets (no idea where they source it from).
Printed just under 1 kg of the stuff without issues and then got a major clog which resulted in the slipping gears. Once I've got rid of the clog I'll give it one more chance and if it fails again it's back to Prusament or Fillamentum and the rest spool gets sent back to them with a stern note 😉
RE: What to print with?
...
4. I have filament I bought for my current printer, but the printer has serious issues, so I don't know if I'll ever actually be using it. Will this PLA filament work in a I3-MK3S? I've seen some reviews that say it works, others that say it doesn't, and some that say, "It works, just do - - - - -," and the advice can change. (One that made the most sense was to increase the hothead and print bed temperatures.)
That PLA is Sunlu filament and it is decent. You can get just about any filament to work on a Prusa with some tinkering.
I suppose there's no thread or any site where people are keeping track of that kind of information? While I know I'll get a spool with my printer, it's going to take me a while to know what problems need what kind of response!
As long as you stay away from dirt-cheap crap filament you should be fine with just about anything. Some filaments may require some adjustments such as lower/higher temperature. Some will be more or less stringy. Some will require more frequent drying than others. But if you start with the Generic profiles, it shouldn't take much effort to dial them in (but some will be a real bitch). But the same is true for Prusament. I find Prusament Orange PETG, for example, one of the easiest filaments to print. Prusament Neon Green PETG, on the other hand, tries as hard as it can to ruin my day…
For what it's worth, I buy Prusament Orange and Jet Black PETG to match the colors of the original parts, and Galaxy Silver and Black PLA because they're just pretty. Everything else is Overture, Solutech, TTYT3D, Atomic, Protopasta, Sunlu, etc etc.
Is this page part of what you mean about generic profiles? Or do you mean starting with a standard set of printing parameters and observing what happens and change according to what happens when I print with a filament?
A new user should stick to high quality filament for the first couple of months. It's important to reduce complicating factors in the early learning stages.
In time and with experience you can move to the cheaper brands and eventually to the real bargain bin odds. I use cheap and nasty stuff for early prototypes, especially for the bigger projects that may involve dozens of design iterations but as the end approaches I switch to good quality filaments and fine-down the tolerances.
I also produce trial-fit-test objects in cheap PLA to offer up to projects in remote locations and then reprint in end-product filaments once they're right. Eg. a recent job modifying a semi-industrial planing machine was test fitted with cheap pink PLA and finally installed with Prudsament PETG and
Okay, this helps. It's like in pottery (another hobby of mine). You can't always be sure what you're going to get with a particular glaze on a particular clay body. Often the thing to do is to make a number of test pieces, like simple squares, and dip them in different glazes and using the results to determine what to do with each type of glaze. So I can see that I'll be taking filaments and testing them to see what temps they need or of there's anything else I need to do and then making notes on the results.
RE:
As long as you stay away from dirt-cheap crap filament you should be fine with just about anything. Some filaments may require some adjustments such as lower/higher temperature. Some will be more or less stringy. Some will require more frequent drying than others. But if you start with the Generic profiles, it shouldn't take much effort to dial them in (but some will be a real bitch). But the same is true for Prusament. I find Prusament Orange PETG, for example, one of the easiest filaments to print. Prusament Neon Green PETG, on the other hand, tries as hard as it can to ruin my day…
I¡' m glad you mentioned Prusament PETg neon green. I thought it was only me having noticed something weird with this filament. Don't get me wrong, I print without main issues but interlayer adhesion seems to be lower than PETg from other brands (Geeetech, Polymaker) and its also more stringy than the Geeetech. As I was the only Prusament PETg I have tried, my belt tension meter was printed with it, and I always wondered if other colors of Prusament PETg could be different regarding stiffness. My belts are reasonably tight but the tension meter always points to the 'minimum' mark, no matter how I stretch or release the tension of the two belts. I ended up not trusting what the tension meter says, just keeping an eye on the values given by the calibration test. As long as they stay within 265-280, I'm fine.
I guess it's time to try other colors of Prusament PETg.
RE: What to print with?
I know my printer will include 1 reel of silver filament. I'd like to order 2-3 other reels so I have something solid I can use until I get used to things. I was thinking of orange and black, and maybe some white filament.
Should I start with PLA or PETG? I'm not clear on what the factors are for choosing one over the other. (Or if I should go with one of the other choices, like PVB or ASA.)
RE:
Should I start with PLA or PETG?
I print mostly with PETG but if you have to ask this question, the only correct answer is "go with PLA". PLA is the most forgiving filament. You should be able to get good results easily so you can focus on learning how your printer works. Then—with some experience under your belt—moving on to PETG should be straightforward. And from there, the world is your oyster… ASA/ABS, PC, PVB, etc. (I love the look of PVB after ethanol curing but it's really only good for decorative items, which I hardly ever print).
EDIT: The most "fun" filament I've used is the iron-filled PLA from Proto-Pasta, which you can quick-rust to look like, well, rusted iron.
RE: What to print with?
Should I start with PLA or PETG?
I print mostly with PETG but if you have to ask this question, the only correct answer is "go with PLA".
Yes, I have to ask it! 😉 Okay, I get the point, so I'll go with PLA. May just get two reels then so I can decide what to do later on.
PLA is the most forgiving filament. You should be able to get good results easily so you can focus on learning how your printer works. Then—with some experience under your belt—moving on to PETG should be straightforward.
That sounds like a good plan. Thank you for clarifying. I don't mind waiting to move up. Considering that the 2 reels I have sitting here for the other printer are PLA, that gives me black and white - if that brand works well for me. Maybe I just need an orange and then I can wait and see if the reels I have will work.
And from there, the world is your oyster… ASA/ABS, PC, PVB, etc. (I love the look of PVB after ethanol curing but it's really only good for decorative items, which I hardly ever print).
So after getting used to PLA, and learning to adapt to PETG, dealing with others is fairly easy? (Not trying to imply it's an effortless transition, just that, armed with experience, trying different filaments will be easier.)
EDIT: The most "fun" filament I've used is the iron-filled PLA from Proto-Pasta, which you can quick-rust to look like, well, rusted iron.
I have heard of filaments filled with other substances. I wasn't going to ask about this for a while, since this is a plan for the future. For reasons I won't go into, when I replaced the power line in the barn, I did it in segments. At the joints between segments I have ugly junction boxes at ground level. We have a large wooded lot and love the natural atmosphere, so ugly j-boxes don't go well with that! I've been thinking I could use a printer or CNC system I have (and am also learning) to make pedestal bases and statuettes that I can put on the boxes. That would take the ugly things and hide them with something nice to see. I was considering making statuettes of Tolkien characters, which I think would work well in the woods.
Are there filaments that give a wood or rock like look to the product that would stand up well in a wooded area? (Which means not much direct light during leaf-out, but more direct during the winter.) Do you have any thoughts on what I could do with materials to make the statuettes look nice in that kind of setting?
RE: What to print with?
There is a fairly long thread with many comments on brands and types of filaments which have worked well with the Prusa I3 series and others:
I have yet to have a filament that I could not use to get a good print on the Prusa. I've used a variety of brands of PLA, ABS, PETg, and the Prusament PC Blend.
My go-to brand is Hatchbox, but that's been spotty in supply, at least here in the States, since the Covid hit the fan. Overture is another top of the line brand.
A particular call-out for the Amazon Basics brand. It's worked just as well as the major brands for me. I've made quite a few comments on several brands in the thread cited above.
The only filament I did not like was eSolutech, and the reason is that they obviously do not use as much pigment as the major brands. Their so-called white is quite translucent.
RE: What to print with?
There is a fairly long thread with many comments on brands and types of filaments which have worked well with the Prusa I3 series and others:
Thanks! I'm sure I'll pick up a lot as well as be baffled by the stuff that will be over my head until I gain more experience. A long thread is the kind of thing I leave in an open tab and read it in parts as I have time.
I have yet to have a filament that I could not use to get a good print on the Prusa. I've used a variety of brands of PLA, ABS, PETg, and the Prusament PC Blend.
Nice to know. I do realize I will need to experiment and do tests along the way, so I don't expect to just buy a reel of new stuff and expect to be perfect with it immediately.
My go-to brand is Hatchbox, but that's been spotty in supply, at least here in the States, since the Covid hit the fan. Overture is another top of the line brand.
A particular call-out for the Amazon Basics brand. It's worked just as well as the major brands for me. I've made quite a few comments on several brands in the thread cited above.
Thanks for the suggestions. If that's the case with Amazon Basics, does their PLA need special settings? In terms of supply, if that's easy to get, and easy to use for a newbie, then I can get some of that to use for now, while I go through a learning curve.
The only filament I did not like was eSolutech, and the reason is that they obviously do not use as much pigment as the major brands. Their so-called white is quite translucent.
Well, that could be a benefit, if you know what you're getting. Is it a smooth translucent that you can see through at all or just messy inside? I could see a benefit, for some projects to having translucent colors for some parts.
RE: What to print with?
Most of the PLAs that I have used on the Prusa, including Amazon Basics, work just fine with the default 'generic PLA' settings. (Ditto for ABS and PETg with respective generic settings.)
The only one I can think of right off hand that needed some tweaking are the Mika3d metallics which tend to occasionally jam unless the nozzle temperature is goosed maybe 5-10 degrees.
I tend to stay away from the variants (so-called 'PLA Plus' and the like) which often require nonstandard settings.
RE: What to print with?
Most of the PLAs that I have used on the Prusa, including Amazon Basics, work just fine with the default 'generic PLA' settings. (Ditto for ABS and PETg with respective generic settings.)
I've ordered my printer, but it's not due to ship until "within a week of 6/13." I haven't started on the manuals yet because many times I find it confusing if I don't have something in front of me while reading the manual. (I need to be able to touch the controls and see everything as I read about it.) When you talk about default "generic PLA settings," do you mean those are included somewhere in the print settings or are you referring to the general defaults most people would use for particular materials?
RE: What to print with?
In PrusaSlicer you can chose your filament (more can be added with the configuration wizard or created by yourself)
Having problems with bed adhesion every morning...
RE: What to print with?
Most of the PLAs that I have used on the Prusa, including Amazon Basics, work just fine with the default 'generic PLA' settings. (Ditto for ABS and PETg with respective generic settings.)
I've ordered my printer, but it's not due to ship until "within a week of 6/13." I haven't started on the manuals yet because many times I find it confusing if I don't have something in front of me while reading the manual. (I need to be able to touch the controls and see everything as I read about it.) When you talk about default "generic PLA settings," do you mean those are included somewhere in the print settings or are you referring to the general defaults most people would use for particular materials?
If you are getting the kit version, I would STRONGLY recommend that you begin RTFM-ing now, including the comments.
Mine was, IIRC, about two weeks lead time, and I'm very glad that I dug right in and got familiar with how things were supposed to go together, and the issues that others ran into.
RE: What to print with?
Honestly as a new user I had fewer problems with PETG than PLA, but both are working OK for me at this point. I think this was because I was too high on my Z offset in general, and PETG sticks better so it gave fewer problems with adhesion. I was initially trying to use a micrometer to measure the thickness of the patch printed at the end of the built in Z calibration routine, and knowing what the first layer thickness was supposed to be, adjusting from there. This consistently ended with a live Z adjustment that was a little too high.
I started using fuchsr's calibration model available here:
https://www.printables.com/model/105404-live-zfirst-layer-calibration-strip
The real improvement came when I stopped trying to measure thickness, and just went with how the pattern looked at each adjustment step. And having done so, PLA and PETG seem to be printing equally well for me now.