3D PRINTING REVIEW – CCTREE CARBON FIBRE PLA FILAMENT AND 3D PRINTER UPGRADES

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The CCTREE Carbon Fibre PLA filament is a 1.75mm PLA filament infused with Carbon Fibre, resulting in a filament that can produce prints that are much stronger than standard PLA. This filament is thus ideal for high-wear and load-bearing prints.

This higher durability does come at two significant tradeoffs. Firstly CCTREE Carbon Fibre filament costs approximately double what CCTREE standard PLA filament costs. Secondly and probably the largest problem with this filament is that it experiences significant bowing as it cools compared to standard PLA filament.

This bowing can result in prints separating from the print bed, which occurred more than once during my testing, and below is a picture of the consequences of one of these bed adhesion failures.

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I found that the Carbon Fibre filament worked best when printing smaller items as the bowing occurred much less on a small surface area.

Here is a picture of some items I printed using the Carbon Fibre filament to upgrade my Wanhao Duplicator i3 Mini.

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On the left in the image is a filament guide that prevents the filament from grazing against the printer body and ensures smooth filament movement. On the right are bed stabilizers that prevent unwanted bed movements that result from slight shifts in the bed leveling springs.

I also printed a tool caddy using the Carbon Fibre filament, and this was the largest item I printed successfully using the filament. Here are some photos of the tool caddy.

As can be seen in the Wanhao logo on the tool caddy a good level of detail is possible using the CTREE Carbon Fibre filament. Also note that all prints required minimal cleanup, with little to no stringing occurring.

Here are a few pictures of the upgrades installed.

The CCTREE Carbon Fibre PLA filament is a very useful filament for printing functional parts that require a level of robustness not offered by PLA, but it does require more care and tweaking to print successfully. It is an excellent filament, just not one for beginners.

On a side note, I recently installed a silicon sock on my printer’s hot end. This is a simple and inexpensive upgrade that offer numerous benefits such as helping to keep the hot end temperature constant and keeping the hot end clean. It also a safety measure and prevents burns from accidentally touching the hot end. It is definitely a worthwhile upgrade considering the minimal investment required.

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3D PRINTING REVIEW – CCTREE CARBON FIBRE PLA FILAMENT AND 3D PRINTER UPGRADES

REVIEW – CORSAIR IRONCLAW RGB WIRELESS GAMING MOUSE

The Corsair IronClaw RGB Wireless Gaming Mouse is the first wireless gaming mouse I have used in over seven years, and the main reason for this is that the input delay traditionally associated with wireless mice have been a deal-breaker for myself, overshadowing any of the benefits associated with wireless mice. However, various manufacturers have now developed technologies to overcome this latency, with Corsair’s solution being their 2.4GHz wireless slipstream technology (implemented using their included USB receiver), which promises sub-1-millisecond latency on par with wired gaming mice. I cannot verify the exact accuracy of this latency promise, but I can say that comparing it to the Razer Mamba Tournament Edition wired gaming mouse that there is absolutely no noticeable difference.

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Here is a technical specification breakdown of the Corsair IronClaw RGB wireless:

IronClaw Wireless
Year Released 2019
DPI Adjustable up to 18000dpi
Buttons 10
Connectivity 2.4GHz Slipstream, Bluetooth, Wired USB
Weight 130g
Sensor Optical PMW3391
Additional Features

RGB (iCue configurable)

Omron Mechanical Switches

Battery Rechargeable Lithium-Polymer

Given all the features above it is surprising that the IronClaw wireless is priced at a very reasonable $80 (USD).

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The RGB lighting on the mouse has 3 independent zones with clear and crisps colors, with various predefined as well as completely customizable lighting options available.

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The promised battery life using slipstream and RGB lighting enabled is 16 hours, which is very close to accurate based on my experience and 24 hours with RGB turned off. Using Bluetooth a battery life of up to 50 hours is possible.

The Corsair IronClaw Wireless Mouse overcomes the latency issues traditionally associated with wireless mice while offering good battery life, great mechanical switches and freeing the user of the annoyances of a mouse cable. The IronClaw is a joy to use, and of all the RGB control software applications offered by the different manufacturers, I find iCue by far the least annoying.

The IronClaw Wiress is a great mouse and I highly recommend it, I use it every day and it is one of the most comfortable gaming mice on the market for anyone who prefers a palm grip.

REVIEW – CORSAIR IRONCLAW RGB WIRELESS GAMING MOUSE

3D PRINTING REVIEW – CCTREE METALIFIED COPPER FILAMENT

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CCTREE Metalfied filaments are PLA based filaments blended with high-sheen particles in various metallic colors that result in 3d prints that have a polished metal finish.  It is important to note that this is not a metal-infused filament, such as Bronzefil, which contains the actual metal in question, but rather a PLA filament with a metallic appearance, resulting in a filament that is much easier to print compared to the metal-infused filaments.

The Metalfied filament we will be looking at is the Copper variation.

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I have previously reviewed the normal PLA and Wood CCTree filaments and found them to be of exceptional quality at a very reasonable price, and with the Metalfied Copper filament once again I was not disappointed. The filament prints exactly like normal PLA filaments, and a great level of detail is possible as shown in the photos below:

For reference here are the Cura settings utilized for the prints above:

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As can be seen in the photos of the 3d prints a shiny metallic finish is achieved that looks remarkably similar to polished copper. The filament is an absolute breeze to print with and the end results are beautiful.

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I would highly recommend this filament to anyone who is looking for a metallic finish and is not quite ready or willing to undertake the more difficult task of printing with a metal-infused filament.

3D PRINTING REVIEW – CCTREE METALIFIED COPPER FILAMENT