3D printing filament

3D PRINTING REVIEW – ESUN ESILK PLA FILAMENT

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The eSUN eSilk PLA filaments are a range of PLA-based filaments that result in 3D prints that have a silky smooth finish. The eSilk range is available in numerous colors, and the gold color was used for this review.

The eSilk PLA filaments claim to print exactly the same as normal PLA filaments with a recommended print temperature of 190~220℃ and no heated bed required, however, I found the filament softer than normal PLA and more prone to clogging. I found that I got the best and most reliable results printing at 185℃.

The mechanical properties of the eSilk filament were almost identical to normal PLA once printed with good toughness and detail, with the only noticeable difference in the finish which has the appearance of a shiny silky luster, similar to brushed gold.

The eSUN eSilk PLA filaments retail for $24.99 for a 1KG spool and if a silky finish is required the filament checks all the boxes.

3D PRINTING REVIEW – ESUN ESILK PLA FILAMENT

3D PRINTING REVIEW – FILLAMENTUM PLA EXTRAFILL

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Fillamentum is a Czech Republic-based company specializing in the manufacturing of high-quality 3D printing filaments. Their PLA filament, which they call PLA Extrafill. The filament is made of natural ingredients and can be biodegraded by industrial composting. PLA Extrafill is also safe for food contact applications.

Fillamentum PLA Extrafill is more expensive than many other companies PLA filaments, costing approximately $26 (USD) for 750 grams of filament compared to approximately $28 (USD) for 1kg of CCTREE filament.

Extrafill is available in diameters of 1.75 mm and 2.85 mm (with a diameter tolerance of +-0.05mm), and in a wide variety of colors, I used “Traffic Black” for this review.

As with all PLA-based filaments, it has a recommended printing temperature of 190-210°C.

I experienced a great deal of difficulty successfully printing this PLA, far more than any other PLA I have used in the past. The PLA Extrafill kept clogging the 3D printer hot end with every single print. I tried various setting profiles in Cura. However, the result was always a clogged hot end. This was the case until I dropped the default retraction distance in CURA by a third, and this rectified the clogging hot end issue and allowed me to complete a few successful prints. However, reducing the retraction distance did result in a great deal of striking, more than any other PLA I have ever used. I did manage to reduce this by changing the travel and retraction speeds and reducing the print temperature to 180°C.

Here are some photos of my attempts to print the 3DBenchy model. They illustrate nicely the difficulties encountered.

As I kept refining the settings, I managed to get better results and eliminated more of the print issues I experienced.

Here are some pictures of a Judge Dredd bust with only slight drooping issues around the helmet.

I also printed a Desk organizer to store my 3D print finishing tools.

I finally managed to refine my setting to the point where I could print miniatures with a great level of detail.

The Above picture shows the miniatures next to a AA battery for scale.

If anyone is interested in the Cure settings used to print these miniatures, you can download my Cura settings profile here. This was configured on Cura 4.8.0.

Fillamentum PLA Extrafill is capable of producing excellent results if you put in the work. However, I do feel that given the difficulties experienced with the filament and the results being no better than other less expensive filaments, for example, eSun PLA+, I find Fillamentum PLA Extrafill extremely difficult to recommend.

3D PRINTING REVIEW – FILLAMENTUM PLA EXTRAFILL

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

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

3D PRINTING REVIEW – CCTREE PLA AND WOOD FILAMENT

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CCTREE PLA Filament

The CCTree PLA filament we will be looking at today is the 1.75mm diameter variety, but it is also available in 3mm. The filament is available in a wide variety of colors, around 25 colors, and is sold in 1kg spools.

The experience with this filament has been great, producing very good quality prints with a great level of detail and only minimal 3D printed object cleanup required after printing.

 During printing the filament has minimal stringing, if any at all, and I have never had a print fail because of a filament issue using CCTREE PLA filament.

CCTREE PLA filament is a very easy filament to print with and offers great value being one of the less expensive filaments available. I would highly recommend this filament for novices and experienced 3D print enthusiasts alike.

CCTREE Wood Filament

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CCTREE Wood filament is a 1.75mm diameter filament consisting of a mixture of PLA plastic and wood fibers that produces prints with a slightly rough wood-like finish, similar to Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF), that can be sanded and stained in a similar way to wood.

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This filament is slightly more challenging to print with and is more prone to stringing (due to the wood fibers) and larger flat surfaces are prone to slight bowing as the print cools down.

It is still however possible to produce prints with a great level of detail, it just requires an extra bit of cleanup and finishing.

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During printing, this filament gives off a subtle wood-like odor.

The CCTREE Wood filament is more expensive than their PLA filament, costing approximately double the price.

This filament is great for prints that benefit from a more natural wood-like finish (for example a baby Groot) and the end result looks fantastic. This is a great filament but is probably not the best choice for a 3D printing newbie to get started with.

 

CCTree filaments offer great quality and value for money, the filaments are available in a wide variety of colors and options and they come highly recommended.

3D PRINTING REVIEW – CCTREE PLA AND WOOD FILAMENT