Favorite filament so far?

Alloy 910.
Although I have been happy with the specialties as well (bronzefill, woodfill, etc.)

Frankly PLA works great for 90% of everything.

 

http://taulman3d.com/how-to-choose.html

http://taulman3d.com/alloy-910-spec.html

 

ABS is difficult to print correctly.
Alloy 910 is as easy as PLA and in most specs is superior to ABS.

Nylon 645 is my next best favorite.

 

Yes, the XT is good. Better than PLA and in many ways better than ABS.

 

@mark tomlinson , awesome chart. I didn't know they had published it. Note that n-vent is the amphora material, so same stuff as colorFabb XT. Based on my experience working with these materials, it would also be interesting to see some other mechanical characterization beyond purely tensile (like impact for one) but, man, kudos for taulman for sharing this work.

My favorite material of all remains woodfill. Beyond that, I use XT a lot. 910 has impressed the hell out of me and is starting to become a major contender. The In-PLA (also known as PLAdium) is my fave of the moment if I'm going for clear.

I'm more like 50% PLA/PHA (probably close to In-PLA), then 50% exotic materials. Occasionally, I do pull out a spool of plain PLA, but that low elongation does bother me for anything but a pure cosmetic print so I almost never use it for customer jobs.

I actually have a pile of the blu-print to put on the site, but I haven't had a chance to test it yet. It has a higher heat deflection temp than ABS though, so it could be really useful in many applications. I don't list things until I've had a chance to test them, but if anyone wants to grab a spool before I get a chance, let me know. Now really is the time for testing it!


The thing with most of the other materials that haven't reached the acceptance level of ABS and PLA is that there are massive minimum buy qtys for pellets (we're talking multiple tons here). Some of them are also pretty tricky to extrude.

 

Check your PM

 

@Printrrnoob I do have sample packs of all the different colorFabb materials and small packs of the protopasta materials, so if you want to try them out, you can get in without investing in a full spool, then just buy more of whatever you like the best. Taulman samples will probably be coming later in the year as well. https://printedsolid.com/shop/175-3/colorfabb-sample-pack/

 

It is also called Titan:

http://www.filament2print.com/producto/taulman-tritan-175mm/?lang=en

I think they are trying to say it is highly abrasion/friction wear resistant. I have not tried it, but every other Taulman filament I have tried has lived up to the hype. They are really good.

 

If you get Simplify3D the disolvable supports may be less of an issue that you think.
The WORST model I printed for supports was a pain to pick them all out (they were in internal, awkward spots) but since they remove so damn easy if I could reach them with a pick they came right out.

I can see some models that would absolutely benefit, but I have not needed to build anything like that. I have managed to CAD around it.

 

Blu-print is a different material. I believe it is still a copolyester, but a different blend than tritan (which is different than XT, which is different than t-glase...)

 

Best money I spent after getting the printer. Night and day difference. The supports are exactly how you would expect them to be and the slicer is so much smarter to use. Manual supports are even easy to add and you can play with them until you see what you like in teh preview mode then go for the print.

Read their on-line tutorials to get a feel for it. I really wish they had a demo version...

 

Can we revisit this topic. I have spent a lot of time with eSUN PETG and I really like it, but I need to look for something as cheap as PLA (without all the clogging or need for an oiler) with good layer adhesion. I am going to try some Alloy 910, but it doesn't meet the cheap criteria. I will likely try some of the *fill filaments, again not cheap. I am just not a big fan of PLA and it has given me more problems than any other filament I have tried including ABS.

My reason is: My wife figured out that I can print things other than toys or printer upgrades and she has given me a list of things she would like printed. Not actual STL files, mind you, just categories of items she now wants. So if I don't comply, my 3D printing budget (as small as it is now) will get cut.