Transparent Filament: Which Materials Actually Print Clear, and the Settings That Make Them
Short answer For see-through parts buy a clear PETG or a clear PLA and accept that a normal print will come out…
Category: Filament
Print and bed temperatures, drying times, enclosure requirements, and how to choose between PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA and the filled variants.
Rainbow PLA: How Gradient Filament Works, and How to Control Where the Colours Fall
Short answer Rainbow PLA shifts colour along the length of the spool, typically every 5 to 15 metres, so a part shows…
Matte PLA: What the Finish Hides, What It Costs in Strength, and When to Use It
Short answer Matte PLA uses a filler that scatters light so layer lines and small surface flaws disappear; a matte part looks…
PA-CF Filament: Carbon-Fibre Nylon for Parts That Have to Survive Heat and Load
Short answer PA-CF is the filament for parts that would fail in PETG-CF: mounts near heat, structural brackets under sustained load, drone…
Best Filament for Miniatures on an FDM Printer: Plain PLA, a Small Nozzle, and Realistic Expectations
Short answer Print miniatures in plain PLA, ideally a light grey that shows detail and takes primer, with a 0.2 or 0.25…
Glow in the Dark Filament: Why It Eats Nozzles, and How to Get a Bright Glow
Short answer Glow-in-the-dark filament is PLA with strontium aluminate phosphor, and that phosphor is hard enough to wear a brass nozzle out…
Silk PLA: Why It Shines, Why It Is Weaker, and How to Print It Without Strings
Short answer Silk PLA is plain PLA with an additive that gives a metallic, pearlescent surface and hides layer lines. The same…
PETG-CF: The Everyday Engineering Filament, and What It Asks of Your Printer
Short answer PETG-CF is the carbon-fibre filament most people should start with: it prints on an open printer at 240 to 260…
Wood PLA: What the Fibre Does, Nozzle Size, and Why It Clogs
Short answer Wood PLA prints a matte, sandable surface that takes stain like real wood, and it is worth a spool for…
Carbon Fiber 3D Printing at Home: What CF Filament Actually Does, and What Your Printer Needs
Short answer Carbon-fibre filament is PLA, PETG or nylon with 10 to 20 % chopped fibre. The fibre makes parts stiffer and…