3D printer filament has been a crucial segment of the 3D printing as it acts as the basic component of 3D printing. When compared with a 2D printer, the filament of the 3D printer is considered as the ink.
You should worry about everything regarding the 3D printer as it is important as the 3D printer. Because, the filament you are going to use for the 3D printer decides lots of things including the quality of the products you are going to print, the durability of the printouts you are taking, and the durability of your 3D printer as well.
Therefore it is most important to clear your filament to have a better performance with your 3D printer. When considering the factors that the 3D printer is a newly introduced item, people start struggling to select the best clear for the filament. There is nothing to worry about as there is lots of freedom to select any filament clear for the 3D printer.
If you are looking for a trial of every relevant 3D filament clear available in the market, you will be free to use them all. You should not worry regarding the clear because you are a new arrival to the 3D printing industry as there are no errors to be found related to the selection of 3D filament clear. But, it’s really important to identify the available options in the market for your 3D printer. There are advantages, disadvantages, and other things to be considered when selecting a clear 3d printer filament.
PLA Filament
This filament type is the most common clear 3d printer filament type in the market. Most of the 3D printer users are using it at present. We can see as the most common characteristic for the filament is easily self-suppliable and matching with most of the 3D printers.
If you are looking at the characteristic of the filament as a material, you will see it is closer to yellow color and you will not get a clear filament in the process. PLA resin is not clear. But, the secret is behind the temperature it is going to be used. If you are using it at a higher temperature, you will be able to have a crystal clear filament.
This is a common factor for any filament you use. If you are going to have a clear filament from every PLA filament manufacturer, you won’t find a uniformity among the manufacturers as well. Because it varies from one manufacturer to the other.
There have been tests conducted by the independent individuals which had resulted in 4032D, 4043D(from Naturelwork) and 190(from Hisun), The opacity of 190 is much better than 4032D and 4043D. Hisun and the Naturelwork manufacturers are considered as the leading PLA filament tradenames in the market. Though they are the leaders, you will see that there are lots of differences among them.
The sandpaper is also a basic requirement for the filament as it is used to get finer grits. If you are going to use a finer surface, you will have to use more sandpaper as well. But, it’s really important to remember the main impact is caused by the temperature to have a crystal-like print in 3D printing. If you are not looking for anything like a flexible 3d printer filament, this will have to be your choice.
ABS Filament
This is also a more common filament type in the market. Naturally, the ABS filament is not clear. But, there are lots of ways to have a clear filament while you are doing the printing. You can add lots of additives to clear the filament.
MBS is one of the best materials used to have a clear filament. MBS material has many characteristics matching with the ABS materials as well as many economical factors.
What you need is to have a clear filament for the printing and this MBS material can achieve it with lots of advantages like less price, easily applicable, availability, and functionality. Acetone vapor smoothing has to be performed to have a smooth surf after the printing. Because, ABS filament doesn’t allow you to have a crystal clear surface at any circumstance because naturally, ABS filament is not so transparent. With the additives and the smoothing materials, you will be able to have a clearer surface but not a crystal clear surface.
But, you have to remember that ABS filament is still a clear 3d printer filament and a customer loved product in the market because of its many characteristics. Because crystallization is not the only thing people looking for in a filament.
PETG Filament
PETG filament is being one of the best clear 3d printer filament in the market as it has a very clear filament and you can have perfect 3D printouts using this particular filament. Also, you will be able to have unbreakable layers with the PETG filament.
You won’t have to use any additives to clear filament as well as you won’t have to do the smoothing part if you get to this filament. PETG filament is a clear filament from its originated. You won’t find any significant odor related to this filament and it is an added advantage as well.
Because there are lots of things you have to do when getting a 3D print out without any color or odor. You will find this filament is a blessing for such printing purposes.
You will not have to do either polishing or smoothing as well. There is nothing you can do to have a more smooth surface except sanding. Sanding is the only thing you can do to have a polished surface.
But, it will have to be done if it is highly needed only. When talking about the strength of the filament, you will see this is as strong as the PLA filament which is considered as the strongest filament in the 3D printing industry.
There will not be anything else, you can find from any other filament material that can bring you lots of advantages. Most importantly, there are some matters you will have to attend if you get to use this filament. There are not sales representatives in the market commonly for this filament. That’s a matter you may find at present. But, if you manage to find this filament at any cost, you will be a winner eventually.
PET Filament
This is a clear 3d printer filament similarly produced to the PETG material. As previously described, PETG filament is as clear as crystal without doing any smoothing or additives.
PET filament has got all of the best qualities that PETG filament has. Polyethylene terephthalate is the scientific name of the PET filament content.
It is called as the hard plastic as well. It is being used in water bottles as well as coca-cola bottles as well.
Though this material is clear filament and there are lots of advantages, you will find very common disadvantages like a raised melting point as well as hard to break. Hardness can be taken as an advantage too.
There are some structures needed to be built with the strength of the filament. So, this is going to be the best selection you are going to make. Even though you have to pay an added value for this clear filament, you will find it useful in many ways. If you are going to use this filament in your printer, you will have to reconsider the compatibility as well.
Because this PET filament is not applied with some 3D printers with its hardness. Although there are lots of things you can achieve with a crystal-like filament without any additives, polishing or smoothing, you will get some free disadvantages like incompatibility as well.
PMMA Filament
There are lots of things in the end. Like those things, PMMA Filament is considered as the clearest filament available in the market at present.
You will not have to add any of the additives to have a clearer appearance literally. But, you will be able to have a polished surface for your print fro your printout if you do any post-print commitment.
It will add a fine texture to your printout. It is not a must-do-thing in both technically and literally. Transparency is about 92% of this filament. You can understand that this is the highest value for a filament which is being used in 3D printing.
PMMA filament is commonly used in glass replacement work because of its opacity and hardness. You have to concern about lots of risk factors before having this applied with your 3D printer.
Financial strength, a purpose you hope to apply this, compatibility, and there are plenty of factors you should consider bored getting this used for your printer. It won’t be necessary to remind you that the melting temperature is becoming higher and higher for this filament as PMMA filament is going to replace glass structures with its printouts.
If you use this filament unnecessarily because of its clear filament, you will have to bear lots of expenditure for the filament as well as printouts. But, if you manage to have this clear filament for your printer, you will be able to produce very expensive goods with its applications. Cellphone screen, souvenirs, cups, mugs, and there are unlimited applications you can have with this filament.
Polycarbonate filament
This filament’s specific characteristic is its durability as well as it is a clear 3d printer filament. You are well aware of the clearness, transparency, and the hardness of the filaments and their applications.
Polycarbonate filament allows you to have a durability product. It has got all the features you can expect from a superb filament. Hardness, low price, opacity, durability like mixed advantages are the things to be expected from a clear filament like Polycarbonate filament.
But, you may ask yourself, How can this be so more durable than other filaments? You will be understood that hardness is not the factor that matters for durability. There are lots of plastic polymers that melt in low temperatures, glasses easily shatter and hardness is not a guarantee for the durability.
3D printouts that have been taken using this filament, can be used in higher temperatures. They can be exposed to outdoor environments without any effect. Most importantly, this filament is as clear as water. If you bend a printout made of Polycarbonate filament, there will not be any crack for a long-range of the bend while other filaments don’t have such characteristics.
PETG filament is the clear 3d printer filament lots of customers use at present. Availability, durability, opacity, price, compatibility, and trust qualities have raised that filament as the best filament at present. You should stay in touch with the manufacturers as well as the other newly arrived filaments to replace your currently using filament to have a better experience.
Flexible 3d Printer Filament Options You May Take
Clearness and the durability are not the only factors you should be looking for Flexibility is a measurement for any physical object in the world. That measurement is being applied for the human as well.
It means the adjustments that can be performed by an individual with others. So, in primary objectives, this feature is being applied for 3D printing technology as well. The ink of a 3D printout is counted as the filament.
3D printer users mind having a 3D filament with more flexible features than hard filaments. There are lots of flexible filaments at the market to be purchased. Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) and Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE) are considered as the main flexible filaments at present.
If you are going to produce some flexible designs using your 3D printer, you will have to use these two. But, you will have to make sure your 3D printer is working with these two as well. The scale which is used to measure the flexibility is called Shore Hardness/Durometer. A flexible 3D filament is used to produce rubber-like structures. There are filaments like demi flexible TPU filament, Flexible TPU filament, and Ultra-flexible filament in the market that match your intentions.
