3D Printing Guides

3D printer “Ink:” The Basics of 3D Printer Filaments

Getting into the nit and grit of 3D printing? In this guide, we will discuss one of the major factors of 3D printing: Material. We will be tackling all about 3D printer filaments: the types, usage, and pricing.

different 3d printer filament colors with consistency
The assortment of 3D printer filament is more than colors. Photo: Amazon

What is a 3D printer filament?

A 3D printer filament is a threadlike plastic material that is used in fused deposition modeling (FDM). 3D printer filaments are made of thermoplastics, which are plastics that can be melted with the use of heat and hardens as it cools. Thermoplastics are opposed to thermoset plastics, which are not capable of being remodeled once it is formed.

How 3d Printer Filament Is Made

3D printer filaments are made with plastic pellets which undergo melting, extrusion, and then cooling. First, the plastic pellets and colorants are mixed together and then fed to an extruder. They are melted and then extruded to form the plastic into wire-like. The filament is then cooled and measured for the consistency of its diameter before being rolled into spools.

What Is 3D Printer Filament Made Of?

3D printer filaments are made of various thermoplastics you can choose from. There are various thermoplastic materials available for 3D printing, such as PLA, ABS, PETG, ASA, TPU, PC, Nylon, and others, as we will discuss below. Filaments also come in two diameters, 1.75 and 2.85 mm, with 1.75 mm more popular. Moreover, spools have also variations in terms of weight: A standard roll of filament is usually 1kg, but there are smaller and larger sizes as well.

Choosing a 3D printer filament

choosing 3d printer filaments

Choosing a 3D printer filament will very much be on what material you could use. We will be giving a brief description of each filament type. You can also go through our “3D Printer Filament Types & Uses” post for a more comprehensive guide.

3D Printer Filament Types

PLA

Polylactic Acid, or PLA, is notably the easiest filament to print with. PLA can be printed well on most 3D printers and thus, is not troublesome to print with. PLA has high strength so it can be used for many applications. However, it is a brittle material and is not temperature resistant.

PETG

Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol is another filament that is growing in popularity. This plastic is material is similar to PET (the plastic used in disposable water bottles) but more optimized for 3D printing. Printing PETG is known for its transparent/ translucent color varieties. PETG is also a good contender for outdoor prints.

ABS

One of the earliest filament materials, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene is a harder filament to print with but comes with good properties such as high-temperature resistance and impact-proof. It is among the harder filament as it can be unstable when printing without an enclosure.

TPU

This is what is popularly known as the flexible filament. Although there are other 3D printable materials that are flexible, Thermoplastic Polyurethane is the most popular one. TPU, or flexible filaments in general, come in different flexibility variations and is measured by the Shore hardness.

PC

Polycarbonate is arguably the strongest 3D printer filament available in the market right now. However, it comes at a higher price tag and is several steps harder to print. This filament is more dedicated for engineering applications due to its extreme strength and durability.

ASA

Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate, closely related to ABS, is another 3D printing material that has one advantage over ABS: UV resistance. ASA is dedicated to being used to bear the outdoor conditions, unlike ABS.

Nylon

Another strong material, nylon is also a common material for functional parts that require strength and toughness. Nylon filaments are notorious, however, for being very sensitive to moisture and their tendency to warp during print.

HIPS

High Impact Polystyrene is known in the 3D printing industry as the dissolvable support material for ABS. As HIPS can dissolve in d-Limonene, printing complex parts that require supports will leave no marks when you print with ABS with HIPS support material.

PVA

Another dissolvable support material, Polyvinyl Alcohol or PVA is used as support material for other filaments such as PLA, Nylon, CPE, and others. PVA dissolves in water, so that means this material is very sensitive to moisture as well.

Composite

Composite filaments are common filaments infused with other materials such as metal, wood, and others. The base materials can be PLA, ABS, PETG, nylon, to name a few. These filaments do look like the infused materials but take note that the material properties are still the same as its base plastic.

Filament Diameter

1.75 mm vs 2.85 mm
Comparison of 1.75 mm filament and 2.85 mm filament. Photo: Dyze Design

Another thing to consider important when choosing a filament is the filament diameter. There are two kinds of printer filament sizes: 1.75 mm and 2.85 mm in diameter.

The most common filament today is 1.75mm as this filament size is adopted by many 3D printer manufacturers, however, brands like Ultimaker and Lulzbot use the larger 2.85 mm filament size.

Most likely you will be needing a 1.75 mm filament, but just make sure that you check this with the filament you’re buying.

Filament Spool Size

monofilament direct brand 3d printer filament supplier

Filament rolls can also come in various sizes. The 1kg standard is what you can mostly encounter, but there are smaller and larger rolls as well. Some printer filaments, especially expensive ones, provide rolls less than 1kg, usually starting from 250g.

Larger spools are getting more in demand due to the increased popularity of 3D printers, as well as the rise of large-scale 3D printers. Having a giant spool means your print can run through days to complete a print without the need for replacing filament.

How much filament does a 3D printer use?

3D printing with gray filament
Choosing a 3D printer filament will very much be on what material you could use. We will be giving a brief description of each filament type. You can also go through our 3D Printer Filament Types & Uses” post for a more comprehensive guide.

How Long Does 1kg of 3D Printer Filament Last?

Your first 1kg filament roll can last depending on your usage. If you print, let’s say 100 grams of print in a month, your filament can last for 10 months. A 1Kg filament is just right to start off, as you can print 3d printed upgrades as well as small accessories and toys with it.

When printing a model, you can see how much filament you will be spending on the specific print job. With that, you can monitor your filament usage.

You may wonder if the reading is accurate: For the purpose of monitoring your filament usage, we can say that it is pretty much accurate. If you want to improve accuracy, you can modify your slicer settings and type in the density of your filament.

How Much 3D Printer Filament do I Need?

Based on our experience, a typical print can range as low as 10-15 grams (test and calibration prints, small toys, accessories, flower pots, and planters) to about 50-100 g (wall decors, containers, detailed models). However, for full-blown projects (helmets, costumes, props, architectural models, etc.) a whole 1kg filament may be used and may need more.

How to Save on 3D Printer Filament

You can adjust your slicer parameters to help you save filament. Here is a list of some that you can do:

  • Lessen the infill percentage: According to reviews and user experiences, the infill does not help too much with regard to the strength of the part. With that, you can reduce your infill percentage as long as it still makes the part printable without running into print errors.
  • Instead of adding infill percentage, add the number of perimeters. The outer walls substantially affect the part strength. 
  • Minimize the use of supports by reorienting your print.
  • If not needed, you can skip printing bed adhesion tools like rafts or brims. Skipping these saves filament as well as print time.
  • Create various slicer templates that contain different settings according to the applications. For example, you can create and set up a profile for decorative prints, while having another profile for tough and functional prints. With this, you will only spend more filament on necessary projects that justify the need for thicker walls, bed adhesion, supports, etc.

How much is a 3D Printer Filament?

The market for 3D printer filament has been growing since. The prices are very competitive, but make sure to check the quality as well.

Common filaments such as PLA, ABS, and PETG are priced at around $20-30 on average, which are the cheapest filament types. Other materials are generally more expensive, with the exception of some composite filaments, which can be priced the same with these common filaments.

Where Can I Buy 3D Printer Filaments?

3D printer filaments are available online in various types, colors, sizes, and weights. You can check out our ABS and PLA filaments in our shop, with an array of different colors, and spool sizes from 1kg, 2.25 kg, and 4 kg as well. We offer these 3D printer filaments in both 1.75 mm and 2.85 mm filament diameters.
High-Quality ABS Filament starts at $25.99
Customer Ratings: 5/5
5/5
High-Quality PLA Filament starts at $25.99
Customer Ratings: 5/5
5/5

Wrapping Up

3D printer filaments are widely growing in variety as the 3D printing industry grows, but we hope you were able to grasp the basics of 3D printer filaments. Finding the best filament will always depend on your preference and applications. Having a selection of 3D printer materials is instead an advantage for everyone as it provides more freedom with what we can do with 3D printing.

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