It’s one of the more upgrade-friendly budget 3D printers out there, though, so tinkering it’s sticking points out of the equation is relatively easy.

Upgrading to an Ender 3 glass bed for 3D printing lets you benefit from consistent bed leveling, a smooth first layer, even heat distribution, easy print removal, and easier cleaning.

For most users, I’d recommend the Official Creality Tempered Ender 3 Glass Bed. As an in-house pick, it fits the Ender 3 perfectly, with easy print removal and impressive first layer adhesion.

Although it is priced slightly higher than some of the other options, the overall quality makes it a worthwhile investment for most users.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through all the Ender 3 glass bed upgrades I’ve tested, and compare them across key metrics like price, print quality, and ease of use.

I’ll share my top tips and tricks for choosing the glass bed that’s right for your projects – so you can make your choice with confidence!

This article focuses on Ender 3 and Ender 3 Pro owners therefore who want to upgrade to a glass bed.

Read more: our Creality Ender 3 vs Pro vs V2 compared

Best Ender 3 Glass Beds

Official Creality Tempered Ender 3 Glass Bed

• Price: $18.00-$20.00
• Where To Buy: Amazon, Creality Store

Manufactured and recommended by Creality, the official Creality tempered Ender 3 glass bed fits perfectly atop the Ender 3’s build plate.

As such, you won’t have to worry about the glass bed being too small or too large. You’ll need four clips to secure the bed. Creality doesn’t provide these on its official store, but there are kits available through Amazon that bundle them alongside the bed.

It can withstand temperatures up to 400°C and has a hardness of 8 Mohs, guaranteeing durability that outclasses acrylic, plastic, and metal beds.

It also features a nano-molecular coating for better adhesion.

Creality guarantees a flat and true surface with 4 mm thickness that delivers a sleek and smooth base. Official documentation notes that adhesive isn’t required for most prints, given how well the bed nails first-layer adhesion.

The official Creality tempered Ender 3 glass bed is wear and scratch-resistant while also offering easy print removal once the bed has cooled to room temperature.

As for cleaning, Creality says the glass bed is easy to clean with a soft cloth and isopropyl alcohol.

Dcreate Borosilicate Glass Bed

• Price: $13.00-$15.00
• Where To Buy: Amazon

The Dcreate borosilicate Ender 3 glass bed measures 235 x 235 mm, or the exact size of the Ender 3 build plate. It features smooth, rounded edges to ward off injuries when handling the glass bed.

In our experience, borosilicate performs better than tempered glass when it comes to resistance, adding longevity to its advantages.

Dcreate manufactures the glass bed with a true, flat, and smooth finish, with a 3.8 mm thickness, which should see it heat up slightly faster than chunkier alternatives. It can withstand temperatures up to 520°C.

The Dcreate borosilicate Ender 3 glass bed mounts to the Ender 3’s build plate via a set of binder clips provided alongside the glass bed.

Dcreate recommends using an adhesive like glue or hairspray for the best results and only using water to wipe clean the surface. However, using the classic isopropyl alcohol method is an option, too.

Sovol Borosilicate Ender 3 Glass Bed

• Price: $10.00-$13.00
• Where To Buy: Amazon

Another borosilicate option, the Sovol borosilicate Ender 3 glass bed, costs less than our other recommendations, which is ideal if you want a thrifty way to test drive a glass bed.

Its dimensions – 235 x 235 mm – line up perfectly with the Ender 3’s existing stock magnetic plate for easy alignment and installation using the clip method.

Thickness tallies up to 3.8 mm for reasonably fast heating and a strong, stiff surface that won’t warp or deform under high temperatures.

Thanks to the borosilicate glass, the Sovol Ender glass bed has excellent thermal expansion properties along with heat and temperature shock resistance.

Some form of adhesive is recommended, which you can easily wipe clean with alcohol, according to the manufacturer Sovol.

Wisamic Borosilicate Glass Bed

• Price: $20.00
• Where To Buy: Amazon

One of the pricier third-party options, the Wisamic borosilicate Ender 3 glass bed is cut to align snuggly with the Ender 3’s build plate.

It measures a matching 235 x 235 mm and has a 4 mm thickness. You’ll want to double-check the specifications before buying, as Wisamic sells several other configurations with different dimensions that won’t work with the Ender 3.

It’s made of 100% borosilicate glass to support higher temperatures and fluctuations than traditional build plates.

Its low thermal expansion properties also ensure it doesn’t warp, staying flat even after prolonged use at high temperatures. The borosilicate glass also provides solid binding properties when heated but allows for effortless print removal when cooled down.

You’ll need to source your own clips to fit the Wisamic borosilicate Ender 3 glass bed, as these aren’t included with the bed.

We recommend at least 21 mm clips or higher for the best fit.

Advantages of Using a Glass Bed on Your Ender 3

Flat – Due to being less sensitive to thermal expansion and the manufacturing process involved in producing it, glass remains flat and true even at high temperatures. Uniform flatness ensures consistent bed leveling, which means fewer failed prints.

Smooth First Layer – Unlike rough texture build plates, which generally cake the underside of prints with uneven grooves and bumps, glass is smooth and produces a clean, smooth base.

Heat Distribution – Although glass doesn’t match the conductivity of metal build plates, it provides more even heat distribution across its surface. Uniform heat distribution reduces warping caused by hot spot areas.

Print Removal – Glass beds make easy work of removing easy prints, requiring far less force, often without the need for a scraper, to snap off cleanly than other bed types.

Cleaning – Due to their smooth, flat surface, glass beds are a doddle to clean compared to rough beds where grime, filament, and adhesive embed into the grainy texture. You can safely plunge it into a sink filled with water and wipe it clean with soap with no risk of damage.

Longevity and Cost-Saving – Glass beds have a longer lifespan than other bed material types. Although you’ll likely pay more for a glass bed, you won’t need to replace it as frequently, saving costs in the long run.

Read more: the best Creality Ender 3 Dual Extruders

Ender 3 Glass Bed Tips and Tricks

Cleaning – Finger grease, filament residue, adhesive leftovers, dust – these stray accumulations, often imperceptible to the naked eye, can wreak havoc on first-layer adhesion and the overall success of your prints. 

Regular and thorough cleaning is, therefore, a must. A freshly-laundered piece of cloth allied to a squirt of isopropyl alcohol works best, although there’s no harm in bolstering this with the occasional dunk into a tub of soapy water for a deep clean.

​​Align and Secure the Glass Bed – Make sure the glass bed sits flush and is secured tightly to the build plate before bed leveling.

Binder clips are a popular option, with no more than four needed to keep the glass bed in place (slide the build plate backward and forward to ensure the clips don’t knock any part of the printer).

Be sure to set the printable area in your slicing software according to the positioning of the clips.

Bed Leveling – Tedious and time-consuming, correctly leveling the Ender 3, Pro, and V2’s bed before firing off a print is the most important step you can take to make the most of your factory-fresh glass bed.

Make sure your Z offset compensates for the added thickness of the glass; too close, and it will scratch up the glossy surface. Don’t hesitate to do multiple leveling runs for the best results.

If you have an Ender 3 S1, you’re in luck. The printer’s automatic bed leveling takes care of calibrating the bed for you.

Bed Temperature – If filament cools too quickly, it won’t adhere to the glass bed. Check your filament manufacturer’s recommended heated bed temperature.

Take that figure, add a few degrees, and dial the temperature into your slicing software. If you still encounter adhesion issues, raise the temperature in small increments until you hone in on the best settings.

By extension, ensure the bed reaches the proper temperature before printing.

Brims and Rafts – Although not necessary for all prints, brims and rafts are excellent solutions for more temperamental prints where first-layer adhesion causes all manner of headaches.

They involve more post-printing clean-up, longer print times, and use more filament, but they do wonders to improve first-layer adhesion by boosting the surface of contact between the filament and bed.

A brim is a series of small layers running around the perimeter of a part or model to boost the size and adhesion of the first layer. On the other hand, a raft is printed below the print itself and formed of a flat, thick lattice of filament.

In other words, a foundation atop which the print sits.

Adhesive – Glue, hairspray, dual-sided painter’s tape – these are all viable and popular options to increase first-layer adhesion, especially when printing with heat-sensitive filament like ABS.

These adhesives fare best for small, intricate prints with a limited contact surface or those with tight corners as they reduce warping, curling, and the print detaching from the bed.

Things to Consider Before Upgrading Your Glass Bed

Match Build Plate Size – When browsing for a glass bed, be sure its dimensions match those of the Ender 3’s 235 x 235 mm build plate.

Doing so ensures a snug fit, removing the need to cut and shave down the bed yourself or key in software settings to cater to a smaller glass bed than the stock Ender 3 magnetic bed.

No Too Thin, Not Too Thick – The thickness of the glass bed is a crucial feature to keep in mind, or run the risk of cracking the glass or, on the flip side, having to wait inordinately long periods for the bed to reach print-ready temperatures.

As a rule of thumb, 3-4 mm thickness represents a good middle ground between the two, a standard of sorts you’ll find on most third-party options.

Thermal Shock – A glass bed is subject to reasonably dramatic temperature fluctuations, so consider a bed’s thermal shock resistance.

A quality glass bed can confidently jump between temperatures without cracking or shattering up to as high as 400°C. Borosilicate and tempered glass beds tend to showcase the best thermal shock resistance.

FAQs

Articles we recommend:

• Ender 3 vs Ender 5
• Ender 3 vs Ender 3 Pro, V2 and Max
• The best Ender 3 Upgrades
• Ender 5 vs Ender 5 Pro vs Ender 5 Plus
• Flashforge Adventurer 3 vs 3 Lite
• 3D printer heated beds guide
• Ender 3 firmware guide
• Best Ender 3 filaments

It’s often confused with melting point, but the two are not the same. Melting point is the temperature when a solid turns into a liquid. Glass transition temperature is the point when a solid starts to lose its shape, turns into a gooey state, but is not yet a real liquid.

In this article, I’ll talk about the glass transition temperature of PETG, how it affects your PETG prints, and how it compares to other filaments.

What Is The Glass Transition Temperature Of PETG? 

The glass transition temperature for PETG is around 80°C. This is the temperature when PETG changes from a hard solid filament to a rubbery, gooey state. The actual temperature may vary by a few degrees, typically between 80-85°C, depending on the brand of PETG.

The small variation in PETG’s glass transition temperature is due to differences in the production process of the filament. Some manufacturers include additives in their PETG blends to give them extra chemical resistance, strength, and stiffness.

This is why it’s important to check the manufacturer’s specifications to know the exact glass transition temperature of your PETG filament.

Knowledge of your filament’s glass transition temperature is vital because it helps you avoid common printing failures. In addition, if you know the temperature when your PETG filament starts to act gooey, you can predict whether your prints will survive in certain hot environments. 

Let’s see how.

Why is this important?

Object Functionality

The last thing you want is to print an object out of PETG and use it in a very hot environment. If your printed part is going to be used in an environment above 80°C, it will begin to lose its shape and functionality. 

For example, if you’re printing a part you’ll use under the hood of a car, PETG is a dead-end. This part will most likely deform under all that heat. In that case, you can try using a polycarbonate or ABS-like filament.

Bed Temperature

During 3D printing, the printer warms up the bed so your filament sticks to it. If the prints did not stick, your job would fail and come out completely misshapen.

If you’re printing with PETG, your bed temperature should be the same as the glass transition temperature. At this temperature, the base of the print is soft and sticky enough to adhere to the build platform. 

If your bed is at a higher or lower temperature than this, the following issues will arise:

Warping

Warping is when the corners of your print start to lift off the print bed. It happens when the print bed is colder than the bottom layers of your print. 

When hot, molten filament is deposited on the 3D printer’s build plate, its temperature drops, and it turns from liquid to solid plastic.

However, if the print bed is too cold, it’ll cool too fast and shrink, which creates warping and layer separation, especially in the model’s corners. Set your print bed in the 80-85°C range for PETG, at its glass transition temperature, and you minimize warping.

Elephant’s Foot 

Elephant’s foot makes the bottom layers of your print look like they’re slightly spreading outward. One of the reasons why it happens is an overheated print bed. 

A bed that is above the glass transition temperature will only melt the bottom layers. And as you continue to print more layers on top, the weight of the print forces the wet bottom layers to flow outward.

Also note whether your nozzle temperature is too high, as this can make PETG string and ooze.

PETG Glass Transition Temperature vs Other Filaments

PLA 

PLA (Polylactic Acid) is probably the most used 3D printing filament. It’s affordable and easy to work with, making it a staple for hobbyists. 

PLA’s glass transition temperature is 60-65°C. It’s not as strong or durable as PETG, and its prints are less effective for high-temperature use than PETG. You don’t even have to use a heated bed with PLA, as it does not warp much – though it’s still recommended.

ABS

ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is a common thermoplastic with high tensile strength. From lego bricks to car dashboards to wall socket coverings, ABS is everywhere. 

At 105°C, ABS has a higher glass transition temperature than PETG. But it’s also more sensitive to changes in ambient temperature, making it tedious to work with. In most cases, ABS requires heated, enclosed build chambers during printing to prevent warping, as well as a heated bed. 

ASA

ASA (Acrylic Styrene Acrylonitrile) is closely related to ABS in terms of its chemical properties. It was derived to serve as a more UV-resistant version of ABS that is easier to use. The glass transition temperature of ASA is 100°C. 

ASA also requires a heated enclosure, not only because of its similarity to ABS, but also due to its tendency to release toxic fumes.

TPU

TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) is an example of flexible filament. It’s the go-to filament for printing rubbery, bendy parts such as phone cases. TPU’s glass transition temperature is anywhere from room temperature to 90°C for some brands.

It’s also tricker to print, and doesn’t work well with bowden extruders. Print slowly (20-30mm/s) and with a direct drive extruder.

Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate is a tough filament that is largely used for engineering applications. 

Its glass transition temperature of 147°C makes it one of the best materials to use for printing parts that are used in high-temperature environments.

Polycarbonate requires an enclosed build volume because any uncontrolled cooling conditions will likely create layer separation in polycarbonate prints.

Nylon 

Nylon is a common 3D printing filament with a variety of applications. Nylon’s glass transition temperature is 70-80°C. It also requires an enclosure around the build volume during printing in order to avoid warping issues. 

When it comes to toughness and strength, nylon gives most 3D printing filaments a run for their money. 

The better you look after your printer, the less time you’ll spend scratching your head over it.

One of my most common frustrations is coming back to my machine printing in ‘thin air’ because it stopped extruding part way through the print.

In some instances, it’s not even a blockage, but an otherwise perfect print finishing with little specks of the previous color filament embedded in it. 

The extruder and nozzle components of your are arguably the most sensitive parts to your printer, and the hardest to keep in top condition – but it’s crucial maintenance if you’re aiming for perfect 3D prints.

How not to clean your nozzle

And that’s where cleaning filament comes in. Use it proactively and it’s the best preventative measure, yet it’ll also help to unblock all but a fully clogged nozzle.

In this article, we’re going to cover everything you need to know to use cleaning filament effectively and discuss how it stacks up against other cleaning methods like the ‘cold pull’ technique.

P.S If you’ve currently got a fully blocked nozzle, you can read our full guide to unclogging your nozzle here. 

How Does Cleaning Filament Work?

You’re likely skeptical that cleaning filament is a bit of a gimmick. Or just as likely, you’re not convinced you even need it.

Never had a blockage before? I don’t believe you It can happen to anyone at any time.

Some think cleaning filament as just made from Nylon or HDPE filament – which is the material of choice for the cold pull method. It isn’t by the way (and you don’t use the cold pull method with cleaning filament).

Or perhaps it’s just a cheap, highly abrasive material that strips everything out? And presumably erodes the inside of your nozzle over time…

Again, no. It’s actually (we can only speak for ours, of course) a non-abrasive industrial-grade compound for purging hard-stuck chemical residues out of injection molding machines.

We’ve sourced the best we could find, modified it for a larger range of operating temperatures, and extruded it into 3D printer-friendly filament form. 

Why Is Cleaning Filament Better Than Other Methods?

First on the left, towards a cleaner nozzle on the right. You can see how this can easily take 5-6 ‘pulls’

The well-known ‘atomic method’ or ‘cold pull’ has long been the method of choice to clean out your nozzle.

Often done after you’ve experienced a full or partial blockage, the general method goes like this:

1. Heat up your nozzle to around 250°C and insert Nylon filament as far as it will go, then cool the nozzle back down to about 30°C while maintaining the pressure.
2. Once cool, quickly pull the Nylon out. Usually takes a good hard yank (you may need one hand on your printer to prevent it from being pulled off the desk).
3. Do this procedure 3-5 times or until the end of the filament you’re pulling out is clear and has a well-defined tip (indicating a clear and residue-free nozzle).

In our opinion, this process is a little bit brutal. The whole process puts a lot of strain on some relatively delicate parts in your machine.

It also takes time to heat and cool your nozzle each time. You don’t want to leave the material hot in the nozzle for too long either; it definitely won’t help your situation).

The other option is if the cold pull method won’t work, you’ll likely need to insert a very thin drill bit or hypodermic needle up there. You’ll want to use the same size as the nozzle.

For 0.4mm nozzles, this is just about possible, but if you’re printing with 0.2mm nozzles or small – you’ll probably be best off just replacing it.

The risk here, apart from the obvious dangers of using very small, thin needles (we don’t recommend it, for the record) is that they can snap off inside the nozzle.

You’ll notice neither of these methods is really foolproof, or that user-friendly. Luckily, there’s a better way that’s fairly new on the scene.

3D Nozzle cleaning filament takes far less time to clean out your nozzle. Often in as little as 30 seconds, and you don’t need to do anything out of the ordinary, except changing filament. Which you should be pretty comfortable with by now…

Disadvantages of Using Cleaning Filament

This wouldn’t be a fair review without telling you what you can’t use it for, and why it’s not for everyone.

1. You can’t unblock a fully clogged nozzle with it. You need to have at least some flow rate to work. That’s why it’s always best to have and use nozzle cleaner filament before you need it.

As long as some filament comes through with a small amount of force, you should be able to unclog your nozzle. And we promise we won’t stand back, arms folded saying “told you so” the whole time…

2. It’s expensive. Well, it isn’t. But at first glance. You see, you really don’t need much. About 0.5 to 1 gram per use, maximum. Luckily you don’t need to buy a whole KG spool of it then (if you did, ours would be £360/KG).

For around £18 you’ll get 50 grams, which will get you a solid 70-100 nozzle purges. That’s just 20p per clean, in 30 seconds. Compared to 20 minutes yanking your 3D printer around for each clean, well – it’s a no-brainer.

What to Consider When Buying Cleaning Filament

Make sure you know what you’re getting. Some cleaner filaments could just be re-branded cheaper materials that don’t perform as advertised. Make sure you read the reviews, and factor in the price.

There may be cheaper ones on the market, but it’s worth weighing up – you may need more grams per clean if they’re not as effective, so it could end up being more expensive overall.

Other known brands we’re aware of are Lulzbot and eSun cleaning filament, so it may be worth doing your own testing.

Reviews are usually a pretty good indicator that it does as advertised. As for where to get it, you can find a few popular brands on Amazon.

How To Use Cleaning Filament

If you’ve bought some already and you’re left wondering what to do with this un-printable filament – or you’re just wanting to read up on cleaning filament instructions before you begin, here we explain what you should and shouldn’t be doing with your new one-stop 3D printer cleaning kit.

For most machines, there’s no need to cut the cleaning material, just load and unload like a regular filament.

For other machines or if you have an under extruding partial blockage, you may wish to unplug the Bowden tube to manually push the Floss filament through the nozzle.

When printing with the same material:

1. Printing with one material like PLA, all the time? How often you need to use your cleaner filament will depend on how often you print, and the quality of filament that you use. Poor quality or cooked/burned filament can leave residue in your nozzle. Even PLA can solidify in the nozzle over time, so we advise flushing it through at least every 200 – 400 printing hours.
2. Depending on your printer design, there are a few ways to use cleaning filament. In most instances, simply unload the previous filament and load your cleaner filament as you would any other filament.
3. Keep the printing temperature the same as your printing filament and begin to extrude the new cleaner material into thin air (don’t try to print with it!). Many printers will extrude a set amount as part of the loading process anyway. Keep extruding until you cannot see residue of the previous material, or contamination specks. Once it runs clear, simply unload and reload with your printing filament. No need to try a cold pull (although you can if you’re still not convinced it worked).

 When printing with different materials:

1. Always run the cleaner filament through at the last printing temperature. So if you were using PLA, and you’re changing materials to ABS, run the cleaner through at around 200C, not 230C. Likewise, if your last material was Nylon and you’re changing down to PETG, you’d run the cleaner through at around 260C. Our Floss cleaning filament has a temperature range of 200-280C+
2. As before, run enough filament through until you’re sure you cannot see any specks or residue. Then just unload and proceed as normal with your new material, ensuring the nozzle is at the correct temperature for the new material before you load it.

And that’s it, that simple. You may need to manually feed it if your nozzle is partially blocked to get some to feed through, just to apply a little extra pressure.

Although don’t force it, if your nozzle is completely blocked unfortunately you’ll just have to use one of the previously mentioned unblocking methods.

ASA has superior UV and weather resistance, making it more suitable for outdoor prints. It also has better color and shape retention over time and a nicer tactile feel than ABS.

However, ABS is a better choice for indoor prints that do not require high weather resistance because it’s more widely available and may be more affordable than ASA

In this article, I’m going to explain exactly what separates ABS and ASA and help you decide which is right for your project.

ABS vs ASA 3D Printer Filaments

If you know anything about 3D printing, chances are you’re familiar with ABS filament. It is, after all, one of the most popular materials used by FDM experts. 

And for good reason; ABS is a sturdy plastic with higher melting points than PLA, as well as a long, durable lifespan. This makes it suitable for making replacement parts for cars and machines, even.

ABS, however, is not perfect. It has flaws.

First and foremost, it can be more difficult to print with than PLA, depending on which brand of ABS you have purchased.

It also wears under rough weather conditions and yellows under the UV rays of the sun. So if you were wondering why your once-white birdhouse is now tinted yellow, there’s your answer.

With this in mind, a new (and I use the term lightly since something created in the 1970s can hardly be called “new”) material called ASA filament is now being produced at a level that allows domestic users of low-cost 3D printers to employ it in their machines.

How do ABS and ASA Differ?

If you want to know the key difference between ABS and ASA filaments:

ASA has phenomenal strength and is exceptionally weather and chemical resistant, meaning it will withstand outdoor weather conditions of all sorts with unmatched durability.

Another benefit of ASA plastic is its ability to retain both shape and color over time. While many filaments will gradually yellow over time, ASA has the lowest levels of yellowing for such a stable, resistant-to-wear printing material.

In addition, ASA has unparalleled retention of physical features. In other words, it keeps its shape even under harsh weather conditions.

So if you’ve always wanted a 3D printed replica of Michelangelo’s David as the centerpiece for your garden without worrying about his ‘special bits’ eroding, ASA has your back.

Although it’s hard to explain in an article, our customers report (and we agree) that ASA prints have a nicer tactile feel to them than ABS. Worth noting if ergonomics are also a requirement in your print. 

As the two plastics have similar strength and toughness properties, they also both respond well to finishing, such as acetone smoothing. You can smooth ASA prints in acetone vapor similar to how you would with ABS. 

While we’re discovering the benefits of ASA, it would be worthwhile to consider the plastic’s density. Whereas ABS has a density of ‘1.04’ per g/cm³, ASA has a substantial density of ‘1.07’ per g/cm³.

ABS and ASA Key Stats

The 3D printing, heated bed, fan, density, and UV resistances between ABS and ASA are:

All right, so what we’re seeing here are quite a few similarities between ABS and ASA filament; they have comparable temperatures for printing; both on the printer’s hotend and heated bed, as well as a marginal difference in density.

So that’s good to know; ASA filament is of a strong build like ABS and, in addition, should be very easy to print for those already familiar with ABS.

Let’s look at the few key differences when printing to help you decide which of the two you should be buying.

The Key Differences in Printing ASA vs ABS

First off; cooling. This is one of the most important differences to remember during printing. When printing with ASA, the printer’s cooling fan should be turned down to approximately 10% or just 5% power.

The reason for this is simple: cool it too fast, and the ASA is susceptible to cracking. And, let’s be honest, you don’t want your statue of David to lose his masculinity like he had once the pope was through with him.

So, an easy reminder for printing with ASA: turn your fans low, to about 10% power, and make sure your printing environment isn’t drafty, or cold.

ASA can be cold after the printing process, of course, it’s just while the material is cooling – this process needs to be slow.

For best results, you still want a small amount of cooling though, which is why we don’t recommend completely turning your fans off.

Which is Best for UV Weather Resistance?

You’ll have noticed quite a bit of mention in this article about ASA filament’s excellent ability to retain its shape and color even in rough weather.

This, more than anything, would be the deciding factor if you wanted to change from ABS to ASA.

If you are printing indoor items, then ABS is as good as ASA in terms of life and color/shape retention. However, if you want that magnificent statue of David to last for years in your front yard, in all his naked glory, ASA is the way to go.

It will last longer than ABS in the sun and doesn’t yellow, at least not noticeably, under UV radiation.

Now, the decision is yours to make; ABS or ASA. And it shouldn’t be a hard one, as we’ve already discussed that the biggest influencing factor should be what you are printing and where you want to put it; inside or outside the house.

If you are thinking of buying ASA filament, it is worth bearing in mind that it is slightly more expensive than ABS, but that makes sense due to its sturdier outdoor design and purpose.

We advise you to buy from somewhere that offers excellent support along with excellent high-quality filament.

If you need a material that produces results that range from translucent to nearly transparent, PMMA filament may be the solution that you’re looking for.

PMMA filament (also known as acrylic) is strong, cheap, and has comparable clarity to glass – which makes it ideal for a bunch of applications like car headlights or aquariums.

It’s also available in several colors, to add some pop to your prints. Plus, PMMA is acetone-soluble, making it easy to achieve a clean, smooth finish.

But for the best quality prints, you’ll need to use the right temperature settings and calibrate your printing bed properly to prevent potential warping.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the sneaky tricks I’ve learned through 3D printing PMMA filament – so you can get the best results.

We’ll discuss all the benefits and drawbacks of this increasingly popular filament, and compare it against the alternative transparent filaments you may also be considering.

What is PMMA Filament?

PMMA, or polymethyl methacrylate, is a strong, lightweight and transparent thermoplastic.

Also known as acrylic, PMMA filament is used commercially as a shatter-resistant alternative to glass under the trade names Plexiglas, Lucite and Perspex.

It has good impact strength, significantly higher than glass, but lower than some stronger and more expensive materials like polycarbonate.

It has less than half the density of glass, but has comparable clarity and UV absorption properties. It finds commercial applications as a glass substitute when extremely high impact strength isn’t necessary, but weight, transparency and cost are issues.

As a result, you’ll find PMMA in automobile headlights, commercial aquariums, ice rink protective glass and more.

We feel it’s definitely an underrated material. 

There are several important benefits to using PMMA as a 3D printing material. To begin with, it has a high impact resistance which makes it tough and durable. It’s also extremely rigid with very little flexibility.

So, if you’re going to need to print an object that will stand up to a certain amount of stress without bending or deforming, then PMMA 3D printer filaments are a strong contender.  

Its high impact strength means that anything that you print using PMMA will not as likely break if dropped or handled roughly. Think glass, only stronger and less fragile.

Additionally, once printed, PMMA diffuses light wonderfully. Treated right, it can give marvelous results that range from translucent to nearly transparent filament.

The Main PMMA 3D Filament Properties

• Clear, thermoplastic acrylic
• Strong, rigid, lightweight, impact resistant
• Available in several colors, including neutral, red, blue and green
• Acetone soluble
• Generally, not food safe
• PMMA filament temperature prints from 245C to 255C
• Recommended printing bed temperature: from 100C to 120C

A look at the data stats confirms the strength of PMMA. PMMA has a specific gravity of 1.20 g/cm³. This makes it comparable in density to PLA and about one-fifth denser than ABS.

PMMA has a Rockwell hardness of R 105, making it comparable in hardness to ABS and significantly harder than PLA.

However, strength is where PMMA really shines over plastic filament materials. It has a maximum tensile strength of 12,100 psi (83.42 MPa). Compare that to 6500 psi (44.81 MPa) for ABS and 8383 psi (57.8 MPa) for PLA. It also has a maximum compression strength of 17,000 psi (117.21 MPa). By way of comparison, the maximum compression strength of ABS is 6750 psi (46.54 MPA).

With PMMA you have a dense, hard printing material that gives you some significant advantages in the area of strength. Specifically, PMMA is able to handle various stress forces better than plastic filament. This makes it a natural fit for any application that calls for rigidity and inflexibility.

Additionally, the translucency/transparency of PMMA makes it the perfect solution where a clear part or object is desired. Clarity and strength in one package make PMMA a filament that can be a great contender in your 3D printing arsenal.

If you’re looking for translucent or clear materials, the ones that are available are PETG, Polycarbonate, Natural PLA and ‘Clear’ ABS. Although, clear ABS uses an additive so it’s more likely translucent filament when printed. 

Now, before we go on to take a look at some of the best practices to use when 3D printing with PMMA, we need quickly talk about the use of PMMA in investment casting.

PMMA in Investment Casting

Investment casting, as you may know, is a process where a pattern of a part or object is made out of an easily melted material, traditionally wax, and surrounded by a ceramic mixture to create a mold. Molten alloy metal is then poured into the mold, melting and displacing the wax. This forms a perfect metal replica of the wax part or object.

The problem with wax patterns is that they are formed using injection molding and typically carry a five-figure price tag and require a two-month lead time to produce. 3D printing has revolutionized the investment casting process by slashing the time and cost of producing patterns.

Read more: lost wax casting in 3D printing

Using a 3D printer and a material like PMMA, a pattern of an object can be completed in under a week for a couple of hundred dollars or pounds, and with potentially greater detail than is available using wax.

Upon contact with the molten metal, the PMMA burns to ash, leaving very little residue behind. If you do any type of metal casting using a mold, you owe it to yourself to try PMMA as a pattern material.

How to 3D Print With PMMA Filament

If you’re wondering how to 3D print with PMMA, it all comes down to keeping an eye on a couple of things.

Temperature

PMMA will print anywhere from 245°C to 255°C. However, at lower temperatures, the flow can be inconsistent with blobbing occurring.

At higher temperatures, at or near 250°C, the flow becomes consistent and printing is easier.

You’ll want to heat your printing bed to prevent warping. A temperature of around 100°C is optimal. There can be some shrinkage with PMMA during cooling. Because of this, you might want to consider enclosing the printing chamber to better regulate cooling speed with transparent 3D printer filament.

Speed

If you’re looking to maximize the transparency of PMMA, then you want to keep an eye on your printing speed and printing temperature.

Play around with your PMMA filament settings to get the clearest results. As we discussed, PMMA can flow inconsistently and blob at lower temperatures. These inconsistencies can produce bubbling and unevenness in the print line.

These inconsistencies, as they layer throughout the object being printed, eventually begin to reduce the clarity of the material, turning it from transparent to translucent. In extreme cases, the object being produced can even become opaque. Higher printing temperatures reduce inconsistent flow.

Optimal PMMA filament print speeds are:

Slower printing speeds, 30 mm/sec or less, and ensuring your printer’s belts are tight and there’s no vibration on the printer allow for proper material alignment. All of these things lead to increased clarity in the object you are printing.

We want to make sure that your printing jobs come out right the first time, every time. After all, ruined print jobs waste time and materials. That’s why low-quality print filament is a false economy. It may cost you less up-front but ends up costing you much more in time and the material you lose from failed prints.

Other articles you may be interested in:

• Best 3D printer filament: buyer’s guide and all filament types compared
• 3D printer materials compared
• PLA Filament guide

Just a few short years ago, 3D printers were restricted to just your regular PLA and ABS filaments on any machine costing less than $30,000 or so.

Now, you’re able to print with nearly any material you want, on a desktop printer for about $1000. And one of the most exciting new options is Carbon Fibre composite filaments

It’s one of my favorite materials, with an incredible strength-to-weight ratio, good tensile strength, and resistance to corrosion and fatigue.

The best carbon fiber filament I’d recommend for most users is NylonX from Matterhackers. It offers the best performance for a majority of uses. It’s extremely durable, with a low friction coefficient and impressive heat stability

That said, XT CF20 Colorfabb is the cheapest option if you’re looking for a budget pick, why Onyx is an ultra-high-performance choice for pro prints.

We’ll also break down exactly what carbon fiber filament is so you can be sure carbon fiber is the right material for you before investing.

What is Carbon Filament?

It’s important not to get confused, or have unrealistic expectations here. Carbon fiber filament is not the same as the carbon fiber you might expect to find in high-performance race cars or aircraft. The processes, materials used, and the design are all completely different.

Typical fiber-based composites are large, long sheets of woven fibers sealed in a tough epoxy-based resin, not a re-meltable thermoplastic (like filaments are).

Frustratingly most CF (Carbon Fiber) filaments available at the moment are just PLA mixed with CF dust. Now, PLA is typically very brittle (certainly most varieties of it are) and adding another brittle material in the form of a powder essentially creates one of the most brittle printing materials you could think of. That’s Carbon Fiber PLA. 

That’s the reason (and I may get slated for this) you’re not going to find Carbon Fibre PLA filament in this “best of” article. That’s because PLA does not complement carbon.

For similar reasons, we’re not going to cover Carbon Fibre ABS filament here either.

A better use of your time (and money, because CF filament isn’t cheap) would be to choose a base material with excellent durability to counter Carbon’s potentially brittle (but very hard) nature. That way, you’ll be left with prints that exude rigidity, hardness, and durability. Which, let’s face it, is the golden set of properties for high-performance applications.

Using materials like PETG and Nylon, or other better performing resins, with small particles (or strands) of CF inside, makes a version of the material closer to what you’d expect. The base resin used, amount of CF, and size of the individual particles of carbon in the material affect a range of factors, including printability, cost, and finished part strength.

Make no mistake: the right blend of resin and CF can make a superior, hard, stiff, and durable material that will rival any other filament available for consumer-level FDM printing today. So for those projects where nothing else will do, carbon could be your go-to filament.

You can treat this article as a mini carbon fiber filament review. Let’s take a look at the 4 highest performance 3D printer carbon fiber filament varieties currently available on the market today:

ColorFabb XT CF20 (Carbon Fibre PETG Filament)

Price: Approx. £60/KG

Thought we’d kick things off with arguably the most well-known (and cheapest) CF material on this list. ColorFabb ‘XT’ is basically the same popular PETG (think PET in plastic bottles, but Glycol-modified for strength) but with a 20% fiber reinforcement.

As with all Carbon Fiber 3D filament, it’s important you use a hardened nozzle. A regular Brass nozzle will wear out in a few short hours of printing. XT CF20 is no different, so make sure you have some hardened nozzles to hand. It’s also worth bearing in mind most fiber or composite filaments are best printed with 0.5mm or larger nozzles. If the particles in the filament are not sufficiently nano-sized then blockages can occur easily on smaller nozzle sizes.

Similar to PLA, PETG filament is rather dense so naturally, XT has a higher-end density, coming in at 1.27 g/cm³. Not so much an issue when printing most things, but if weight is a concern you may be interested in lower density materials (like Nylon) that can be up to 20% lighter for the same volume.

ColorFabb is a known industry benchmark, promising tolerances of +/-0.05mm of their advertised 1.75mm or 2.85mm sizes. Generally, the tighter the tolerances, the cleaner your prints will look – so it’s worth watching out for. Tolerances that are too wide can even lead to blockages, so be wary of +/-0.10mm variances in cheaper filaments.

Other benefits of XT CF20, in line with PETG filaments, are low warp and good durability. It is worth taking into consideration the typical printing nuances of PETG for best results, which you can find more info on here.

MatterHackers NylonX (Carbon Fibre Nylon Filament)

Price: Approx. £110/KG

Although PETG-based CF filaments are significantly better than ABS or PLA-based composites, the ultimate harmony of materials is Nylon and CF combined. NylonX is MatterHacker’s take on this combination of Carbon Fiber Nylon Filament.

Nylon polymer is, we think, arguably the best material currently available to 3D print with for the majority of performance applications.

Nylon is one of those materials that just has it all. Extreme durability, great chemical and heat stability and a low friction coefficient to name a few properties. And with its great durability, it naturally makes for a perfect pairing with the otherwise fairly brittle CF.

Granted, Carbon Fiber 3D Printer filament has a rougher, matte finish, so the low friction advantage isn’t as good as non-composite Nylon, but it’s still a favorable factor over other base resin materials if this is a concern.

It’s worth noting though that all Nylon based filaments should always be dried before printing. Nylon filament is extremely hygroscopic and can absorb a lot of moisture in a short time frame. If you hear popping during printing, that’ll be too much moisture.

Again as with ColorFabb’s XT CF20 above, Nylon X diameter tolerances are a reasonable +/-0.05mm of the advertised size. This is a mid-range Nylon Carbon Fiber filament. 

Onyx (Nylon Carbon Fiber Filament)

Price: Approx. £200/KG

Another Nylon-based CF filament (can you see a trend here?) is this one from Onyx. These are the guys behind the impressive Markforged 2 continuous fiber 3D printer. Using a continuous fiber, the prints you can get are closer in strength to more recognized CF materials.

However, this continuous approach can only currently be done on the special Markforged printer. For comparison, their carbon continuous filament is priced at an eye-watering £2500/KG.

For everyone else, their original material ‘Onyx’ works in standard 3D printers and is simply a higher grade of Nylon and CF. It is similar to Nylon X (as above), but the quality is arguably more in keeping with what you’d expect from an ultra-high-performance material.

The only downside with this Carbon Nylon filament is the price, as it the most expensive filament in this comparison.

As to which carbon filament is for you, this is determined by what you’re actually needing it for and your budget.

We’ve covered a cheaper option, mid-range, and the high end of the market. We’ve not included it in this list, as we wanted it to be impartial, we’ve also created a Nylon 12 CF filament called Carbonyte which you can view here.

With consistent-sized nanoparticle carbon fibers, using pure high-grade Nylon 12 resin and extruded to ultra-tight tolerances of just 0.03mm+/-, you may well have found the high-performance material you’ve been looking for with Carbonyte. Our manufacturing controls and customer service are second to none.

You can watch Thomas Sanladerer’s video review of our Carbonyte here: 

PLA is versatile, relatively cheap, and very forgiving. I find it super easy to drill or cut, with very little risk of warping to my 3D prints.

But on the other hand, it’s not food safe, and you’ll need to sand it if you want that smooth finish (vapor finishing doesn’t work with PLA).

In this article, we’re going to take a closer look at all the pros and cons I’ve found from using PLA hundreds of times and show you the settings and methods I use to get the best results possible from my prints.

What is PLA Filament?

You might be wondering what exactly is PLA filament made from? Well, its full term is Poly-Lactic Acid and it is a thermoplastic polymer.

Because it is derived from natural sources like corn and sometimes sugarcane, PLA is sometimes referred to a bioplastic. The majority of other thermoplastics are distilled from non-renewable resources like petroleum.

In addition, because it is a natural product, it is also long-term biodegradable. This means that when discarded into a composting system, PLA will naturally break down into its constituent parts typically within a few years.

Compare this to other thermoplastics which would thousands of years to degrade.

What are the Best Applications for Using PLA?

As PLA is so versatile, it’s a great starting filament to use for the majority of 3D prints. Be wary though, due to it being commonplace in the market – there is a lot of poor-quality PLA around. People try this, get frustrated that it’s weak and brittle, and move on to other materials to 3D print. 

PLA is often used by makers and fans to create miniatures, of any particular style that they are die-hard fans of. Custom DnD characters, classic memorabilia models such as WW2 planes or retro 3D printed cars are commonly made from PLA. Cosplay props are another common application that work great with PLA, as well as general decorations.

Our advice is to use high-quality PLA. Don’t just write it off as being not strong enough for the variety of prints. You’ll be amazed at the difference. There’s no need to move onto ‘stronger’ filaments like ABS, PETG, or others until your prints get more advanced.

Typically print with PLA until you find you have a reason to experiment with other materials. When you want to print more exciting/usable products you can experiment with flexible materials.

PLA is also used in rapid prototyping, to create low-cost, accurate parts with a good surface finish. Though not terrifically strong, PLA is great for aesthetic testing for shape or size.

Why Print with PLA?

Here’s why we love PLA 3D printer filament so much:

• Easy and forgiving to print — get good quality PLA and it’ll flow nicely and won’t warp, making it safe for kids to 3D print.
• Finish detail — usually very neat. It isn’t prone to stringing or blobbing.
• Post print finishing is straightforward — it’s easy to sand, drill, or cut after printing.
• It can be surprisingly strong.
• PLA can be pigmented easily — so you’ll usually find color selections better and more vivid. 
• It doesn’t smell bad when printing (not that you should be smelling it, always print in well-ventilated areas). 
• Biodegradeable — you don’t need to feel bad throwing it out, because eventually, it’ll biodegrade. It also has non-toxic and all-natural ingredients. PLA comes from a renewable resource, usually from corn, and under industrial composting conditions will degrade.
• PLA print temperature is lower than most other filaments. 
• No harmful fumes when printing — whereas filaments like ABS can create smelly fumes that may be harmful, PLA is safe and odorless, as it is formed from crops rather than petroleum-based compounds.
• Cheap — PLA is one of the cheapest filaments around, and for the price, offers a good surface finish and part strength.

What’s the difference between ABS and PLA?

While for the majority of prints, good quality PLA is strong and a great all-rounder, it’s worth understanding what ABS filament can be used for too. 

Here are the key differences between the two summed up:

• ABS is a little more durable than PLA, and slightly stronger – it’s also less dense. This does make ABS a great upgrade material for some end-use parts if for some reason PLA won’t quite cut it.
• ABS smells stronger (like melting plastic) when printing. While ABS and PLA both give off fumes when printing (so ALWAYS print in well-ventilated areas) but PLA smells much softer and slightly sweet.
• ABS can be acetone smoothed, which is a way to smooth out the layer lines left by 3D printing. It can also increase the ultimate strength of your print. 
• While PLA is long-term biodegradable, ABS isn’t. However, ABS is recyclable. Note: To ensure it can be recycled just make sure you print the #9 Recycling logo on each print. 

Read more: PLA vs ABS

Is PLA filament food safe? 

When not 3D printed, yes. If you’re new to 3d printing, it’s likely that you’ve already encountered PLA around your home.

PLA is used to make many common objects, including food containers, disposable tableware and garbage bags. 

However, 3D printing in PLA will not create food-safe containers, because 3d printing can cause many tiny gaps and cavities in your prints that will harbor moisture and food residue.

After a few washes, this will turn into mold and you won’t be able to keep it clean. 

Even though PLA is biodegradable it is still a strong and durable material. You will find PLA to be harder than other common thermoplastics like ABS.

However, its lower tensile strength tends to make it more brittle PLA.

What is PLA melting point?

It should be noted that PLA melting temp is relatively low temperature, in the neighborhood of 170°C upwards which makes it a poorer choice for objects that will be used in a higher temperature application.

Objects that are 3D printed with PLA will hold up fine when used at room temperatures in a normal environment.

Can you paint on PLA filament?

Yes, it’s easy to paint your PLA prints. It’s best to use acrylic-based paints, but you can also use oil or cellulose spray paints. We recommend using kid-friendly paints if safety is a concern.  

Check out our guide on getting a professional-grade finish with your prints. 

Best Settings for 3D Printing with PLA

Now that you know what PLA is and you have a general understanding of its strengths and weaknesses, let’s take a look at some of the things that you can do to get the most out of using PLA as a print material.

In this regard, we’re going to look at three critical areas that can affect the success of any 3D printing job – temperature, adhesion, and material storage.

In any print job, it’s very important that you get the printing temperature just right if you want a good run. Printing with PLA is no exception to this rule.

It’s worth noting that higher-quality PLAs print at lower temperatures, due to the purity of the resin and lack of contaminants. 

PLA benefits from relatively low shrinkage, hence the low-to-no warp. While the PLA shrinkage varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, it is usually within the 2-5% range.

You’re best printing a model that’s a known length, with both horizontal, vertical, and perpendicular holes in that you can measure its length, and dimensions of the holes after printing to compare. 

What Temperature is Best for Printing PLA?

In general, PLA filament settings have an optimal printing PLA temperature range from about 185°C to about 205°C. If you’re using 1.75mm as opposed to thicker 2.85mm (or 3.00mm) your optimal print will be closer to the lower end of this PLA filament temperature range.

If you’re using 2.85mm filament, you might want to go closer to the higher end of the temperature range to compensate for the increased thickness of the material.

With any material, and PLA extruder temperature can differ (+/-10%) depending on your machine. It may be wise to independently measure the temp of your extruder nozzle to accurately dial in the extrusion heat.

• PLA density: around 1.24 g/cm³ (changes if blended with other materials or filaments)
• PLA glass transition temperature: 60-65°C

In any event, no matter what PLA filament temperature you start with, you do want to adjust that temperature slightly upwards or downwards depending on the environment of the room you are printing in and the initial print conditions that you observe.

In general, it’s a good idea to start PLA printing temperature at about 180°C and note how the material is being extruded, as well as the quality of the print layers being produced.

That’s usually the best temp for PLA settings. If you note problems with the material, simply adjust the temperature up or down in 5°C increments until the problem is no longer noticeable.

Please note that due to the high quality of our PLA you’ll want to typically print at lower temperatures than others available.

Finding the best PLA temperature can be a little trial and error but is nearly always nearer the lower end of the spectrum for higher-end filaments. 

Your print temperature is probably too high if you notice that strings of material are occurring as your printer is moving between different parts of the print job.

This “stringing” happens because the PLA loses too much viscosity due to being too hot. As a result, the material leaks out of the print nozzle as it moves.

If this happens for you after reducing your hot-end temperature, increase retraction distance slightly and definitely increase cooling. For more information with printing faults, check out our Ultimate 3D Print Quality Troubleshooting Guide here. 

Your print temperature is probably too low if you notice that the PLA is having trouble adhering to the print surface or to previous layers. Temperature is also likely the cause of problems in the surface of the printed object like gaps, holes and missing layers.

However it’s worth noting in our experience, 90% of problems printing with PLA is that it’s simply being printed too hot. So if in doubt on your 3D printer settings for PLA, turn it down. 

This is an indication that the PLA is under extruding because of a higher material viscosity caused by a PLA 3D printing temperature that is too low.

In either case, dialing in the correct print temperature will increase the chances that you’ll end up with an object that is both useful and beautiful.

Be careful you don’t boil your PLA. This sounds odd, but it’s easy to print good quality PLA too hot.

If you’re doing high detail or bridges, you want to control your PLA print temp with fans, to prevent sagging or loss of detail to ‘melting’ style effects.

PLA Print Speed

When it comes to print speed, every printer is different and optimum settings will depend on what type of printer you’re using.

Generally, printing PLA is usually good at any speed between 30mm to 90mm/sec. For higher-quality end results, a lower printer speed is more likely to get you the finished product that you want.

As with temperature, the best speed for the object that you’re printing will need to be dialed in.

Adhesion

Getting your print material to adhere to your print surface is key to a successful print run. One of the things that make high-quality PLA one of the easier materials to print with is that it somewhat easily adheres to a wide variety of surfaces with a minimum of fuss.

Printing PLA without a heated bed is easily done – although to aid first layer adhesion we do recommend a heated bed between 40-50°C. 

Problems with your PLA filament not sticking? Take a look at our article on build plate surfaces and adhesion to get an idea of what PLA build surfaces might work best for you.

One additional thing should be noted. PLA doesn’t require a heated bed to print it as it’s low warp, but you might want to use one as it can make those first few layers of adhesion easier.

If your PLA does warp, you might want to take a look at our article “Warping – Why It Happens and How to Prevent It” which can be found here.

How To Store PLA

PLA, like a number of other thermoplastics, is hygroscopic. This means that, over time, it naturally absorbs water from the air that surrounds it. When water builds up it PLA, it tends to break down or alter the molecular chains that hold the PLA together.

When you print with PLA that has absorbed water, you will find that it is harder to get layers to bind together and those that do bind together tend to be distorted.

Is your PLA filament brittle or snapping? That’s likely caused by (assuming it was good filament to start with) it having absorbed moisture. 

The solution to this problem is in proper storage of your PLA when you’re not printing.

Ideally, to maintain optimum printing conditions with your PLA, you should store it in an airtight filament container. We have linked to some we recommend below.

• Polymaker PolyBox II
• Printdry Vacuum Sealed Filament Storage Containers

Read more: the best 3D printer filament storage

Low cost filament seems like a bargain, but it’s not.  Yes, you don’t pay as much upfront for your printing material. However, when design after design is ruined because of imperfections in the filament, the cost of buying replacement filament begins to add up.

Making PLA filament

PLA is made by adding enzymes to starch harvested from crops such as corn to convert it into dextrose. Any pigments are added based on what color filament you want, as well as any blends for any hybrid type of PLA.

The mixture is fermented into lactic, which is then turned into polylactide. The process to get it to become a plastic on a spool involves drying the mixture out, putting into an extruder and heating, to be extruded into solid filament.

The filament is then cooled and wound onto a circular spool so that it is then ready to print.

Is PLA Biodegradable? And is PLA recyclable?

Many highlight the environmental benefit when arguing for the use of PLA in 3D printing and beyond, as it comes from a renewable resource rather than petroleum-based materials.

This is true, maize and other crops are renewable. However, we must also account for the opportunity cost of those crops being used to feed people – it is not such a cut-and-dried issue.

While undoubtedly avoiding non-renewables that pollute is positive, it takes between 2 and 3kg of corn to create 1kg of PLA. To completely replace non-renewable plastic production would take food from hundreds of thousands of people’s mouths. With demand for these crops exploding as the population continues to increase, this becomes less and less feasible.

Additionally, while PLA is biodegradable, this is under conditions of high 55-70°C temperatures. In normal day-to-day temperatures, it could take 80 years to decompose.

As for recyclability, yes, PLA is recyclable if collected especially for PLA. If contaminated with other plastics like PET this affects recyclability, resulting in large amounts of PLA not being recycled simply because systems are not in place to specifically recycle PLA.

A Short History of PLA in 3D printing

Polylactic Acid, shortened to PLA, was first used for 3D printing by Vik Olliver, one of the first champions of the RepRap movement. Struggling to find a good material for their first RepRap 3D printers to use, Vik Olliver collaborated with a New Zealand-based plastic manufacturer to get the first PLA filament made. It proved effective, and now 15 years later PLA is the most widely used filament in the world.

This is discussed in more detail in our long-form interview with Dr Adrian Bowyer MBE, the founder of the RepRap movement.

PLA is also one of many filaments compatible with the Ender 3, which is the most popular 3D printer out there – helping to bring the material to the masses.

Types of PLA Filament

There are actually even more than the ones listed here. These are some commonly seen variants:

• PLA+: an improved version of PLA blended with other plastics. It is known for being less brittle – a major drawback of PLA – and absorbs less moisture, as well as offering better mechanical properties.
• Wood-filled: printed parts look wooden
• Metal-filled: gives parts a realistic metallic look. Mixes include stainless steel blends, aluminium, copper, brass and bronze PLA filaments.
• Carbon fiber infused: for very strong, lightweight parts
• Flexible PLA: mixed with TPU or similar
• Aesthetically modified PLA: including glow-in-the-dark PLA, transparent or translucent blends, silk-like PLA, glittery and sparkly PLA, fluorescent, and color-changing PLA based on factors such as heat or UV light.
• Conductive PLA
• Lightweight (LW-PLA): designed so it foams when melts, spreading to a larger surface area to print lighter parts that require less filament to print. It’s more expensive, but allows for up to 65% lighter parts that print quicker.

Read more: best PLA filament

Drawbacks with using PLA Filament

• Brittle: not suitable for prints that need to be malleable or twisted in any way. Some PLA+ filaments somewhat improve the brittleness issue, but for these parts TPU or other more versatile filaments are better suited.
• Problems with oozing: need to set up an effective cooling fan system and retraction settings to counteract this.
• Not ideal for durable parts: has a glass transition temperature of between 60-65C, so PLA is not suitable for parts to be used outside or in hot temperatures. Moreover, filaments like PETG and ABS have stronger mechanical properties, so are better for functional parts.
• Not food safe: despite PLA being used with food packaging, PLA filament is not food safe. There are however food safe variants for applications where this is important.

PETG filament is a tough, durable, and flexible material ideal for printing large and flat objects.

It’s the perfect material for prints that require durability to resist impacts, with excellent chemical and water resistance.

That said, it’s important to know that PETG is incredibly adhesive. This means prints can be tricky to pry from the print bed, and it’s a poor choice for supports that you intend to remove from your finished print.

So whether PETG is right for you is going to depend entirely on the nature of your project.

In this guide, I’ll explain all of the strengths and weaknesses I’ve found in my experience using PETG, along with its ideal use cases and some tips and tricks to produce perfect prints with this filament.

After reading this guide, you’ll be getting the best possible prints using PETG and able to advise on when best to use this great material.

What is PETG Filament?

PETG is a durable copolyester (a combination). The PET stands for polyethylene terephthalate (think plastic bottles) and the G means it’s been glycol modified for extra durability.

One great thing about PETG is that it is very recyclable – so as long as the material is processed correctly, it can be repurposed fairly easily.

The flip side of that, however, is that PETG is (mostly) non-biodegradable, meaning it isn’t broken down by bacteria or living organisms. This, depending on how the plastic is being used, can be seen as a pro or a con.

PETG Characteristics

In short, PETG is a really tough material – it’s extremely durable and prints without odor. Once you’ve dialed in the correct print settings, it prints nicely too. Users report similar finish quality to PLA. 

Here are the main benefits of 3D printing with this material and common PETG filament properties:

• Very durable, it’s more flexible than PLA or ABS, but also a little softer. You’d have a hard job breaking it in half, so if an ‘unbreakable’ case or enclosure is what you need, PETG trumps pretty much everything (except, Nylon 12).
• It has very low shrinkage, and therefore no warping. Ideal for printing big stuff.
• PETG is also very strong, it’s not brittle but can be scratched more easily than ABS which is harder.
• PETG plastic makes a terrible support structure because it sticks so well. But because it sticks so well, layer adhesion is fantastic, so prints come out strong. If you are having trouble with adhesion, read our PETG adhesion guide.
• It sticks well to the print bed too, so be careful when you’re removing it after printing.
• It has great chemical resistance, along with alkali, acid, and water resistance.
• Odourless when printing.

Typically Polyethylene filament is supplied in a range of translucent colors, and prints with a nice glossy finish.

It makes it ideal for printing anything that needs to be shatterproof or translucent. Many are taking the leap from using PLA or ABS to just using PETG.

PETG has quickly become an extremely popular material due to its advanced properties, ease of printing and color range. It usually is the next step in material experimentation after PLA due to its increased temperature resistance and toughness, and it can be printed on most printers, from desktop to professional.

Compared to other popular, slightly more difficult materials to print (I’m looking at you, ABS!), PETG can provide a great solution to prints that need to be functional. It has high impact resistance, meaning it can be dropped, hit, and generally take a bit of battering without breaking. If you’re not convinced, try and break a plastic water bottle and see for yourself how durable this material truly is!

What is PETG Best for in 3D Printing?

Because of how easy PETG is to print nowadays, there aren’t many situations where we would turn down the material, but there are some solid examples of when we would say “ah yes, PETG is the one to use”.

PETG is considered food and drink safe, and is often used for waterproof parts and parts that will come into contact with food. Additionally, because of its great bed adhesion and very little warping, long and flat parts are often best 3D printed in PETG, such as mechanical parts.

Owing to PETG’s strong impact resistance, durability and density, PETG is the filament of choice for many makers creating custom parts for drone projects or other remote-controlled electronic experiments. Additionally, 3D printer parts are sometimes made from PETG, among other protective casings for electronics and motors as PETG can handle heat reasonably well.

The main argument for PETG is that it is strong and sturdy and has very low shrinkage – meaning you can print very accurate, large prints. It also has good heat and chemical resistance, making it great for the following projects: 

• Medical items 
• Engineering pieces 
• Electric cases 
• Functional items 
• Jewelry 
• Models with moving part

But we don’t recommend printing everything with it, due to its flexibility (which isn’t always desirable, depending on your application).

What’s PETG’s Glass Transition Temperature?

PETG has a glass transition temperature of 80°C – so that’s worth taking into consideration when deciding what material to make your next project out of. This is significantly lower than ABS’s Tg of 105°C, but higher than PLA which is as low as 55°C.

Below is one of our customer’s applications, which is a bumper for his micro quadcopter. As you can imagine, the bumper needs reasonable stiffness to resist impacts, but yet plenty of durability to absorb the force of any severe crashes.

We think this is a perfect example of the types of prints you may wish to print with this material. Essentially, it’s a great addition to your existing 3D printing filament arsenal. 

Here are a few data stats about PETG:

• Density of 1.27g/cc, that’s just higher than PLA and about 20% denser than ABS.
• Rockwell hardness of R 106, which is pretty high for PETG. (Our ABS, which is very hard, is rated R 110.)

Now you know why you’re likely to go for PET-G filament vs the more traditional materials. It’s nice to print with and produces excellently tough prints that will last.

Let’s look at how to get the best results from this underutilized filament, so that you can spend the least amount of time setting up, and more time producing ultra-durable high-use prototypes, models, or end-use parts.

Here’s How to 3D Print PETG

As with all 3D printing materials, you need to take note of the specific traits that material adheres to – which issues are caused by what?

This always saves head-scratching time when you run a material through your printer the first time, and the results aren’t quite what you expected.

This plastic is just like any other, you just need to adhere to the few best practices when printing and you’ll love the results.

Sometimes PET-G can take a little more setting up, fine tuning those filament settings. It’s just slightly more particular than something more forgiving, like PLA. That’s not to say it’s hard to use, just perhaps a little more patience with the setup. 

But once you’re set up correctly, you’ll find printing with PETG a dream. No warp, odorless printing and great layer adhesion are just some of the excellent properties with printing this filament.

Be sure to use a high-quality polyethylene filament and it’s likely you’ll just dial in your PETG temperature settings and you’ll be away.

However, as with any filaments there are some pointers to make the new transition easier.

Let’s look at how to get setup correctly, issues to look out for and our top PETG printing tips that’ll save you time troubleshooting.

PETG 3D Print Settings

PETG Temperature Settings

We recommend printing PETG settings at roughly 220°C-245°C depending on your extruder. The PETG bed temperature works best around 70-75°C, a few degrees hotter perhaps for those first few layers.

What’s the Best Surface to Print PETG on?

In our experience, blue painter’s tape works the best for 3D printing PETG. A very old method of print surface but, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

PETG generally has no trouble sticking to your print surfaces. It can be a bit of a pain when it comes to bed adhesion – but not in the way that you may think! On standard surfaces, the material can stick TOO well! Removing your prints then becomes a tricky game of applying enough force to get the print off but not too much so that it ruins the print surface, or worse, the printer itself.

PETG Retraction Settings

This material doesn’t need to be squeezed onto your heated bed, you want to leave a slightly larger gap on the Z-axis to allow more room for the plastic to lay down.

If the extruder nozzle is too close to the bed, or the previous layer, it will skim and create stringing on your PETG and build-up around your nozzle. We recommend starting off moving your nozzle away from the bed in 0.02mm increments, until there is no skimming when printing.

PETG Fan Settings

When setting your print cooling fan, the general rule is: the less fan, the better the layers bond and the higher the strength – but the worse the finish will be due to stringing and poor overhang printing.

The more fan, the weaker the bond (it will still be good just not great) but the better the finish on perimeters, top surfaces and overhangs.

A good compromise is a range between 30% and 60% fan speed. If you have a part that has lots of bridging sections, it is recommended to have a higher fan percentage, for these sections, so you do not allow the molten material to sag too much before cooling. This is easy to set up as most slicers enable you to set a fan speed override for bridges.

This is the sort of thing you may choose different fan settings for different prints – so that you’re set up optimally for what you wanted to print. Experiment to get a good idea for how the filament reacts with your printer’s fan settings. 

PETG Print Speed Settings

As with a lot of materials, PETG likes to be printed slow. Printing slower than 60mm/s is recommended to give PETG time to bond with previous layers and cool sufficiently in overhangs and bridged sections. If you print faster, quality and structural integrity may be compromised.

General Best Practices

One downside of printing with PETG is that it can end up gathering wayward pieces of filament during the printing process and can build these up to form little clumps of molten material.

These little clumps can then be deposited on your print in unexpected places which will at best ruin the overall finish of your print, or at worst, disrupt your print, cause collisions or ruin dimensionally-critical areas.

Fortunately, there are a few methods to avoid or reduce these imperfection:

• Increase retraction to reduce stringing and leaking material
• Enable the “wipe” setting
• Under-extrude slightly, but not by a huge amount. 0.1-0.2% is a good starting point(this will also help with stringing)
• Increase cooling fan speed (but as mentioned earlier, this does come at a cost of lower strength)

It’s likely you won’t have issues with all of these points, but as you can see – just like other 3D printing filaments, each material has its own set of traits to set up for.

Once you know the cause of each issue, and how to fix you’ll find the printing consistent time and time over.

Best PETG Filament

For every day, entry level 3D printer hobbyists who want to experiment and have fun, basic low-cost PETG will suffice. Those looking to make high quality parts with rapid prototyping may instead be drawn towards industrial 3D printer PETG filament, costing more.

• Matterhackers USA PETG filament range
• Matterhackers USA PRO Series PETG
• 3DJake UK & Europe PETG range

Here’s a Quick Rundown of PETG vs ABS:

• PETG is more durable than ABS, but ABS is harder, and more rigid. 
• PETG glass transition temperature is lower, at 80C compared with ABS’s 105C
• ABS is approximately 20% less dense than PETG.
• PETG won’t warp like ABS might (if printed incorrectly) and is generally odourless. 
• PETG is more chemically resistant, and so cannot be acetone smoothed like ABS. 

Read more: PETG vs ABS – in-depth comparison

Here’s a Quick Rundown of PETG vs PLA:

• PLA filament strength is more brittle than PETG, unless you want to try to anneal it. 
• PLA and PETG have very similar densities. 
• PETG will need a heated bed, whereas PLA can be printed cold. 
• Layer adhesion with PETG is typically unmatched, leaving very strong and durable prints. 
• PLA prints supports easily to remove, whereas these are harder (but not impossible) to remove with PETG. 

Read more: PETG vs PLA – filaments compared

TOP TIP: If you switch back and forth between PLA and PETG on your printer, beware that a nozzle that’s contaminated with PLA will not print PETG well – the PLA will interfere with bonding and the layers of PETG won’t stick together. If your PETG prints start out weak and crumbly for the first few layers and then become solid and strong for the rest of the print, contamination is the likely cause. To avoid this, when switching from PLA to PETG make sure you purge the nozzle with enough PETG to get rid of every last remnant of PLA from the printer’s hotend. It’s also a good idea to use a brim, skirt or raft so those risky first few lines aren’t part of your final prints.

How to Store PETG

PETG is slightly hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs small amounts of moisture from the air which worsens the print quality of PETG parts over time, making them more brittle and bubbly. It is recommended to keep all filament in a good filament storage container or other protector, or at least in a dry part of the room.

You can also dry “wet” PETG with a filament dryer. This helps remove most of the moisture and avoids most of the downsides that occur if you leave filament out for too long.

We recommend the following products:

• PrintDry Filament Drying System — dries wet filament, improving part quality
• PolyMaker Filament Storage Box II — for good storage and safe printing

Read more: best 3D printer filament storage

Advantages and Disadvantages of PETG

Advantages of PETG Filament

• Great middle-ground between PLA and ABS: PETG is stronger and can handle higher temperatures than PLA, while warping less than ABS.
• Excellent layer adhesion without much warping: PETG’s stickiness gives it great adhesion to the print bed, leading to strong, durable parts. This makes PETG a great option for long and thin parts that are very difficult to print using filaments like ABS.
• Good surface finish: PETG prints come out glittery and glossy, with a translucent, radiant finish. Though not to everyone’s tastes, many enjoy the finish they get from PETG 3D printing.
• Odorless: unlike ABS, PETG does not create bad smells from fumes while 3D printing.
• Many color options: like ABS and PLA, there are many options to choose from with PETG, so you’ll never struggle to find the blend you want for a particular project.

Disadvantages of PETG filament

• Poor for supports or bridges: the excellent layer adhesion comes at a cost: PETG supports can stick too well, creating difficult-to-remove supports that can leave marks on the part. If you have a dual extruder 3D printer, consider printing a different support material like PLA that is easier to remove.
• Can string, worsening surface finish: make sure to fix your retraction settings as otherwise strings or hairs can affect the surface finish of your prints, and are generally annoying. Research good 3D slicer settings for your desired results.
• Bad scratch resistance compared with ABS: the glycol that enhances PETG from PET in so many ways makes it less scratch resistant, so over time parts can wear down and look less aesthetically pleasing.
• Difficult post-processing: the chemical resistance is also an advantage, but means PETG can’t be acetone polished like ABS can for a better surface finish. PETG’s natural glossy finish means this isn’t a big downside however, and it can still be sanded.

PETG Frequently Asked Questions

Related articles:

• Best Glues For PETG (Gluing PETG Parts)
• PLA filament guide
• ABS filament guide
• PLA vs PETG
• ABS vs PETG
• PLA, ABS, and PETG shrinkage: Everything you need to know

However, HIPS isn’t just a support material. It might be one of the most underrated 3d print filaments available.

This thermoplastics versatility in terms of its ability to be machined, sanded, glued, and painted, makes it an ideal choice for prototyping and general printing.

In this article were going to take a look at HIPS, examine its main features and benefits, and give you some tips on how to 3D print with HIPS material so that you get the best results.

We’ll also compare HIPS with other 3D printing materials such as PLA and ABS, so you can decide which filament is right for your project.

What is HIPS Filament?

HIPS stands for high-impact polystyrene. High impact polystyrene is a synthetic copolymer that is strong, durable, non-toxic and recyclable. In addition, HIPS is soluble in Limonene, an easily obtainable solvent that is derived from the skin of lemons.

Chemically, HIPS is a graft copolymer incorporating pure polystyrene and polybutadiene rubber. It combines the hardness of polystyrene with the elasticity of rubber to produce a high impact thermoplastic that is tough and strong without being brittle.

Commercially known by the trade name Bextrene, HIPS is widely used to manufacture toys and appliances. It is also used for product packaging and cases.

In 3D printing, HIPS makes an excellent soluble support material.

When is support material needed? Well, all 3d printers, by necessity, start printing an object from the bottom of the design and then progress upwards.

Because of this, if you have a design that incorporates overhangs, areas in the print job that don’t have any underlying support, you’ve got a problem. You see, your printer can’t successfully extrude filament onto thin air.

HIPS can be used to provide the necessary support that these overhanging areas require. The printer first lays down HIPS under where the overhang will be and then lays the selected printing material down on top of the layer of HIPS. The HIPS supports the overhanging material and prevents the warping, deformation and collapse that would occur without the support.

Once the printing is complete and the object has cooled, you remove the HIPS by submerging the object in Limonene. After 24 hours, the Limonene will have dissolved the HIPS leaving you with a print job that has clean, crisp angles, corners and overhangs.

There is no need for knives, scraping or sanding. The solvent does all the work leaving you with beautiful results.

HIPS works really well as a soluble support material when ABS is used as the printing material. If your support material and your printing material have significantly different printing temperatures you run the risk that the one will warp and deform the other due to this difference. HIPS and ABS share nearly identical printing temperatures. This means they will lie together cleanly without any warping or deformation due to heat.

HIPS also makes an excellent printing material in its own right. When comparing HIPS vs ABS, you’ll notice it’s harder and stronger than either PLA or ABS, but is just as easy to use. It won’t warp as easily as ABS.

HIPS 3D printer filament can be glued using any one of number of specialty adhesives. It also handles sanding well and can be painted with ease. This makes HIPS 3D Printing an excellent choice for mockups and prototypes.

HIPS 3D Printing Properties:

• Strong and durable printing material with good impact resistance
• Excellent soluble support material
• Good machinability, easily paintable and works with a wide variety of adhesives
• Food safe, non-toxic and recyclable
• Non-hydroscopic
• Printing HIPS filament temperature is from 230°C – 240°C
• Recommended printing bed temperature of 90°C to 100°C

Some comparisons to ABS and PLA include:

• HIPS density: around 1.05g/cm³, compared to ABS: 1.07g/cm³, PLA: 1.24g/cm³
• HIPS tensile strength: around 40 MPa, compared to ABS: 27 MPa, PLA: 37 MPa
• HIPS glass transition temperature: 90-100C, compared to ABS: 105C, and PLA: 60-65C

The data stats of HIPS back up its ability to be used in a wide variety of applications. HIPS density has a specific gravity of 1.05 g/cm³. This is comparable to the density of ABS but is less than other thermoplastics such as PLA or PMMA.

HIPS has a Rockwell hardness of R 95 which, again, is comparable to ABS, slightly more than PLA and significantly less than PMMA.

It also has a maximum tensile strength of 5801 psi (40 MPa) which is also, you guessed it, right on the money with the maximum tensile strength of ABS.

So, with HIPS Plastic 3D printing you get a material that shares many properties with ABS, but is also easily soluble and can be machined, sanded, glued, and painted.

It is this versatility that makes HIPS printing filament an excellent choice for a soluble support material, prototyping and as an all-around general printing material.

When it comes to comparing HIPS vs PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) as soluble support materials, it quickly becomes apparent that the two are apples and oranges. The lower printing temperature of PVA works means that it will work much better with a material like PLA while, as we’ve discussed, HIPS dissolvable filament and ABS are more suited to each other.

Both are equally soluble, PLA in water and HIPS in Limonene, so the only reason to pick one over the other as a support material comes down to what printing material you are using for your job.

HIPS Filament Temperature Settings

When it comes to printing with HIPS, there are a few things to keep in mind in order to get the best results possible. First, HIPS prints best at a temperature between 230°C and 240°C. Don’t be afraid to play around with temperatures in this range to see what works best for you. 

Next, your printing bed should be set to a temperature of anywhere from 90°C up to 115°C. Again, experiment with temperatures in this range to find the sweet spot that allows HIPS to properly adhere without curling or warping.

After your print job has finished, wait for it cool completely before removing it from the printing plate. HIPS 3D printing material can still be workable when warm and it will bend if you try and remove your object too early.

Use Quality HIPS Filament

When a print job that you’re running gets ruined because of inferior product, you’ve not only wasted your time, you’ve also wasted money. Low-quality filament yields low-quality results.

In the end, you’ll actually spend more on replacement filament than you would have spent stocking up on quality product. Make sure you choose a high-quality HIPS support material (or any filament, for that matter) when printing.

Dissolving HIPS in Limonene

Limonene is an affordable and readily available solvent made from lemons, oranges, and other citrus fruit peels.

If you’re using HIPS as a soluble support material, you want to immerse your printed object completely in Limonene and wait at least 24 hours for the HIPS to completely dissolve. It can help move things along if you give the container the object is in a couple of gentle shakes now and again.

And while HIPS dissolves completely in limonene within around 24 hours, this doesn’t affect ABS, making it perfect for removing HIPS supports from ABS parts with a dual extruder 3D printer.

HIPS prints at the same temperature as ABS, making it the most appropriate dissolvable filament for ABS. Other dissolvable materials such as PVA filament print at far lower temperatures and will not work with ABS, and for this reason PVA is instead commonly used when 3D printing PLA.

Best Build Surfaces for 3D Printing HIPS

HIPS is a forgiving 3D printer filament, and can work well with Kapton tape, PEI sheets, glue stick and hairspray. If using a build surface that adds height to your build plate, remember to adjust your first layer in your 3D slicer settings before printing.

However, as with ABS, HIPS releases toxic fumes when melted and 3D printed. Therefore, it is essential to store your 3D printer in an area with good ventilation where you will not inhale any styrene fumes.

Best HIPS filaments

Some HIPS filaments and selections we recommend are included below:

• Matterhackers range of HIPS filaments
• 3DJake UK & Europe HIPS selection

Best HIPS 3D Printers

To 3D print HIPS as a support material, you’ll need a dual extruder 3D printer, and a printer with a closed enclosure.

We recommend a number of these in our dual extruder buyer’s guide.

Pros and Cons of 3D printing HIPS filament

Advantages of HIPS filament

• Reasonable price: though not as cheap as ABS, HIPS offers more than ABS does at not far higher prices.
• Non-hygroscopic: whereas almost all other filaments are hygroscopic and will deteriorate over time if left out in open air, HIPS is not hygroscopic.
• Dissolvable: leaving HIPS in limonene dissolves it quickly, leaving smooth ABS parts with no imperfections.
• Versatile: HIPS parts can be easily painted, machined, sanded and processed, making it a great material for rapid prototyping and testing new iterations of products.

Disadvantages of HIPS filament

• Toxic odors while printing: like ABS, HIPS emits fumes while 3D printing, and therefore you must store your 3D printer in a well-ventilated area or room while printing.
• Warping: therefore, you must use a heated bed and chamber to minimize warping and cracking between layers. 3D printer kits are therefore less suitable for HIPS 3D printing.

Applications of HIPS in 3D printing

HIPS is most used as a support material for ABS 3D printed parts to be dissolved post-print in limonene.

However, HIPS also has standalone uses in aesthetic parts and projects such as cosplays and other costumes due to its glossy clear finish, as well as in 3D printed toys and other appliances. Its light weight, strength and ease of painting and post-processing also makes it a great filament for testing pre-manufacturing models.

Outside of 3D printing, HIPS is used in toys, laptop, CD, DVD and phone cases, and is used extensively in signage and point of sale displays due to its ability to be vacuum formed, bent and molded into shape with ease.

Due to being classed as food safe, HIPS is also used in millions of food and drink packaging, disposable cutlery, and yoghurt pots every year.

History of HIPS in 3D printing

German apothecary Johann Eduard Simon first discovered polystyrene back in 1839, but it was not industrialized and sold until almost a century later in 1931 by I. G. Farben company.

However, standard polystyrene is brittle, and was therefore unsuitable for many industrial uses, and other materials were generally preferred.

A solution was found however by mixing it with polybutadiene – a synthetic rubber – to create a copolymer called HIPS, making it tough yet flexible and solving the brittleness problem. This primed HIPS to become a wildly successful material used in signage, point-of-sale and food packaging across the world.

HIPS Filament Frequently Asked Questions

The two serious players on the market are TPU and TPE. They’re both safe materials with excellent layer-to-layer adhesion, and are ideal for 3D printing flexible objects such as belts and phone cases.

The main differences are that TPE is a softer, more elastic filament that has been around for longer, while TPU is a slightly newer, firmer variant. TPU is increasingly popular because it is a little easier to 3d print than TPE.

Many people believe that TPE and TPU are totally different materials, when in reality it’s just the grade and shore hardness that distinguishes these flexible PolyUrethane filaments. 

This article will clear up the confusion surrounding TPU vs TPE, how they’re best used for printing and take you through the steps to achieving best results.

What Does TPU and TPE Stand For?

TPE = ThermoPlastic Elastomer

TPU = Thermoplastic PolyUrethane, which is a type of ThermoPlastic Elastomer

Why can’t I use actual rubber 3D printer filament? Well, rubber itself in a thermoset form cannot actually be re-melted due to the cross-linking that occurs in the original setting process.

In short, we could make the filament – but you wouldn’t be able to re-melt it to print with it.  

So you want all the end-use properties of rubber, like high elasticity, great compression strength and hard-wearing durable flexibility – but in a form that’s easy to print? We hear you.

Let’s delve into the key differences between these two thermoplastic elastomers so you can decide what’s right for your application.

What is TPE filament?

To avoid confusion, it’s worth noting that nearly all “TPE” filaments are in fact a grade of “TPU” as we’ve shown above.

For the purposes of this article we’re going to call TPE as the original, softer material first brought to the market a few years ago, and TPU as the newer variant, with slightly different properties. 

As we mentioned above, TPE (ThermoPlastic Elastomer) is what these flexible filaments we commonly called when first entering the marketplace. 

Until recently, the softer TPE has been the more commonly available material of choice for flexible printing (think Ninjaflex, SemiFlex, Filaflex and similar). It’s essentially a plastic that has rubber-like qualities.

Wait, but isn’t Ninjaflex a TPU? Yes – however when NinjaTek entered the market a few years ago, their core product NinjaFlex was at the time referred to as a TPE. In recent years they’ve switched to calling it the correct name, TPU. 

Typically prints made with TPE flexible filament are really elastic – you can stretch them up to twice their original length and return to their original state, without permanent deformation.  

It’s really soft, with a typical shore hardness of just 85A. Very soft flexible filaments have a history of causing difficulties in some printers when printing – depending on the type of extruder you’re using.  

While both materials we’re covering here have slightly different properties, here are the main similarities they share:

• They’re generally regarded as safe and contain non-toxic raw materials.
• Layer to layer adhesion is excellent, helped by their make-up and very soft nature of the printing. This means very durable end-use prints.
• You can print both filaments at between 210C – 240C, with a heated bed around 20-70C
• Printing at 15mm/sec speed is recommended, but you can print up to 30mm/sec with good results. This tends to be depending on your printer.
• Both can be used to print objects that need to bend or flex to suit their environment, typically; belts, springs, door stoppers or phones cases.
• The densities are near-identical at 1.20g/cm3 for materials like NinjaFlex and similar and 1.21g/cm3 for harder TPU.

What is TPU 3D Printer Filament?

Although technically classed under the ThermoPlastic Elastomer spectrum, the full name for TPU is ThermoPlastic Polyurethane. This isn’t especially new in industry, but until recently wasn’t commonly available in 3D printing.

However recently it’s growing a lot more popularity among printers. While on the surface very similar to TPE, but TPU 3D printing has some notable differences.

TPU is very similar in elasticity and other mechanical properties to TPE. Although it is very slightly more rigid, at Shore 94A-95A. This makes it a little easier to print in printers that don’t usually print the original, softer TPE 3D printing filament well, as the slight more rigidity is easier for the extruder mechanism to handle.

See our diagram below (you get the idea…)

Sometimes this issue can be caused by simply having the wrong, or poorly designed flexible filament extruder. More extruders are being designed with this in mind.

Still, as we say – if your extruder isn’t working with your current flexi filament, try using a stiffer version and it should print fine. 

Apart from being a little easier to print, what are the other benefits? Well TPU material has a higher abrasion resistance, usually making it longer lasting in working parts. It also retains its elastic properties in lower temperatures – so if you need it to still be soft in cold conditions, it’s still going to perform.

Another notable difference is that modern TPU naturally has a higher resistance to oils, greases and a variety of solvents – making it more favorable in industry applications.

Shrinkage is usually hard to accurately measure, but for TPE it’s around 1.2 – 3.0 % and TPU has a lower shrinkage at around 0.8 – 1.8%. So if you need accurate measurements post-printing, you may be better with a harder TPU. If you wanted to get really technical on TPU materials, here’s the Wiki.

What Can I Print With Flexible filament? 

You may be sold on the benefits of using the best flexible filament, but what can you actually print with it?

While it can be tricky to work out what you’d want to print before actually having a reason – we’ll provide a couple of examples below that our customers have used.

After you understand the types of prints that would be useful to make with these soft materials, you’ll start to see possibilities everywhere. 

These are some flexible brackets that Jason Cannon printed for his custom photography diffusers. Printed flat, he then simply bends them over to secure, forming a durable, long lasting strap. 

In this example you could vary the stiffness of the strap if required by changing the cut outs (eg size of the holes) or the thickness of the strap. 

The following example is an excellent demonstration as to the chemical resistance and extreme durability of our TPU. 

Phillip’s automotive bushings here take a real hammering. If a member of our exclusive Facebook group, you’ll see his various TPU prints for a range of applications. 

Here are some more examples of stuff that’s better not-stiff:

• Anything you might wear, like a belt, watch strap, custom wallet or bag. 
• Anything that needs a snug push fit. You’ll get a much tighter seal using flexible materials. Including grommets, bushings, washers, dust caps and some clip fit mechanisms. 
• Custom phone cases, the density provides a great level of protection.
• Anything you need to hand-hold. Increase ergonomics of your prototypes with molded soft grips. 
• Where indestructibility is the aim of the game. Think high-impact components, living hinges or even handcuffs. 
• RC car tyres or wheels. Build flexibility into your projects organically, instead of using springs and traditional dampening techniques. 
• Custom stamps
• Replacement feet for household items. 

So there you have it, all the main differences between these ThermoPlastic Elastomers. Which you decide to print with will depend on your application. Below is a handy table to make a quick direct comparison.

Or, you may be interested in biodegradable Flexible PLA. Due to it’s slightly more rigid nature and low friction (meaning it won’t stick in the bowden tube) our 2.85mm version is a great Ultimaker 2 flexible filament. 

In summary, it’s important to ignore the branding of whether the material is actually called TPU or TPE, and instead focus on the actual properties of the material you desire for that specific project. The below table should help clear any confusion.

You may require softer materials, like an 85A (or lower) Shore hardness, or ease of 3D printing may be more important to you and it might pay off to go with a harder variant. Often you can achieve many of the properties of a softer material by changing the design of your part. 

If you found this article useful, please share it to allow it to be used by others looking for assistance choosing a flexible printing material. 

Other articles you may be interested in:

• Ender 3 TPU 3D printing guide
• Best Flexible Filaments
• TPU Filament guide
• Flexible filament 3D printing