Beginner-Friendly filaments: Tips and info

Preface note: Understanding filament brittleness.

Filament can become brittle due to a process called hydrolysis, where moisture in the air penetrates the polymer chains and breaks the chemical bonds. This degradation weakens the filament's structure, making it prone to snapping. To prevent brittleness, store filament in airtight containers with desiccants to minimize moisture exposure.

1: Let’s talk about what makes a filament beginner-friendly

What we are calling “beginner-friendly” filaments are filaments that can be acquired at a low cost, are easy to print, and provide a good range of uses. They also require a minimal amount of special equipment or considerations. You can find a list of printers than can handle beginner-friendly filaments here.

2: PLA (polylactic acid)

Printing temp: 180C - 220C

Bed temp: (optional) 50C- 60C

Probably the most common filament available to beginners, this filament is possibly one of the most environmentally friendly of those I’m going to list. Manufactured by a process of fermenting renewable resources like cassava, corn, sugar cane, and sugar beets, It is suitable for most prototyping applications. The biological origins of the material also make it an ideal candidate for recycling.
At MentaPrints, we don’t use PLA for manufacturing as it warps when exposed to heat. Even a keychain made in PLA will begin to warp if exposed to ambient heat over time.

3: PETG (polyethylene terephthalate glycol)

Printing temp: 220C - 260C

Bed temp: 75C - 85C

Similar to PET, which is often found in bottled drinks and food packaging. But, unlike it’s more simple counterpart, PETG is molecularly idealized with the addition of glycol for 3D printing. The glycol serves to reduce the melting point of the material as well as contributing to the impact resistance by adding a small amount of flexibility which prevents cracks. It is also stable in higher temperature environments than PLA. This temperature resistance makes it ideal for products like our Veloster badges which are able to withstand the temperature variations that a vehicle is exposed to.

4: ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene)

Printing temp: 240C - 270C

Bed temp: 80C

Without getting too deep into the molecular makeup of ABS, each of its molecular components makes it ideal for the higher end of beginner uses.
It has high temperature resistance due to the acrylonitrile. The styrene acts as a sort of structure to hold the material together, and the butadiene provides a little bit of flexibility which allows for improved impact resistance.
However, all of this chemical magic that happens comes at a price. Because ABS is known for two things — warping during printing and toxic fumes.

• Fumes: Acrylonitrile is a highly toxic material which, by itself, can cause serious issues if it comes into direct contact with your body. Diluted into ABS, it can still be harmful if exposed to the fumes over a duration of time. For that reason it’s best to operate your printer in an enclosure while printing in ABS. If possible, an enclosure with some kind of air filter.

• Warping: If you look up ABS warping, you’ll find articles saying ABS has a high thermal expansion coefficient and also a high temperature sensitivity. Now. What does that mean in plain language? The nozzle for ABS will be heating the top layer of the print. That heat will propagate down through the top few layers. But as the print grows, the bottom of the print will cool. And the resulting mechanical tension from the temperature difference will lift your print off the print bed at the edges. Things like small breezes from a nearby door closing could also affect the temperature of the part. You can fix this by purchasing a printer with a heated build plate and also purchasing an enclosed printing chamber if the printer is not already enclosed. This will help protect it from ambient drafts as well as serve to help normalize the temperature of the print.

If you have any further questions or would like to discuss future blog topics, feel free to reach out to us at outreach@mentaprints.com!