I was reading the write up on it at 3DPC and it seems to go to be true but also puzzling. Supposedly it is stronger then ABS has better impact properties and has very good heat resistance. Good for functional parts. Sounds great but it is printed at PETG bed and nozzle temps. So why not use PETG??? Is this filament as good as it sounds and worth changing to.
I have not printed any of the Matter filament. Stronger is a hard term. PLA is harder and resists twisting far better than abs or petg. It is brittle but by that logic tpu is the strongest. But it just isnât that simple.
I guess my point is that it isnât stronger or weaker it is what material is appropriate. This material likely has a use. until I print a Bunch I canât say what that might be.
Iâm asking this because I have been looking at different types of filaments from many sources and it is a confusion mess. Itâs kind of like âmy apple is better then your orange but his banana is more flexibleâ.
There is very little in the way of set standards available, at least understandable to us mere mortals. Baseline PLAâs are what they are, like the Value PLA from 3DPC it is a good workaday filament but no one is claiming anything spectacular about it. Most of the other âBetterâ brands I have looked at all have claims that theirs are better then all the others and stronger, better properties etc. then other brands PLA PLUS/PRO types. Now the PLA +/PROâs claim they are stronger then ABS or PETG with better properties for heat etc.
If you look at the reviews posted by the resellers, for just about every brand, there are usually 75% or more, saying âthis filament is great, best ever, my go toâ and then there are always some saying âitâs crap stay away etcâ.
What do we believe. Is there anyway to tell what brands are really good, mediocre or just plain bad?
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Hi Loosenut,
I am the owner of Matter3D. Our filament is made from a PLA resin that has a higher degree of crystallization than most PLAs out there. This leads to a higher modulus, greater resistance to abrasion, and better overall robustness and tensile strength; however, the material is a little bit more brittle.
Comparted to ABS it has the same temperature resistance and strength - without the impact resistance.
When compared to PETg it has the same strength and temperature resistance characteristics; however, it doesnât share the same impact resistance and chemical resistance.
It prints a little hotter (we print at 235 °C) on an all-metal hotend. Please feel free to reach out if you have any further questions: abains@matter3d.com
Thanks
Aman
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HI @Aman_Bains
THanks for the jump in, I love getting the answers from the Boss, Could not ask for a better comment on the M3D filament.
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Does it have to be printed with an all metal hot end?
P.S. I wasnât criticizing Matter 3D filament, I just picked it out of a bunch as an example. Nothing more.
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No offense taken 
I appreciate questions about our product!
No it doesnt. I just listed that we use an all metal hot end because the required nozzle temperatures vary when using different hot ends. I just wanted to provide context.
Aman
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Since we have someone here from Matter3d that understands the filament industry maybe someone âcoughâ Jason âcoughâ could sweet talk, trick or blackmail him into writing a short text on what the different types of (pla) base materials are, what is added to make the final filaments (no secrets) and what the testing for strength and brittleness etc. and results of said testing mean to us mere mortals. We could us an explanation from someone that knows about it, written at a grade 3 level of course for us old guys with weak brains.
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I seccond this. It would be fascinating to deep dive into the process.
I have a question now. I have a old processor for photographic paper. It uses machined delrin gears. They are hard to come by.
I tried printing nylon, the teeth are too soft and they jump, Petg just tore apart and so far PLA is the best but it has worn really fast.
How is the torsion resistance of the matter3d pla, would it stand up to gears?
If it were annealed does that increase the resistance and increase layer adhesion?
The PLA is great for it. Annealing it will increase abrasion resistance and layer adhesion.
Depending on your budget, our Carbon Fiber PLA and PETg are great for gear- and RC- applications. 3DPC has them in stock. These products are even stiffer than the PLA with greater robustness.
For gears probably something lice acetyl is best delron or POM is all the same.ive never tried it but its probably a lot like getting nylon to work. Since you tried mcmaster carr? Even if you get a part number it may make it easier to find a stock gear that could work
I have been searching and a colleague in Concordia as well. It has a custom recess part that is hard to come by. The parts book the part code appears to be unique to that machine. I seems inexplicable that it is unique but the bearings are as well. The bearings were a few cents 10 years ago now there are 8-10$ each. The sacrificial gears are next to impossible to fine and are unbelievably expensive now. 3d printing seems like the perfect solution IF I can find a material that will work.
I know guys with metal lathes that are missing some of the change gears print them out of PLA (100% infill). They work well for low load and speed applications like change gears but wonât last forever, a few months to years depending on usage. They work well as sacrificial gears where you need one to break if there is a jam in the gear train. They are nice for short term usage where they only need to last long enough to do one job and you donât want to spend a lot of money buying stock gears. Gears be expensive.
Kitedemon do you have the gear specs/dimensions? I have a cad program that can generate the stl files (if I remember how it works) to print them if you do.
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Same here, I am best with the gear on top of a ruler and taking a pic, I can produce most things like that with a picture and a reference. Wouldnt take me more than 10 mins
Thank you for the offers most generous. I have a model of the gears already the issue is the prints so far cannot handle the torque. Apollo X is too flexible CF too. nylons too flexible as well the teeth bend and skip. PC does odd things in the chem and distorts. PLA so far has been the âstrongestâ but regular and + so far have broken. I tried CF pla but it was not awesome I ordered some that I think might be better and some BASF as well.
I am looking into annealing. the options are closing we may need to look to actually machining them from Delrin of some kind of reinforced plastic . They are sarficial gears so metals are out. We chew through a gear or two every 4-6 weeks (its used a lot) I am concerned that is will be too expensive and the bean counters will cut it from the program.
I could cast these in antimony/tin alloy if they are small enough. I have a whole production casting line here just waiting for work, I havenât had time to work out the print->mold->master->production mold paert. this is pewter, no lead but itâs soft and by the looks a little stronger, stiffer, and less brittle than PLA. What are the other gears made of?
Edit: Did I message you about Amazon filament? I canât see it anywhere lol
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@Glenn
That is very generous. I will look into the mechanical properties and resistance to the chemicals involved and get back to you. I just came off a 730am to 10 pm day so I am not thinking clearly. I could not accept it for free but if you are willing and if it looks like it makes sence we can figure out money or materials or ?
You did message me it would be under your circle icon menue and messages. I did not get a chance to reply. I will but likely not until later. I need to regroup still.
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I have no first-hand experience with annealing, but IIRC from watching videos on the process months ago, the parts tend to shrink slightly. You may need to take that into account.
Also, is the gear just an idler or is it on a common shaft with another gear?
If itâs an idler, then there isnât much you can do, but, borrowing experience from building robots, you may have an option if it shares a shaft: use a clutch gear.
I wish I had CAD experience that didnât date back to the 1980âs.
Conceptually, the gear itself has smooth sides and a round hole for the shaft. It does not grip the shaft directly but is squeezed between two (essentially) washers, one of which is attached to the shaft rigidly (usually welded) while the other is also keyed to the shaft. The shaft itself has an external thread and a bolt is used to tighten up against the washer. So, the order of assembly is: immovable washer, gear, movable washer, nut. The idea is that you tighten the nut to squeeze the gear between two metal plates (washers). You grip it tightly enough that the gear doesnât slip during normal operation, but if thereâs a jam in the drive train, the gear slips against the washers which preserves the clutch gearâs teeth.
If Aman Bains is still listening I have a another question.
The Matter3d PLA , if I interpreted the info form correctly, the strength and physical properties listed are when it has been annealed. If the part is not annealed then how do the strength and properties compare to regular PLA. My understanding is that Matter 3dâs main virtue is that it can be annealed successfully compared to other PLAâs.
A thought experiment, maybe someone has already done this! If a jig was fabricated to the shape of the printed part and said part is placed in it and then the part is annealed, allowing extra time for the heat soak through the jig material would it maintain it shape after cooling?