What is the Strongest 3D Printer Filament? (2023) – Clever Creations (2023)

FAQs

Which 3D filament is the strongest? ›

Polycarbonate (PC) delivers high tensile strength along with high impact and heat resistance. It's widely seen as one of the strongest 3D printing filaments.

The main differences between the two are their properties, applications, and material costs. PETG is stronger and more resilient than PLA. PLA, on the other hand, is widely used as FDM/FFF filaments because of its better melt and cooling properties. In terms of cost, PETG is more expensive than PLA.

PETG is stronger, more durable, and it prints better. It's also available in a wide variety of novelty and composite filaments. ABS is only necessary if you absolutely need its temperature resistance or its ability to be glued and painted. Otherwise, it's difficult to justify the printing difficulties involved.

While the strongest infill percentage is 100%, this is rarely worth using. It does not add much strength compared to lower infill percentages and significantly increases print times. Instead of using a 100% infill percentage, a 40-60% infill density offers great results at lower 3D printing costs.

PLA and ABS are both thermoplastics. PLA is stronger and stiffer than ABS, but poor heat-resistance properties means PLA is mostly a hobbyist material.

PETG, on the other hand, offers a good balance between tensile strength and impact strength. It has much better impact resistance than standard PLA and similar impact resistance to PLA+.

The most common reason for PETG parts to warp or lift during the print is due to insufficient bed adhesion or an incorrect nozzle height. If the first layer of extruded plastic is not sticking to the bed, a small amount of residual stress will be enough to lift the part off the bed.

If PETG is deforming in a hot car, you should reconsider where you're buying it from: proper PETG should be good up to at least 70°C (160°F), and more commonly 90°C (195°F). @Mark not really: it holds shape up to 90 °C, but it loses strength much earlier. 70 °C is about the max for maintaining physical strength.

PETG is best known for its durability and strength, and the plastic is resistant to high temperatures, UV rays, water, chemical solvents, and more. All of this makes PETG an ideal filament material option for printing parts that will exist in harsh environments or have to undergo a lot of physical stress.

If you're transitioning to PETG from PLA, you may find that PETG cracks rather easily. While PLA benefits from large amounts of cooling, PETG can suffer if it's cooled too quickly. If print layers begin to separate or crack, reduce the fan speed.

Can you eat PETG? ›

As a raw material, PETG is considered food-safe. This means that there are no toxic chemicals or ingredients in the pure polymer that will contaminate food or pose a danger to humans.

PETG is prone to being brittle if you apply too much cooling. Ideally, print PETG with no cooling for best strength.

Triangular Infill: Triangular infill is the strongest infill pattern because triangles are the strongest shape. They are least likely to deform and provide the best support structure behind the walls of the part.

Infill density is expressed as a percentage and is sometimes referred to as infill percentage. 0% infill density is a fully hollow part, while 100% is a fully solid part. Visual parts like figurines and display prototypes tend to have a very low infill density, because they do not need to be strong.

Polycarbonate (PC) filament

It is a high-strength material designed for use in harsh environments and technical applications. It has good heat deflection due to its high glass transition temperature and it is typically available in a version with improved impact resistance as well.

However, if you're looking solely at the raw material cost, ABS is probably cheaper than PLA. That's because ABS is so widely used in injection molding for making common, small parts, like interior car components or even Lego.

When should you print with carbon fiber filaments? This type of filament is way stronger than a standard filament such as PLA or ABS. Furthermore, the quality of the surface is flawless and it is pretty lightweight, bearing in mind that their figures are very stiff.

Drawbacks. PLA filament tends to deform or melt in high heat situations, making it impractical for parts that require heat resistance. This applies even to hot environmental conditions, such as a car dashboard on a sunny summer day.

In the 3D printing world, PETG is typically used in models that need good shock resistance or some flexibility, like snap-to-fit components. It's also a go-to material for food-related prints, as it doesn't deteriorate with water, isn't toxic, and is FDA-approved.

In terms of material strength, tests show that annealed PLA parts gain between 10 to 20% in strength with a bonus of becoming less brittle. For temperature resistance, annealed PLA also shows good results in comparison to other 3D printed annealed materials.

Does PETG go brittle? ›

My experience is that PETg prints are never what I call brittle, as in will not easily break apart. I did have one ugly failed PETg print once, which broke apart when removing it from the build plate, but I had accidentally sliced it with PLA parameters instead of PETg. I'm lucky that it did not jam in the extruder.

PETG is very sensitive to print speed. Print too fast, and you'll have poor layer adhesion, extruder skipping, and low print quality, but print too slow, and you'll end up with deformed parts, stringing, and oozing. You'll have to find the sweet spot with the printer and filament you're using.

PETG, also known as PET-G, is a super cool, specialized plastic that's used to make models with a 3D printer. Its thermodynamic nature allows you to print almost any design you could think of, but it can also easily warp if the conditions aren't just right.

Sure, PETG does absorb some moisture and you'll get some extra stringing, but how bad could it be, and is PLA just generally fine to be kept out in the open.

Water is 1g/cm3 Salt water is 1.025-1.05 ABS is 1.04 PLA is 1.25 PETG is 1.38 So PETG should sink and survive in saltwater.

PETG and ASA are filaments for outdoor use

They are perfect to use in extreme conditions without deforming shape or appearance. Thanks to the high resistance to deformation these filaments remain solid in wind and sun.

Fortunately, it is not as sensitive as PLA. A PETG filament can still be usable after a year of being in an open package.

PET is the result of two monomers combining. PETG may involve these same monomers, but also includes glycol, giving it different chemical properties than PET. This means that PETG has better shock resistance and is better suited to higher temperatures.

Adjust nozzle distance

If the gap between the build surface and the nozzle is too large, the melted filament might not bond to the platform properly, which can lead to bad first layer adhesion. Unlike PLA, which benefits from a smaller Z-offset value, PETG actually prints better with a slightly bigger gap.

Popping is usually due to moisture. I've had many new, vacuum sealed spools of filament have moisture in them. Try drying it. I'd recommend a dehydrator rather than an oven; with PETG I wouldn't go over 150 °F.

Can I print PETG on Ender 3? ›

The standard Ender 3 and Pro build surface, BuildTak, is the ideal surface for printing PETG with the Ender 3. The material allows you to have excellent adhesion while providing an easy way to remove the print due to its flexibility.

PETG, on the other hand, is impact resistant and won't shatter like acrylic. It's also about five times stronger than acrylic, making it suitable to display in areas where customers pass by such as end caps, aisle violators, or header signs.

While PLA is safe to use for food and liquids, an article on reprage.com warns that many of the hot ends used for 3D printers may release materials that are not food safe. Using a stainless steel hot end is one way to prevent this problem. Also, most PLA is colored.

First and foremost, not all 3D printing filaments are safe to use in contact with food or drink. Many filaments are made from plastics and other polymers containing chemicals that are harmful to humans when ingested, and the 3D printing process of heating those filaments doesn't sterilize them.

Ethyl acetate, dichloromethane, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), toluene, and cyclohexanone all work to dissolve PETG.

PETG usually prints best in the temperature range of 220–260 °C. 3D printer company Prusa suggests a printing temperature of 230 °C for the first layer and a slightly higher temperature of 240 °C for the rest of the build. [3] Filament company MatterHackers recommends 245 °C throughout.

As we've seen, the gyroid infill offers one of the best strength to infill density ratios and can save users both time and money (in terms of material usage). The gyroid infill also offers a more interesting visual aesthetic than more traditional infill patterns, with a continuous geometry with no straight lines.

For such applications, the lightning, lines, or zig-zag infill patterns are best because they give the fastest prints. Similar to “rectilinear” in other slicers, both patterns produce a 2D grid where only one axis is printed per layer.

Hexagon aka the honey comb

Best infill for strength vs material used. This shape is the most efficient infill and fastest to print, the goto infill for most things. It will save you material, time, energy and also offer high strength.

Quite similar to the last samples, the strength of the 0.05mm to 0.2mm samples were the best with the medium layer height of 0.15mm being the strongest and then quickly plummeting with 0.3mm layers that were only able to bear half of the load and the 0.4mm layers basically holding nothing at all.

Why are my 3D prints so bad? ›

The most common cause is simply that the print just doesn't bond to the surface of the print platform. The filament needs a textured base in order to adhere, so to solve the issue you'll need to create a better bonding surface. An unlevel print platform can be another major issue.

Typically, the higher the infill density percentage, the higher the strength (as well as material consumption, weight, and print time) and the lower the flexibility. But the infill pattern can also affect strength depending on how the structure and layout of the lines disperse internal forces.

What Is a Good Infill Density? In most cases, an infill density between 20 and 50% is ideal. Less than 20% results in flimsy parts whereas more than 50% begin to take too much printing time and use too much material.

What Percentage Should I Use? For most “standard” prints that don't need to be super strong, we suggest using an infill density of 15-50%. This density percentage keeps print time low, conserves material, and provides okay strength.

As a thermoplastic material, PLA is generally safe for food contact. In fact, a study from 1995 that put PLA material through several tests to determine how it breaks down found that it was “Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS)” for food contact.

Pro PLA has higher impact strength than ABS and Standard PLA with a heat resistance rivaling that of ABS! It is also slightly more flexible than Workday PLA.

When should you print with carbon fiber filaments? This type of filament is way stronger than a standard filament such as PLA or ABS. Furthermore, the quality of the surface is flawless and it is pretty lightweight, bearing in mind that their figures are very stiff.

PETG filament

It has a strong impact and abrasion resistance and can sustain higher temperatures compared to PLA. Because of its excellent properties and relatively low price, PETG is commonly used in 3D printing. It is a good engineering-grade material that can be used in place of ABS.

It involves using epoxy/polyepoxide to strengthen 3D prints. Epoxy coating is an insoluble surface coating made from a hardener and epoxy coating. It is solvent resistance, durable and tough, making it a suitable way to coat materials such as PLA, ABS, and SLA.

Is PLA or TPU stronger? ›

Another difference between TPU and PLA is its tensile strength, where PLA comes out on top. Although TPU offers better durability, polylactic acid is the stronger of the two 3D printing filaments. However, TPU prints have the upper hand when it comes to abrasion resistance.

Titanium, steel, stainless steel, aluminium, copper, cobalt chrome, titanium, tungsten and nickel-based alloys are all available in powdered form for 3D printing, as are precious metals like gold, platinum, palladium and silver.

3D printers can create all kinds of car parts, and they work just as well as traditionally manufactured parts. There are plenty of reasons why people do this. They may want to personalize their car, make their car lighter, or just replace a part quickly without needing to pay an excessive amount for it.

The biggest problem with PLA is the very specific conditions needed in order for it to be properly composted. Instead of being recycled with regular plastic materials, PLA needs to be sorted separately and brought to a 'closed composting environment' as otherwise it contaminates the recycling stream.

Nylon is one of the strongest and most durable filaments on the market. It offers parts that can resist wear and tear and also offer great tensile strength.

Tests showed that under certain conditions the final 3D printed stainless steels were up to three times stronger than steels made by conventional techniques and yet still ductile, the scientists report today in Nature Materials .

Polyamide or Nylon

It has a print temperature range between 210°C – 250°C. Nylon filament is an ideal selection for machine parts, gear and bearings, structural parts, dynamic load, mechanical components, tools, consumer products, toys, and more.

Triangular Infill: Triangular infill is the strongest infill pattern because triangles are the strongest shape. They are least likely to deform and provide the best support structure behind the walls of the part.

New titanium alloy has highest specific strength of any 3D-printed metal.