Get to Know Your Filament

There are two common types of filament: PLA and ABS. What is PLA? PLA stands for Polylactic Acid. It's a plastic derived from renewable sources like corn or tapioca. It melts inside the nozzle but as soon as it comes out of the nozzle, a little fan blows on it, and it re-hardens.

Keep it dry! From what I've read online, PLA filament absorbs moisture out of the air. When that happens, it becomes brittle, and it can expand. Expanding filament gets stuck in the nozzle and can cause lots of problems. I expose my big spool of filament to as little air as possible (only when I'm printing), and when it's not being used, I keep it in an air tight container packed with silica dry packs (see the link to the right). I haven't made one yet, but lots of people use filament dry boxes to avoid exposing the filament to humidity even while printing.

Watch that the filament doesn't get twisted around itself and that it can rotate freely. I wasn't careful once and the filament ended looping inside itself on the spool and the print was ruined. Here's a screen shot of what you want to avoid:


What is ABS? I haven't used it, but apparently it melts at a higher temperature and creates more rigid objects. If you're not sure how to find out more about ABS, this link will help: Link.