Is there a list of filament types officially supported by MG
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- Posts: 3
- Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2015 10:35 pm
Is there a list of filament types officially supported by MG
Hello,
First things first, I am completely new to 3D printing so please forgive me if I am asking a stupid question….
I would like to know if there a list of filament types officially supported by MakerGear (ABS, PLA, HIPS, PVA, etc, etc)? Basically, the idea is that by knowing what filaments are officially supported (tested) by MakerGear, I can have the confidence that I will not be wasting money by buying filaments that won’t work or damage the printer.
Thanks.
First things first, I am completely new to 3D printing so please forgive me if I am asking a stupid question….
I would like to know if there a list of filament types officially supported by MakerGear (ABS, PLA, HIPS, PVA, etc, etc)? Basically, the idea is that by knowing what filaments are officially supported (tested) by MakerGear, I can have the confidence that I will not be wasting money by buying filaments that won’t work or damage the printer.
Thanks.
Re: Is there a list of filament types officially supported b
That's easy: anything they sell.
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- Posts: 3
- Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2015 10:35 pm
Re: Is there a list of filament types officially supported b
Hopefully that is not the case. Maybe they don’t sell other materials because the volume they would sell would be too low so is not worth it for them, but that would not mean that other materials are not supported.
Re: Is there a list of filament types officially supported b
The temp on the extruder that ships with the machine goes up to a max of 250°C, unless you buy an optional one geared for higher temps.
At first, limit yourself to plastics that can be printed below that temperature. PLA works really well, ABS and PETG are also very popular. Some of the wood filaments are likely to be a bit too thick for the 0.35 mm nozzle to handle. if you want to print those, you'd have to pick up an optional 0.5 mm nozzle, but I think it can be printed if you have that nozzle. (Not sure about the metal filaments without a special hotend.)
Other than that, the guys seem to have printed just about everything from Nylon to Ninjaflex. Some might require a different nozzle, or different speed and temperature settings, but they have been collecting the information on specialty filaments in Insta's thread here:
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1951
And there is even an entire Forum on Filaments here:
viewforum.php?f=11
But may i make a suggestion? I was completely new to 3D printing last month....just start out by learning to print in one filament first - I'd recommend PLA. There is one heck of a learning curve if you do it right, and one filament is easier to start with. Can't remember who said it, but 3D printing is "squirting out spaghetti and hoping it lands where you want it to". There are plenty of variables without multiplying them exponentially by switching between filaments with wildly different properties.
Besides, you can always graduate to the specialty stuff later.
At first, limit yourself to plastics that can be printed below that temperature. PLA works really well, ABS and PETG are also very popular. Some of the wood filaments are likely to be a bit too thick for the 0.35 mm nozzle to handle. if you want to print those, you'd have to pick up an optional 0.5 mm nozzle, but I think it can be printed if you have that nozzle. (Not sure about the metal filaments without a special hotend.)
Other than that, the guys seem to have printed just about everything from Nylon to Ninjaflex. Some might require a different nozzle, or different speed and temperature settings, but they have been collecting the information on specialty filaments in Insta's thread here:
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1951
And there is even an entire Forum on Filaments here:
viewforum.php?f=11
But may i make a suggestion? I was completely new to 3D printing last month....just start out by learning to print in one filament first - I'd recommend PLA. There is one heck of a learning curve if you do it right, and one filament is easier to start with. Can't remember who said it, but 3D printing is "squirting out spaghetti and hoping it lands where you want it to". There are plenty of variables without multiplying them exponentially by switching between filaments with wildly different properties.
Besides, you can always graduate to the specialty stuff later.

Re: Is there a list of filament types officially supported b
I guess the "proper" answer to that is that MakerGear is not one of those companies that insist that you must use their own proprietary filament, trying to employ the same business model that made manufacturers of ink jet printer cartridges wealthy. The M2 has got a number of custom machined parts, so the printer itself is not really in the same class as a lot of the DIY 3D printers (which of course is a good thing; it's not flimsy or finicky like most of the DIY 3D printers), but everything else about the M2 is open source. The MakerGear people do know their filaments, though, and the PLA they sell (I've never tried their ABS) is top quality, and I highly recommend it. But if you go off and buy somebody else's, just make sure you do your research and stay away from the poor quality stuff (and there's quite a lot of it out there). No sense in destroying a nice extruder with a cheap knock-off filament from a sketchy manufacturer.
Re: Is there a list of filament types officially supported b
I was being flip. You asked what filaments were "officially" supported by MG, and to the extent that question has an answer, it is the one I gave. If you are having print issues with some third party filament, they might well ask you to try it with their filament in order to remove a variable.
But for what you can print on the M2, that turns out to be a great deal. Check out the Filaments sub-forum for what people are up to. There's also a thread, can't find it at the moment, that is just a list of exotic filaments with sample prints. Some materials, like ABS, benefit from DIY modifications like a heated enclosure. Others, like polycarbonate, require temperatures that necessitate an all-metal hot end with a different thermistor. But none of these things are "supported" in any way by MakerGear. They just put out the machine, let a thousand flowers bloom.
Oh, I see Jules provided links above to the things I mentioned. Very thorough.
But for what you can print on the M2, that turns out to be a great deal. Check out the Filaments sub-forum for what people are up to. There's also a thread, can't find it at the moment, that is just a list of exotic filaments with sample prints. Some materials, like ABS, benefit from DIY modifications like a heated enclosure. Others, like polycarbonate, require temperatures that necessitate an all-metal hot end with a different thermistor. But none of these things are "supported" in any way by MakerGear. They just put out the machine, let a thousand flowers bloom.
Oh, I see Jules provided links above to the things I mentioned. Very thorough.
Re: Is there a list of filament types officially supported b
I would suggest only using PLA and eSun PETG. I had good results with MakerGear PLA. Right now I am using HatchBox brand.
ABS smells, warps, cracks. PETG is almost as temp resistant as ABS and prints so much easier plus it does not absorb humidity so you don't have to keep it sealed.
ABS smells, warps, cracks. PETG is almost as temp resistant as ABS and prints so much easier plus it does not absorb humidity so you don't have to keep it sealed.
Re: Is there a list of filament types officially supported b
My assumption is that MakerGear sells filament mostly for institutional purposes, people who purchase the M2 with a purchase order and want a full 100% warranty from day 1 (*). The easiest way to do that is use the MG-branded stuff, which is (by their own statement) the stuff from VIllage Plastics. Village supplies other resellers, namely Ultimachine, and you'll find it's generally pretty good stuff. We as a community also like eSUN's PETG, PLA, and ABS (in order of preference).Coffee & Doughnuts wrote:Hopefully that is not the case. Maybe they don’t sell other materials because the volume they would sell would be too low so is not worth it for them, but that would not mean that other materials are not supported.
I personally have run about every filament on the market through my machine, to varying degrees of success. The MakerGear V3b nozzle is an old, but good, design that will handle 80% of the plastics out there. The only things it won't do are Polycarbonate, PC-ABS blend, and Taulman Nylons at the suggested temps. It will happily run them through, but Taulman says crank the temp up for proper performance, and it's hotter than the V3b can do. The mostly drop-in E3D v6 will do it, as will the very nice MakerGear V4 nozzle.
If you are looking for a clear, concise list of what to buy for your MakerGear M2 printer given the V3b nozzle (the one that comes stock), use these guidelines:
- Anything sold as 1.75mm diameter
- Anything with an advertised print temperature of 245C or lower
- Nothing abrasive, including Laybrick, Layrock, BronzeFill, BrassFill, CopperFill, CarbonFiber PLA (+)
- Quality manufacturer, use ones other people have recommended. This list includes MG / Ultimachine (Village), eSUN / Inland (Microcenter's brand), MatterHackers, Hatchbox
* non-MG branded filament does not void your warranty. MG branded filament does make the warranty process go a lot faster.
edit: I checked the warranty terms, non-MG filament does void the hotend warranty, but not the rest of the machine. This may be open to interpretation / negotiation, if you are using a well-established brand and the hotend spontaneously bursts into a cloud of spiders or something.
+ the V3b nozzle will feed these fine, but it will shorten the lifespan of the nozzle tremendously as they will literally erode it away. This is a common problem and not limited to the V3b
Custom 3D printing for you or your business -- quote [at] pingring.org
Re: Is there a list of filament types officially supported b
Yes, dimensionally accurate filament at whatever price it costs. The only problem is, no one is positive which filament is the most in spec most of the time. My MakerGear spool of black has been perfect.
Just note - if a filament says 1.75mm +- 0.05mm, and it is less than 1.70mm or more than 1.80mm (as measured on a real micrometer, not a caliper as calibers are only accurate to about 0.03mm), then it is out of spec.
Just note - if a filament says 1.75mm +- 0.05mm, and it is less than 1.70mm or more than 1.80mm (as measured on a real micrometer, not a caliper as calibers are only accurate to about 0.03mm), then it is out of spec.