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Review on ๐Ÿ“˜ Exploring the Versatile World of PLA Filament: A Comprehensive Guide by Dan Barrett

Revainrating 1 out of 5

Very Poor - DO NOT USE

**Updated Review** I've tried this thread 4 times. Every time I type for a while and then disaster. Every time I had to change the jet due to an unrecoverable clog (even on the .6 jet). The filament rubs against my extruder and sticks the Bondtech gears. The base PLA is incredibly poor quality. Chaos. If you don't like reworking your hot end, stay away from this stringy, gooey mess. **Original Review** Lately I've been experimenting with exotic 3D PLA filaments. The filament "Marble" from the brand 3D Warhorse has recently been released. The thread is off-white with black/grey flecks, which is an odd mix. Will the resulting prints resemble real marble? Let's get to the tests to find out... The tests was a pawn from BigBadBison's spiral chess. I chose this piece for its rounded tops (to check for banding of the layers), saddles and bridges. All prints were made on a Prusa I3 MK3S printer with a 0.4mm nozzle. I used the default temperature settings for PLA: 210F for the extruder and 60F for the table. The first test was a "quick and dirty" test. This was done in 0.3mm draft layer mode. The filament printed well with one notable issue: the filament was stringy on long drives. This was particularly noticeable in the first run and when crossing the finish line; Leaving a thin strand of web about 6 inches long. The next test was "normal operation". In this case, a layer height of 0.15 mm was used in quality mode. The first attempt was aborted after the second layer due to a problem with the tension of the print layers. The second attempt was successful. The last test was the "small details" test. In this case, a layer height of 0.05 mm was used in over-detail mode. Again the first attempt was aborted after the third coat due to a bed tension problem. The second attempt was successful after careful monitoring of the first shifts. Overall quality was much worse, with artifacts between models. I would not recommend using a low layer height with this thread. The overall quality of the prints was surprisingly good given the different layer heights. The layers are visible, but much less visible than one might expect. The finish is a semi-gloss off-white (almost light grey) with some dark gray flecks. The overall effect is interesting. I'm just not sure how much it looks like marble. The thread fills up very well, the layers can hardly be distinguished. The print requires little, if any, post-processing. The thread tended to pull. Whoever uses this must control at least the first 5 layers to ensure a clean print. Half of my attempts had to be aborted right at the beginning of the print. It's worrying. I've experimented with the extruder temperature (180ยฐC-220ยฐC) which didn't fix the problem; We hope that further tests and recommendations will be incorporated into the product. The adhesion to the layer was really random, over 50% of the prints were unsuccessful. The only thing that bothered me was how the coil was wound. While I didn't have any power issues per se, the coil looked like it had been wound by a person (not a machine). This can lead to feeding problems and food entanglement. Overall I love the look of this thread, especially for the price. It can be very temperamental at times, with a high degree of hardness and occasional constipation. The overall effect is pleasant (if a print can be obtained). There were a few nozzle clogs throughout the test, some of which required a cold pull to clear. Pros: Interesting texture and finish. Blend layers (with a large layer size).

Pros
  • Additive Manufacturing Products
Cons
  • Ugly Packaging