Materials

A category about FDM filaments: choosing material by use case, drying spools and the specifics of PLA, PETG, ABS, TPU and engineering filaments with carbon fibre and aramid. Suitable both for first-time filament buyers after unboxing a printer and for multi-printer owners who want precise temperature, moisture-absorption and feed-rate charts per material. Also covers brand comparisons (Polymaker, eSun, Sunlu, Bambu Lab) by price-per-kg, diameter consistency and spool winding quality.

Inside the section: guides on choosing filament by use case (PLA for miniatures and decor, PETG for functional and food-contact parts, ABS for heat resistance up to 95 °C, TPU 95A for flexible gaskets, PA-CF for mechanically loaded parts), spool drying procedures in an oven or a dedicated dryer, per-vendor temperature tables, and a list of the most common storage mistakes. Most print-quality problems are not caused by the printer but by humid filament and the wrong temperature — even the most expensive printer cannot rescue wet nylon without drying.

Already picked a material? Check the matching sub-category or the filaments catalogue; for common defects see FDM troubleshooting.