I have recently discovered PPS-CF and decided to prototype with it. I’m still using a standard X1C but plan on upgrading to a X1E if this filament is what I need.
Just did my first print with PolyMaker Fibron PPS-CF10 making Benchy. 300C Print temp, 110C Plate Temp, 0.4mm nozzle, Textured Plate. Took about 20min for everything but actual print time was 10min. Came out pretty clean!
Sounds more dense than aluminum when dropped, but not Stainless either. Excited for further testing!
Why did you scale the benchy to such a small size? It’s hard to gauge the print quality on a non standard size. Or is it just the camera angle?
It’s large hands coupled with a small print. I didn’t realize it was scaled down before printing it. For reference the size along the X axis is 36mm (36mm from tip to butt). I’ll post another picture trying to capture a better details. I can say I’m impressed with how it turned out. Layer height is 0.20mm
The print turned out very brittle. I think it needs a higher print temp or annealing. Both are probably best tho.
Have you looked at Polymaker’s Fiberon PPS-CF? They claim you don’t need a heated build chamber for theirs. They also have a downloadable profile for the X1C ready to go. I’m sure it would benefit from a warmer chamber like a lot of the engineering grade stuff, but not having to get over 60C to start would be big.
I haven’t tried it yet, but it’s certainly cheaper than an E! It’s also a little cheaper than Bambu’s PPS.
That’s actually what I’m using! 
I didn’t see they have a profile for it though! Could you share the link?
My mistake, it’s a profile for the E only… all their other Fiberon filaments have profiles for the Carbon. You CAN download it, unzip and open the json file in a text editor to see their settings though. I downloaded all the others (because why not?) and I misread and thought that one was for the carbon as well. I really appreciate them providing profiles and I wish more manufacturer’s would do that, especially with less common filaments like this.
The download link is near the bottom on their product page, and like I said, all the others have C profiles, if you’d find them useful.
https://fiberon.polymaker.com/product/pps-cf10/
I was under the impression that 300 was a hard limit for the carbon, which is I assume Polymaker’s reason for not having a profile for the C - they’re running at more like 320. I didn’t think there was much difference between the E and the C in the hot end though, so I wonder if the “Plus” firmware project lets you push the limit a bit higher?
I found the profile and yeah. Only for the E.
The hot end is identical. The only difference is maybe the power supply, and the main one is the firmware unlocks the limit to 320. If I could I would write a custom firmware for the thing but that’s out of my league. BambuLab really needs to have more options like purchasing the firmware. I’d pay $50 for that just so I can actually use PPS.
I think next printer I get will be an Ultimaker only because of the higher temps it will hit. Will make PEEK, PPS, and other filaments an option that would be nice.
Yeah, it doesn’t look like the X1Plus firmware team has any plans to break into this territory - which is a shame because the E is doing 320 with the same hardware - so a different printer is probably your best bet for the super high-end stuff. I did see a reddit post where someone basically tricked the thermistor by adding a resistor inline to fool it into thinking 340C was 300C. Not ideal, but it’s an option I suppose.
Still, your benchy didn’t look too bad at 300. I get the impression that this material needs annealing anyway. I may have to try some just to see if I can make it work for me.
Update! Found someone on Reddit who added a 33ohm resistor to the thermistor to trick it into running about 30C hotter! I only had a 10 and 22 ohm resistor on hand so I soldered them in sequence. Just printed a small benchy and it’s much stronger! It’s not the cleanest print so I have some fine tuning ahead of me, but this is very promising!
X1 plus itsn’t a custom firmware per-se. it runs on top of the existing firmware, and has no access to restrictions set in the printer’s main-board firmware.
If you look at bambu’s comparison charts, PPA-CF is better in every metric than PPS , except chemical resistance. It prints at 300 even. Just doesn’t make quite as aluminum-like a sound.
I’ve been printing with SirayaTech’s PPA-CF. It is the strongest stuff I’ve ever used by miles.
Oh - and it costs less than 50% of what bambu charges.
Filament may be wet. letters
I second the sirayatech filament. Great stuff at a great price.
You got my attention. Can you kindly post a link for the filament you have purchased?
Sure
Info here, but more stock and better prices on Amazon. I have the PPA-CF(15% CF) and ASA-GF, as well as the 85a TPU. The PPA is very abrasive filament. The “core” version looks really nice but it is even pricier (25% carbon fiber, all in the center of the filament so there is less on the surface to feel rough even in the finished print). I talked to someone on Reddit who really likes the “core” version.
They have .3mf profiles on the site, and some blog entries discussing the filaments too. The ASA is very easy to print. The PPA-CF is more difficult, but less warp and less hydroscopic than other nylons. I print at 295 on the .6 Obxidian hotend (which I believe runs hot due to thermistor location). You’ll likely be printing at 300 even. I did the full suite of Orca calibrations.
I got turned on to them because when I used to print resin (yuck), ST was widely known to have some of the best resins. Their filament offerings are new.
Doesn’t sound quite as metallic as PPS (PPS is crystallized in a way that causes that ring)… but it sounds more metallic than most plastic
$55 on Amazon
Lastly, here is a write up on their “core” variety… I’m going to have a real need before I can justify $79(amazon) to play with this.
Ok 1 more thing… the ASA-GF is less expensive and I really like it for things like outdoor enclosures that need to be strong and stiff
I got this material to possibly make a tool that will be sold on the market. Can’t go into details what it is but it’s in very harsh environment involving water, lots of oil (typically motor oil), and getting tossed around, maybe driven over, chucked off a building, that kind of a abuse.
I’ll look into the PPA-CF. Thank you!
BBL has a great new chart comparing filament characteristics. It’s for their filaments, but the relative differences apply to any brand.
What’s new about this chart? It’s the same one they’ve been using for the last two years. 
@movingimage the chart didn’t load for me. I found this though 3D Printer Filament Comparison Guide | Bambu Lab
I was under the impression the chart was newer than that…I guess I only discovered it recently! It is very nice I wish they would add UV resistance, Chemical resistance, and a couple other strength-related specs.
No worries on that. I was just uncertain if they had somehow improved that chart and I missed something. Either way, I keep hard copy of that nearby because it does have a lot of utility.
