I’m currently using eSun PLA+ in my P1S. I’m using the Generic PLA filament selection. The print speed and the print quality is great! I noticed that eSun along with a lot of other manufacturers are now offering a high flow PLA+ for (and they specifically call out Bambu Labs) high speed printers. So I got a couple of questions:
What does high flow really mean, is the melting point different?
Is it more viscous after the melting point?
It costs more so I’m assuming the formula is different, so what’s different (if anything)?
Does standard PLA or PLA+ do any damage or cause additional wear on the extruder?
Will I get higher quality prints at the same comparable speeds as standard PLA?
Just trying to understand better.
Thanks.
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Couple of things I noticed:
Density is slightly different
plus 1.23
HS 1.24
Melt flow index
Plus 5 g/10min
HS 5.2 g/10 min
Speed listings are as follows: (even though the + has been pushed faster by people with no issues)
PLA+ 40-100 mm/s
PLA-HS 50-350 mm/s
The HS is stronger in all tests but this comes at the cost of losing some flexibility. The elongation at break is a little lower on the HS.
Because of the different strength ratings the formulation is different. They do not give a thermoplasticity graph though.
Something they don’t give a number to is the cooling rate. They state the HS is supposed to cool a little faster so you aren’t laying filament on top of a layer that’s too warm and can deform.
The following is a supposition by me, so don’t take it as fact.
The statement of “cooling faster” my be a misnomer. A HS filament may just harden at a higher temp after being melted than normal or plus PLA. Thus it would get harder quicker, even though it’s heat transfer coefficient, affecting the actual cooling rate in deg/sec may be virtually the same. Would be interesting to get the facts.
All that being said, not all PLA plus, or high speed PLA is the same. I’m giving the Voxelab’s PLA pro (was called PLA plus) a run to see how it works. According to Voxelab, you use the Bambu PLA Tough filament settings. Infills print at 250-300 mm/s, and outer walls at 60, Same as Bambu PLA Basic. So far, the prints have been flawless with no adjustments or flow calibrations being made.
So what this tells me, is not everyone’s PLA plus is the same. VL changed the name from plus to pro. My guess is they did that to differentiate their filament from other’s PLA plus.
Even when a filament claims to be HS, you need to check the numbers. Sunlu makes what they call a high speed filament named PLA Meta. I got a roll off Amazon to try as it claimed to be HS. When I was about to unseal it, I went to the website and saw it as only rated to 100 mm/s as the max flow rate. So, I would double check the numbers on anything claiming to be a high speed filament. (I did return the filament)
I don’t consider this a false claim though, as some of these filaments were released before the Bambu and other high speed printers came out. And at that time, 100mm/s was pushing it. So the Bambu redefined the definition of a high speed filament.
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What through analysis, thank you! It sounds like for most regular printing, there’s not really a need for HF filament at this point.
Thank you QuietMan! I’ve been looking at Voxelab as well. I typically order 20 rolls at a time but didn’t want to place an order without getting some feedback on this post if possible. You’re reply has been invaluable!
Too bad I left this morning to work out of town, or I’d send you some pictures. If you aren’t in a hurry, I can send them when I’m back home (may be as late as Saturday).
It’s a bummer that BL filament ships from China. The sale price on the basic and matte is pretty good. Ok if you can wait, but if you need some colors you don’t have right away . . . .
The shipping from China for BL filament is why I’m checking out different manufacturers. When I get back home, I have some eSun PLA-HS and Creality Hyper to try. Although, as I mentioned in a different post, the specs on the filament provided by both companies seem to be the same (Creality doesn’t provide as much info as eSun, but the numbers they do provide are identical). Because of this and the fact the cardboard spools look identical, I’ve got a suspicion Creality is private branding eSun filament.
If my guess is right on that, the profile provided by eSun should work for the Creality spool. Will be interesting to see what happens.
BTW, Creality provides a downloadable file with individual json config files for both the P1P and X1C for ALL of their filaments.
I like the fact the Voxelabs use a pre-existing BL filament file.
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Thanks Quietman, no problem I can wait. I’ve got 1 P1S and 3 on order. It will be a while before I finalize on filament for my production with them. Thanks again!
So here you go. There are 2 pictures, one with the Voxelab,and the other with the eSun PLA-HS. These are parts from a model airplane airbrush stand I’m working on. Hence, the reason I used the 0.2mm Strength setting, instead of the default 0.16mm.
Printer settings are in the pictures. Couple of things I noticed.
The Voxelab filament has more of a satin finish while the eSun is glossy. The layer lines were even more visible on the first run of the eSun, which is why I slowed the outer layer down. The layer lines on the eSun are more noticeable, both because it has a glossy finish, and the lines are not as fine. I think the printed width is wider, even though the layer width settings are the same.
Another note. The standard supports and brim-object gap settings make them a PITA to remove. The thin tree supports worked much better. Considering that I can get the Voxelab black off amazon right now for $15.99 and the normal price is $16.99, while the eSun black is $23.99, you can guess which one I’m going with. Plus, I prefer the satin look.
Next comes the Creality Hyper test.
The difference is quite obvious! Greatly appreciated. I’ll order some VoxelLab as well and give it a go!
I would make one mention.
I will make one comment, although I haven’t verified it myself. The reviews for VoxeLab on Amazon are horrible. One reviewer stated that the reason is this is NOT true VoxeLab but a company selling under that name and that the real VoxeLab doesn’t sell on Amazon. The only ‘verification’ of this I’ve done is that I clicked on the website link on Amazon and it took me to an entirely different website. Thought is was worth a mention.
Not sure I’d believe that since the Aquila FDM printers and Proxima resin printers are for sale on the Amazon Voxelab store. The labels are identical to the ones on the Voxelab website. What they could be is a reseller of Voxelab on Amazon. That is allowed . . . as long as you can prove to Amazon you are an authorized reseller for the brand and keep stuff in stock. I know about this as my wife was a reseller at one time. Amazon does investigate so they can’t get sued by a manufacturer. Otherwise you have to use a different name for your store. 99.9% of consumers are not aware of this program in Amazon.
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Could very well be the case. My personal experience is that Amazon doesn’t do a whole lot of investigation. My products have been knocked off and are for sale on Amazon… using my images, descriptions, and reviews that they copied from my Etsy Store word for word. Makes it look like my product but they are inferior reproductions and have bad reviews (on Amazon). I also noticed that Amazon Voxelab has colors not available on Voxelpla.com. But again, could be a reseller like you mentioned.
So a little digging and Voxelab and Voxelpla are different companies. Voxelab is owned by the same company that owns Flashforge. VoxelPLA is a California based print farm that has their own filament made (or rebrands someone elses).RIt’s interesting that BOTH companies tell you to use the Bambu PLA Tough filament settings. No other manufacturer of high speed filament tells you to do that, but these 2 companies give the same specs. Hmmmmm. Prices for the black PLA are identical. Voxelab charges more for other colors.
So . . . . get a spool of black from each and give it a try. See if one does better than the other.
@Quietman did you figure out the profile for the Hyper Pla? You mentioned creality had the .json files. Where did you find them?
No on the Hyper settings. I sent the spool back as the windings jammed 3 times so bad, the printer couldn’t pull the filament.
As for the settings, go to the page linked below. The “HS Parameters for Bambu Lab & Creality” link has the json files in a downloadable zip. Still no P1S.
The " eSUN Fast filaments print parameters" link is a pdf table so you can type in the parameters yourself.
eSun page:
https://www.esun3d.com/zldownload_catalog/3d-printing-settings/
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