Issues with Filament suppliers

This post talks about the issue with buying poor quality filament!

So with the UP box I have been buying Filament from CPC that is supposed to be approved for the UP printer (has UP on the box). Now this is not to be confused with the filament labelled from Tiertime.

Now I think that if you are supplying plastic filament for 3D printers, you really need to know and understand the issues of supplying quality filament, and also supplying filament that has been stored correctly! I have had maybe 6x reels of yellow filament from CPC, then I went to order some more filament and could only get green - no probs I can handle using Green.

However upon receipt of 6 reels, I had to return two as they had been pierced (letting in oxygen). Now who know how long those reels had been pierced, but it was obvious when opening the box that this had happened as the vacuum seal on the reels had been compromised.

This is what was presented to me when I first opened up two of the reels.

I returned them, and then asked for replacements. 5 days later I had my replacements turn up - only to find that in fact CPC had put the reels I had returned back into stock and then picked that stock back out in order to send back to me. So I received the same reels of filament that I had sent back.

This is what un-opened reels of filament should look like:-

A good vacuum seal - See CPC when it comes to goods return inspection - look this is sealed filament not a loose bag!.

I have been using the replacement filament, and have to say that the quality isn't as good as the filament I have personally used, which is from Rigid Ink. The filament supposedly designed for the UP is not as accurate, and has issues in the UP printer, in as much doesn't sometimes extrude and clogs the extruder up. However the Rigid Ink lives up to its promise to which praises itself on the quality, prints all the time without problems.

The moral of this is that if you want to buy filament for your printer but from a descent supplier that knows what they are doing with filament and knows how it should be treated - CPC is NOT one of them!

Rigid Ink and the UP! Box 3D printer

So Sometime ago I got a sample of Rigid Inks ABS Filament - Unfortunately you don't get to choose the colour, but at least you get to try out a different supplier.

Here are the results of printing on the UP! Box, Printing our a marvin robot keyring.

Here is the print smoothed with Acetone to see how the filament smooths out.

Looks pretty good doesn't it.. On the white tiertime filament that comes with the UP! Box printer, it struggled with the key ring loop at the top of the robot, however with the RigidInk filament not a single problem.. It really is amazing as I was expecting the tiertime filament to out perform the Rigid Ink filament considering that the Rigid Ink filament was extruded at the upper end of its temperature range. Also I have been finding the green ABS filament from UP! manufacturer struggles to get going in as much if you put in a reel after the printer has rested, the filament requires an extra bit of pushing to get it to start extruding properly. - Now this is filament that is meant to be compatible with the UP printer (This of course could just be the green filament being the problem, and that any other colour would be fine)..

From my initial Test I am definitely sold on the Rigid Ink Filament, it is a shame that the colours are limited, for instance would be great to have a glow in the dark filament.

I am definetely going to try and get some of their other filament to test - Looks like I should be able to print PMMA and Nylon12 with the standard UP! Box setup - so watch this space!

Oh the final plus of Rigid Ink Filament is the cost - For the filament for UP! Box I have been paying £27 for a 500g reel, Rigid Ink filament is the same price but for double - yes double 1kg reel! Bargain