MakerGeeks' Random Filament Package - A $20 Pain in the Ass

[jimc]

printbus......yes i have only used the abs. i dont ever print in pla so i have no input there. one thing to note though is that the bumps you speak of are 10 times more likely to happen in black filament than any other color. i have seen this from many brands. one of them i ended up working with the extrusion co for awhile to figure out the problem. it is caused by the black colorant making the plastic sticky. the plastic slowly builds up on the nozzle of the industrial extruder then the blob catches onto the filament when it gets too big which then gets spooled up. not that any of this has any usefulness to you, me or anyone else here. we just know we need bump free filament. ive been through atleast a dozen rolls of toner abs and every roll has been spot on accurate even the black.

[printbus]

printbus......yes i have only used the abs. i dont ever print in pla so i have no input there. one thing to note though is that the bumps you speak of are 10 times more likely to happen in black filament than any other color. i have seen this from many brands. one of them i ended up working with the extrusion co for awhile to figure out the problem. it is caused by the black colorant making the plastic sticky. the plastic slowly builds up on the nozzle of the industrial extruder then the blob catches onto the filament when it gets too big which then gets spooled up. not that any of this has any usefulness to you, me or anyone else here. we just know we need bump free filament. ive been through atleast a dozen rolls of toner abs and every roll has been spot on accurate even the black.

Informative on the issue with black. What got me is that Toner Plastics says their tolerance is +/- 0.003in, monitored with a laser micrometer. That definitely wasn't the case on the spool I got, and is another issue they couldn't answer. They don't take exception to the color black. I'd be OK if they did - I just wouldn't buy it. I'm almost finished with a spool of black PLA from MakerFarm that has been perfect the entire roll.

[jimc]

you know its funny you mentioned the laser because every spool of black ive gotten that has a bump in it says they are laser measured to the same specs but yet somehow it makes it through.