Hey ala,

Day 2, welcome back!! This time, we’re talking filament.

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Filament is the #1 recurring cost of 3D printing, because it’s the material your final product gets made out of. I’ve bought some of the cheapest and some of the most expensive filaments on the market in an attempt to have the highest quality 3D printed parts available to my customers at wittworks.shop at the best prices, and I’m going to use that knowledge to save you as much of that money as I can.

⚙️ Let’s get into it:

Before we go into the different types of filaments and what they’re used for, let’s cover some basics.

First, don’t buy from random amazon brands. They are generally low quality, inconsistent, and can cause your prints to fail. But quality filament is only half the problem; the other half is on you keeping the filament dry. That’s because most 3D printing materials are *hygroscopic* - which is a $5 word that essentially means it absorbs moisture from the air. So, it's necessary to both dry the filament when making it, and maintain its dryness, which can be a challenge if there’s high humidity in your environment. Lots of people store their filament on a wall and out in the open. It looks cool, it’s certainly convenient, but I don’t recommend it. I’m probably paranoid, but I store all my filament in a waterproof storage tote with a rubber gasket seal on the lid. I throw the desiccants that come with the filament in there to absorb any moisture, and it works. I’ve had rolls for over 3 years, and they’re still printing perfectly today. Proper storage goes a long way.

Now time for the good stuff.