One of the things I quickly discovered when starting my 3D printing journey was that there are a TON of different filaments (materials) to choose from. And I don't just mean the colour or the brand – I've recently started printing with more exotic filament types like TPU, ABS, PAHT-CF and PETG-CF (the CF stands for Carbon Fiber).
It's impossible to cover them all, but in this guide, I've rounded up some of my favourite filaments that I use daily with my Bambu Lab H2S and X1 Carbon models, two of the best 3D printers that you can get right now.
My favourite filaments for 3D printing
Type: PLA
Colour: Rainbow pastel
Finish: Matte
Cost: $26.99 / £22.99 per 1KG
I buy at least 3 rolls of this filament every few weeks, and I think it's absolutely stunning. The only thing that would make it better is a bit of glitter, but it still looks great with the matte finish. I use this PLA for printing all kinds of things, but primarily fantasy creatures like Cinderwing Dragons, unicorns, cute little dinos, and even flexible goldfish (my niece and nephews love them).
Type: PLA+
Colour: Beige (but plenty of other colours available)
Finish: Matte
Cost: $19.99 / £15.99 per 1KG
Beige is a colour that I didn't think I'd use very often, but I run out of it almost every week. It's the perfect tone for skin colour, animal stomachs, vanilla ice cream, and it's also the perfect shade for bone. Some beige filaments I've used before are slightly pink-tinted, but this one is perfectly neutral, and I love it! PLA+ prints just as easily as regular PLA but is said to be a little tougher.
Type: Silk PLA+
Colour: Blue+Purple+Red+Gold
Finish: Shiny
Cost: $29.99 / £29.99 per 1KG
This brand new four-colour silk filament from SUNLU is one I'm desperate to try out. There are four new different combinations to pick from, but I think I'll be choosing the Blue+Purple+Red+Gold combination. I've used tri-colour silk PLA from SUNLU before, and it prints beautifully. The company also has a range of Silk TPU, which looks pretty incredible. At the time of writing, this filament is 40% off.
Type: Flexible TPU
Colour: Frozen
Finish: matte
Cost: $53.99 / £53.99 per 1KG
This soft TPU filament from Bambu Lab offers impact absorption and exceptional wear resistance. This makes it great for printing things like phone cases, bouncy balls, and even wearable shoes. This material comes included with a high-temperature reusable spool from Bambu Lab, but CANNOT be printed using an AMS. You can use the Bambu Lab AMS HT; however, just make sure to manually feed the filament delicatley.
Type: PAHT-CF
Colour: Black
Finish: textured
Cost: $85.49 / £87.99 per 1KG
If you need filament that's 100% reliable for mechanical projects, you can't go wrong with this PAHT batch from Bambu Lab. It offers high tensile strength, exceptional mechanical properties & layer adhesion, plus it boasts low moisture absorption, meaning that you won't need to stress about drying it out every time you plan on using it. It's an upgraded version of PA-CF, and requires a 0.6 mm nozzle for use.
Type: PLA
Colour: Glow Green
Finish: matte
Cost: $24.99 / £22.99 per 1KG
Possibly one of the coolest types of PLA out there is glow-in-the-dark filament. This is the perfect material for printing things like night lights, Halloween models, and safety signs. I printed a glow-in-the-dark alien not too long ago, and it's one of the coolest things in my gaming room. Some people think glow PLA is a bit gimmicky, but I think it's awesome. It requires a slightly hardened nozzle for the best results.
FAQs
What are the different types of material for 3D printing?
If you're using an FDM 3D printer (as opposed to a resin 3D printer) then you should be able to use most of the materials below:
PLA, ABS, ASA, PETG-HF, PETG-CF, TPU 85A, TPU 90A, TPU 95A HF, PC, PC FR, PVA, PLA Glow, PLA-CF, ABS-GF, ASA-CF, PA6-CF, PA6-GF, PAHT-CF, PET-CF, PPA-CF,
These materials will require different print settings and nozzles to print correctly. Refer to Bambu Lab's Ultimate Filament guide if you need some more help understanding which type of filament is best for certain projects.
Do I need to dry my filament?
Yes. It might seem silly, but even brand-new filament that arrives vacuum-sealed can still be damp during the packing and delivery process, and do you really want to risk trusting the manufacturer and assuming that your filament is fine out of the box?
While filament is definitely better when used straight out of the box, there is a chance it still could have absorbed moisture, so it's best to dry it out just to be safe.
