3DXTECH CarbonX™ Carbon Fiber PETG
Preparation: No bed prepping required except ensuring that your bed is free of grease from your hands.
Bed Surface: I printed without any issue on both the stock Prusa MK3 flex sheet and the after-market tthheekkiinngg V3 textured flex sheet.
Temps: Bed 1st layer 85, other layers 80. Extruder 1st layer 245, other layers 260
Print Cooling: Disabled for the first three layers, subsequent layers dynamic from 30-50%
Nozzle Size and Resolution: I used both the .35 and .4 E3D Nozzle X. All of the reviews and documentation recommend a hardened nozzle with a min diameter of .4, and I have to agree. With my .35, although it does give me better quality prints using PETG and PLA, the CarbonX clogged it quickly. The min recommended resolution is .2, and that is what I used, with amazing results.
Ease of Printing: 8 out of 10. Very similar to regular PETG, but without the spider webbing. No special preparing of bed or environmental temperature and off-gassing issues to be concerned with.
Finish: 9 out of 10. I would give it a 10 out of 10, but I am sure there are better formulations that I have not tried. I cannot say enough about the finish, both from a colour and texture perspective; it is desirable.
Adhesion: 9 out of 10. Very similar to regular PETG. Excellent adhesion when the bed temp is up during printing. Once the print bed has cooled the prints pop off the bed without any issue.
Link and price: 49.95
3DXTECH seems to have focused on creating high-quality exotic filaments, and this CarbonX fits that bill. I have printed using Prusament Black PETG as well as PLA, and by far the texture, colour and finish of this filament is superior.
The Pros
Preparation: No bed prepping required except ensuring that your bed is free of grease from your hands.
Bed Surface: I printed without any issue on both the stock Prusa MK3 flex sheet and the after-market tthheekkiinngg V3 textured flex sheet.
Temps: Bed 1st layer 85, other layers 80. Extruder 1st layer 245, other layers 260
Print Cooling: Disabled for the first three layers, subsequent layers dynamic from 30-50%
Nozzle Size and Resolution: I used both the .35 and .4 E3D Nozzle X. All of the reviews and documentation recommend a hardened nozzle with a min diameter of .4, and I have to agree. With my .35, although it does give me better quality prints using PETG and PLA, the CarbonX clogged it quickly. The min recommended resolution is .2, and that is what I used, with amazing results.
Ease of Printing: 8 out of 10. Very similar to regular PETG, but without the spider webbing. No special preparing of bed or environmental temperature and off-gassing issues to be concerned with.
Finish: 9 out of 10. I would give it a 10 out of 10, but I am sure there are better formulations that I have not tried. I cannot say enough about the finish, both from a colour and texture perspective; it is desirable.
Adhesion: 9 out of 10. Very similar to regular PETG. Excellent adhesion when the bed temp is up during printing. Once the print bed has cooled the prints pop off the bed without any issue.
Link and price: 49.95
3DXTECH seems to have focused on creating high-quality exotic filaments, and this CarbonX fits that bill. I have printed using Prusament Black PETG as well as PLA, and by far the texture, colour and finish of this filament is superior.
The Pros
- Strong, while I have not attempted to quantify its strength; however, it is harder than PETG. Having said that it is also more brittle, so it's not a substitute for PETG, just another choice to consider.
- The finish is more like a dark charcoal dry (matte) grey colour, not deep black. IMO a much nicer finish than black PETG or PLA, which tends to be shinier and shows off the imperfections easier.
- Very easy filament to print, no enclosure required to retain heat or air quality concerns to deal with.
- No "Spider Webbing", which is typical of PETG.
- Premium price for filament, although not for carbon fibre or quality filament.
- Bridging is not good. Keep in mind that if you have models with bridging, then this filament will not handle it well. Even the smallest bridges sagged. This may be something that can be mitigated with better settings, such as "Bridge flow ration" in Slic3r or other settings in your favourite slicing package.
