Find out the best PLA for minis!
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- Опубліковано 27 сер 2024
- Watch me test four popular PLA filaments for printing miniatures on the Bambu Lab A1 series printers! All filaments tested were fresh out of package and then dried in a filament drier for 12 hours to ensure moisture was not affecting print tests. Bambu Lab A1 Mini with .2mm nozzle. LINKS:
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Glad to see I'm not the only one who's not so thrilled about resin
Sunlu PLA Meta is supposed to be printed at lower temperature than regular PLA, but I always use regular PLA temperatures anyway because even though it (probably) makes the mechanical properties worse, it gets a really nice finish for aesthetic prints. Looks like it works out extremely well with minis
Been looking at several filament reviews today as I want to switch and stick to a certain brand for printing. Just before calling it quits I see your upload.
Thanks for this. I don't have a bambulab but I recently upgraded from an ender 3 clone to an Flashforge AD5M. Was looking at trying my hand at minis with it.
I've been printing miniatures on my FlashForge Adventurer 5M for the past few weeks now. Been using the Sunlu PLA Meta with wonderful results. This has been thanks to FDG and this channel.
because of you i chose the meta series and that was the best choice ever! so far i have printed 300+ miniatures and only 6 of them failed and that was properly due to my own errors with having window open and such. with your settings and the meta series then the A1 mini becomes a seriously powerful printer.. Thanks alot for your epic videos and wisdom! it is very much appreciated :)
I'm glad they have worked so well for you :)
Same Story here. Pla meta is crazy good for my A1 mini too. Would like to point out that it's the PLA which needs lowest temperature.. maybe this is one of the reasons, it's a bit more fluid at similar temperatures .
For more complex minis the supports stick pretty hard tbh. It's not easy to remove it clean, but post processing with some acetone fixes imperfections on the surface
sunlu meta grey seems non existing on the web including sunlu page. 😢
@@mechanical_bob6591 i had to buy from aliexpress. but got it within 2 weeks without any problems. there are several vendors there who have stock even the grey one that is the hardest to get :D
@@mechanical_bob6591 aliexpress ;)
I bought both a A1mini and Sunlu PLA from watching your videos and could not be happier with it thank you
PLA is pretty weak until a certain thickness. Usually the swords and arms break off removing supports. I uses ABS and I squirt them down with Acetone. They survive the support removal and then become strong enough to pick up without breaking. .
This could not have come out at a better time! Just got my bambu labs A1 mini as per your recommendation during the anniversary sale and still waiting on my printer. Did not think the brand of PLA would matter that much. Just placed an order for some SUNLU PLA Meta and I'm very excited to try it all out when I finally get the printer. Thanks Tom!
Thanks so much for making this comparison video, Tom. Those results with the Sunlu Meta filament are absolutely unbelievable.
Thanks Tom! I don't print mini's in FDM anymore (I have all Voron FDM Printers now) as I have a resin printer. Your mini's come out great in resin also. Nice job on these and they would look great painted up and on the table!
I've been using your v8 profile with Sunlu PLA Meta since April and have gotten great results. I struggle with ironing and other smoothing features and quality comes and goes. I usually rerun a calibration to get it back. I also find that Normal supports are better at getting good prints on the lower parts of the STL.
Any chance you'd consider doing a mini painting tutorial? I know there are tons out there already but your own minis look really great and I'd love to know your method.
Thanks for the video! I always learn so much from your videos!
Thank you for all the hard work and for sharing your results!
I loved the video! This PLA Meta really seems to be an evolution!
Perfect timing for prime day. Looks like sunlu is putting some nice deals together. Thanks for this video.
That meta pla is awesome!!! Really night and day in those pictures!
Looks like I'll have to get some Sunlu and some Hatchbox to test on my Creality K1!
Interesting good guidance as usual!👍
thx for your videos. They always help us
I've been printing with sunlu pla+ and still think it's the king. Shared a few profiles in titancraft discord recently. Didn't like sunlu pla meta as much, but is still something doable.
Thanks for this!
Very useful video. Thank you!
Fantastic in-depth research. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for making this video, now I know what PLA I should buy :)
Ah you really make me want to buy an A1! Those prints looks really good! Care to show a finished painted one btw? Or maybe even do a video where you show how you paint them? :)
Did you look at the painted pics on our website?
Thanks
I'd love to see you try the bambu marble pla. There is something about it that hides layer lines.
Tom, I appreciate the comparison, but on the goblinoid shield, all four filaments have the same under-extrusion? in the upper right (when looking at it) part of the shield. I've really enjoyed your products and my A1 Mini is arriving tomorrow.
Have you tested out the Elegoo PLA at all? I bought a spool because it was absurdly cheap and at least in my experience it's printed as well a more expensive brands like Hatchbox.
I really like the eleggo PLA+
But I got bad results with the eleggo RAPID PLA+
On a whole, using a few different makes of 3D fdm printers, with a 0.4 nozzle, I’ve had often decent results with Elegoo basic pla. Wonder how it would work with a 0.2 nozzle for minis on the A1 Mini. Here in Europe it’s hard finding good deals on pla, but Elegoo has sometimes had nice prices. So for us Europeans, a test of Elegoo basic pla for minis would be highly appreciated!🙏
If you ever do another comparison video like this, consider trying Numakers
I'd appreciate it if you'd consider making a video of how to adjust A1 MINI belts. I've read you possibly get a notification and sometimes it just needs to be done without notification but a how to would help as the page I looked at wasn't clear.
If mine ever require it I will definitely record what I do to resolve it. :)
@@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors 👍🏻
Nice prints. I may look into a bamboo
Thanks for doing this!
Great video as always! Minis are fun to print up! I have no tabletop or game I just like minis... printing a figure right now actually im actually using creality filament and its doing really good nothing crazy so far😅
I'm assuming the .2mm nozzle. I get good results with BL Matte PLA on my mini.
Yep!
I think PLA Meta is Sunlu's answer to high speed filament. Have you tried other high speed PLA filaments? They tend to "flow" a bit more than the vanilla stuff. Thanks for the review....it's pretty amazing how much different the filament makes....I wouldn't have thought it'd be that way given equally tuned filament....so VERY interesting insights from your video!
I'm quite satisfied with EasyPrint PLA from Prima Creator, good quality and nice finish. It's a European brand, so I don't know how available it is across the pond.
I've actually had REALLY good luck with Creality HP Ultra PLA (gray) on my A1 Mini with a .2mm nozzle; I think I was using the .08mm Ultra Fine setting, though I could be wrong (I've since reinstalled the .4mm nozzle for other prints.)
Hey I just wanted to thank you for your series of videos on the Bambu Labs A1 mini, i enjoyed them so much i subscribed so a big👍. My question to you is this... As someone who doesn’t own a PC or a laptop is it possible to acquire and use the necessary software required to own and operate the A1 mini using just my smart phone? Thanks.
AFAIK not at this time.
on the sunlu website what is the difference between the MOQ: 6KG and the MOQ: 3KG meta fillaments?
Very informative, thank you
Subscribed for the maintenance videos on the A1 mini, you helped in my moment of frustration. I’m New to 3D printing, for functional applications . You mentioned Sunlu meta is better bc the A1 printers print faster. Is the PLA meta what you recommend in general for these printers or just for miniature prints?
It's funny how different the filament can be from printer to printer. The pla+ esun was absolute trash on my e3v2 and prints acceptably on my e3v3.
Overall I've found the bambu labs filament to be pretty decent. At least on the A1.
Sunlu meta is quite expensive around these parts unfortunately.
Which filament would you use for LED lit flames, crystals, etc? Translucent coloured filaments?
I have them linked on my website in the recommended supplies section.
Is this profiles matching to x1c?
I've been using Anycubic High Speed, and have found it's a great filament. Would love to see what you can do with it. I would guess it is comparable to the Sunlu Meta.
Will these profiles work with P1P/P1S?
Can you please test the eleggo PLA+ Filament?
I work with a nice finish for me
These settings seem pretty good, but do you have any advice for supports? The minis you've shown look thick enough to not need supports, but I'm guessing a lot of other ones, including the STLs downloaded from Heroforge won't be so lucky. Any tips on getting good results on minis that need supports?
Nothing I design/sell requires supports, so no reason for me to spend time developing custom settings for them.
Perhaps I missed it in the video, but for clarification, was flow calibration preformed on each brand of filament before printing?
Yes, the machine automatically performs flow calibration at the beginning of each print (unless you choose to turn it off.) If you do turn it off, flow calibration should always be done when using a new roll of filament (or at least every few days when using the same roll).
@@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors
That's what I assumed, but I wanted to double-check. Thanks for the quick reply, LOVE the work you do. Been using your profiles for my Bambu, and previously Ender 3/Cura for years now. Keep up the good work
Can u do a video on supports for minis on the bambu printers?
None of my designs require supports so no reason for me to spend time developing settings for them. If you are buying minis that require supports from someone else then they should be supplying you with recommended support settings for their products.
@@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors that's very cool and impressive that ur minis don't need supports. They've got some decent overhangs.
I have the ender 3v2 neo. My minis does not come put thst well. Any suggestions? I am using the 4.0 nozzle
Go watch my videos for printing miniatures on Enders (I even have custom Cura profiles for printing minis on Ender 2s & 3s.)
This info is extremely timely for me. Thank you very much.
Thank you for this in depth video! Few quick questions. Do you print the minis without supports or do you let Bambulab generate them?
And, can you fill a plate with minis or do you print them one by one?
None of the minis I design require supports. One at a time for best results.
@@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors So on more complex minis you recommend auto supports?
@@doomedmini5191 nope. I recommend specific settings designed for the miniature being printed. In other words, whomever you purchased the miniature(s) from owes you the settings designed for their miniatures to print properly.
I am enjoying the videos, thanks. I'm curious what environment you have the printers in? My A1 Mini starting printing badly when I started using the AC, and I wonder if you or others have seen similar issues. With the AMS (which I don't think you use) its too big to stick a box over it to minimize the issue.
I was recently gifted a Ender 3 v2. Do you have any filament recomendations for printing minis with it, or should I just go ahead and bite the bullet and buy a Bambu Lab A1 Mini? Thanks in advance for any advice you can send my way.
Use Hatchbox PLA (not PLA+) and check out my custom Cura profiles for Ender 3s (for best results use a .2mm or .3mm nozzle.) Watch this video (and others I have done on printing minis on Enders). This video shows the Ender-2, but the 3 v2 will do almost the same quality: ua-cam.com/video/iEdCTuK7ZW0/v-deo.htmlsi=AESWSXkEjch3ZbjO
What about Elegoo Filament?
Not as good as Sunlu and Hatchbox.
Will the profile for the Bambu Studio work just as well or at all in Orca Slicer?
I don't know, you'll have to try it and report back!
Very helpful study, have you tried the Bambu/Sunlu Meta with smaller scale figures, eg 15mm? I've managed to print the smaller figures on an Ender 3 S1 with a 0.215 Revo nozzle and Sunlu PLA. The results aren't as good as resin but certainly good enough for the tabletop. A figure takes around 90 minutes + so I'm interested in a faster printer and your work is certainly pushing me towards the Bambu A1.
Yes, 15mm scale figs came out great with Sunlu Meta.
With a Bambu X1 Carbon using Sunlu Meta should we still use your custom settings? Has anyone made any changes to your settings that have one ?
Try it and LMK how it works.
I will
@@richm5276 did it work?
Thanks Tom. Where are the Dwarf with the Hammer and the female cleric from? I cannot find them in your webstore.
They are coming in our upcoming supportless miniatures Kickstarter :)
@@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors that's what I thought.. LOL Look forward to it!
Recommend the esun pls + HS
This is great info. I know these are your minis, would it be possible to do some fdm prints with different minis that are designed for resin and supports?? how well do some of these filiaments work on different style of minis?
Nothing I design requires supports so I will not be developing/testing support settings.
Is it a good idea to use your a1 mini settings on a p1s or are they quite different? Thanks 😊
No clue, I don't own a P1S.
@@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors Ah no worries, thanks for the reply!
@@harrisonevans1802did you try? How’d it turn out?
@@user-rx8um2ug4f nah haven't tried it yet as I don't have the 0.2 nozzle and I also want to pick up some sunlu meta filament!
which temperature did you use with Sunlu?
All of my settings are in my custom Bambu Studio profile.
He said in the original video for this profile he runs at 220*C, which to me seems high given the low 2mm/s max flow rate. Some artefacts maybe due to heat shrinkage, some by high viscosity blobbing followed by the inevitable under extrusion. Poor overhangs are usually caused by inadequate cooling and higher extrusion temperatures need more cooling.
That said, his overall print quality with these settings seems excellent and we're really splitting hairs at this point.
If he reran the filament experiment on the Barbarian test prints at 180*C - 190*C, I wonder if the results would be the same or perhaps reversed. He did say in his original video some of his friends are running the same profile at 190*C and 200*C but didn't clarify what filament they were using.
All machines are unique and temperature test prints take very little time so it might be worth running a few test prints at different temperatures with your filament. Tom has done an amazing job with this profile and his experiments.
@@rossmaclean2 temperature tests were done for each brand to ensure optimal results (Sunlu was run at 210, Bambu & Overture at 220, Hatchbox at 215.)
@@rossmaclean2 I just asked out of curiosity because as seen at @14:46 the manufacture recommends a temperature range of 185-195C for the Sunlu PLA Metal. Now we know he set 210C which overrides manufacture's specifications for the good. :) This is not a critic, just an observation from my side that I take into account.
I fully agree with you on that this guy is making a high valuable service for community. The efforts he puts in bringing all this information to us is invaluable.
I was given an Ender 3 Pro recently. Is it worthwhile to print minis on this? I was planning on printing scenery and terrain dressings but minis would be cool.
Minis are absolutely doable on an Ender. Much tinkering is required. Look for Tom's videos on just this subject.
Yes! I have a lot of older videos on printing minis on Ender 3s (and custom Cura profiles for the Ender too for minis).
do you use supports? ive been using a bambu p1s with your settings and the prints are great supports are causing issues breaks in the models and impossible to take off.
None of the minis I design require supports, so I don't develop custom support settings.
@@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors hey thanks for the reply again i saw your other reply and greatly appreciate it I reached out to the people I purchase the STLs from. i like your videos a lot really informative now im not sure if the A1 or A1 mini have these mods but have you considered if they have it using a panda revo nozzle they have a .15 nozzle size and was wondering if you think it would make a difference in print quality on the minis.
I am literally just bought myself 3kg of SUNLU meta filament 1 hour before this video came out xDDDDD I have a question! What if i don't want to have ANY of layers showing up. Should i just use some acid? Or how do I can make them look even more smoother!? ^_^
P.S. more comments more recommendation from youtube for our best fdm adviser!! Go Fat Dragon!!
The Ender 2 Pro is a discontinued machine. The Bamboo A1 and A1 Mini may become obsolete when bamboo cuts the cord since everything proprietary. The early machines like the Ender's will have parts and upgrades for years so not a big chance of being obsolete.