How to Test the Marble PLA

By Eryone QC Andy Wen,

In the actual market, customers need some filaments that can print special effects, such as imitation marble grains and carved stone figures. Marble PLA is very suitable for customers who want to create prints with stone effect and imitation marble grains, because the printing surface of the marble PLA print has a fine and smooth texture with marble grain.

Marble PLA filaments are developed based on standard PLA material (Polylactic Acid) that has its own physical properties. The physical property of Marble PLA decides the performances of Marble PLA prints, including toughness, shrink rate, water absorbency, printing temperature and so on.

The parameters in the above table are measured by professional testing instruments.

Diameter and Tolerance

Diameter and tolerance are the very basic parameters that we must know before our test.

And high precision of filament can make a constant diameter and make filament hardly get clogged. After testing via a micrometer, we know the diameter of Marble filament is 1.75mm with a tolerance ±0.03.

In the production, the diameter of the filament can be set on the precise equipment. However, the equipment with different precision can produce filaments with different diameters. To remove this hassle, we apply the equipment with 1.75±0.03mm high precision. Next, we use micrometer to do a spot check of the precision of produced filaments.

From the testing data in the table, there are 12 test points for filaments in each color. There is a 30cm distance between the two test points. As is the micrometer shown, the 12 date indicate that the filaments in different colors has reached the high precision 1.75±0.03mm. So Marble filament meets the standards of the diameter.

Temperature Property

As we know, PLA filament is user-friendly for our beginners because it’s easy to use.

Marble PLA filament, as it’s developed based on standard PLA material, also can be very  user-friendly. To get a wonderful print, we must make sure that we know the printing temperature well. The printing temperature directly influences the constant diameter and the liquidity of the output filament. For printing temperature, we set the temperature as some points within 190-220℃.

Test Object	Marble PLA	Time	2020
Test Method	Print at some different temperature points.
Color	195℃	205℃	220℃
Grey

As shown in the table above, the printing temperature points of the Marble filament 196℃, 205℃ and 220℃, under which the output filament has a constant diameter, smooth fluidity and little string. Therefore, when the temperature ranges 190-220℃, the Marble PLA filament can reach a high-quality printing effect.

Matching Rate of Speed and Temperature

The matching rate of speed and temperature is also an factor that affects the printing effect. Also, it reflects how customers get familiar with the slicing of this matte filament.

We choose 3 temperature points to test. At a certain temperature, we set different printing speed as the print gets higher. In this way, we can find the optimal match of temperature and speed.

The table above shows the optimum matching rate of speed and temperature on mainstream printers. We can refer to the table above to slice.

For Marble PLA, the printing temperature can be higher, the speed should be lower. In this way, the prints will have smoother surface but less string.

The Adhesivity of the Heated Bed

Marble PLA is similar to other PLA filaments in that they have lower temperature requirements for heated beds. The following are the temperature requirements for common heated beds.

We can know from the table that Marble PLA has a high compatibility with the mainstream bed.

Compatibility of 3D Printers

Without a printer, the filament can not produce a print. The compatibility of the printer should also be taken into concern.

From the above test process, Marble PLA filament applies to most FDM printers in the market. When you use different printers, the slicing parameters should be different. The retracting length set for Bowden and direct drive printers should be different. That will be given in the product specification and you can refer it.

Retracting and String

Generally speaking, proper retracting value can decrease string rate. After a few times of testing, we get the following data. With an inconstant printer, we test to find that the optimum retracting value for a certain temperature rang. The marble print in the picture has little strings.

After comprehensive testing of the above projects, we give you reference of parameters—Bowden extruder printer: printing temperature 200-215℃, retracting length 4-6mm, retracting speed 50-70mm/s; direct-drive extruder printer: printing temperature 200-220℃, retracting speed 0.8-1mm, retracting speed 35-40mm/s.

205℃

In conclusion, the printing surface of Marble PLA print has a fine and smooth texture with marble grain. In terms of printing habits and usage, the Marble PLA has no different from the standard PLA and it also can be user-friendly.