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When will my order be shipped? insert_link

We ship all of our orders the day after they are received. If you have placed your order before 10:00 am, it is very likely that it will be shipped the same day.

Can I pick up my order at your factory? insert_link

Yes, you just have to select it in the shipping options.

Please note that orders may take a day to be ready.

Do you always have stock of all products? insert_link

We try to maintain a stable stock of all our products. Please note that the website will only allow you to order products that are available at that time.

If there is no stock available, you can set an alarm on the product page that will notify you when the product is back in stock.

If you urgently need to purchase a product that is not available, contact us and we will try to solve it.

Where can I download the filament datasheets? insert_link

You can find all the technical sheets of our products at https://www.3dfils.com/en/content/downloads.html

I ordered the wrong diameter. What I can do? insert_link

Don't worry, we understand that these things can happen. The only thing we are going to ask of you is that the filament has not been opened. To manage a filament change due to diameter reasons, you can send us an email to info@3dfils.com or use the form contact.

Remember to have the order reference on hand to speed up the process.

How to configure the support for flexible filaments? insert_link

As you all know in 3D printing objects are built layer by layer. This implies that each layer supports the next layer. This next layer may not coincide exactly with the previous one, which causes part of the layer to be exposed, that is, without being supported by the previous layer.

There is a point where this is not possible since the upper layers do not have enough support from the lower ones. This occurs when we exceed an angle of 45º. To solve this problem and for the piece to hold up during printing we need to use the support structures.

What are support structures in 3D printing?

The support structures are elements that are printed together with the model but that are not part of the original design and that serve to support the protruding parts of the models that exceed 45º.

Rule

These support structures can be made of the same material as the main piece or, if we have an extra extruder, of another material that is easier to remove.

The support structures are created from the same program with which we prepare the 3D printing and their correct configuration is crucial to obtain a good finish in the parts in which we use them.

The support problem with flexible materials

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When we use rigid materials such as PLA remove the support, although sometimes tedious, it is usually simple. With the appropriate tools we break the support structure and remove it. This is because support structures are often thin and brittle with rigid materials.

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Removing flexible supports

With flexible materials things change. Although the support structures remain thin, the very nature of the material means that it does not break. So the only way to remove the support material is by stretching or cutting in the worst cases.

What should be taken into account when configuring support for flexible materials?

There are two key aspects when setting it up: the support pattern and the gap between the support and the part.

As we have said before, the only way to remove the support in 3D printed parts with flexible filament is to stretch. This is why we must configure the support in a way that makes this task easier for us.

Speaking of thesupport pattern, it is best to reduce the contact points by trying to make the supported surface as large as possible. We have to avoid types of support in which the structure crosses each other, such as a support with a grid pattern. Our choice is always a support with a cross pattern since the area it supports is much larger but the contact points are always a single line.

To see this we are going to compare the single line pattern with the cross pattern.

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As you can see for the same area, the cross pattern supports more areas than the others with the advantage that it always maintains the minimum contact surface, not like the grid support that when intersecting creates areas where removing the support is going to be more difficult for us.

The other fundamental parameter is the separation between the piece and the support. If we leave it too close together, the support will fuse with the piece, making its removal impossible. If we separate it too much it will not be able to withstand the layers of 3D printing, resulting in a disaster.

Recommended parameters to generate support with eFil

Taking into accountAll of the above, the parameters we recommend for the eFil range of flexible filaments are:

Cantilever angle 45º
Density 25%
Support pattern Cross
Z distance on the support 0.19mm
X/Y distance on the support 0.7mm
Priority in support distances Z over X/Y

What payment methods are available? insert_link

Payment methods available in Spain
Bank transfer
You can conveniently transfer the amount of your purchase to our account. As soon as payment is made, your order will be shipped (It may take 4 to 5 business days).
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Pay easily with one of these credit cards: VISA, Mastercard, American Express, Diners Club, JCB.
Credit card
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Paypal
Pay securely through Paypal account.
How can I get in touch?' insert_link

If you need to contact us, you can do so in the following ways:

Remember that our customer service hours are from 10:00 to 16:00

How can I remove taxes from my invoice if I have a European VAT number? insert_link

If you buy from a European company with a valid VAT number you can get your invoice tax free. To do this, enter your VAT number in the corresponding box in the selection process. If the number is valid, once entered the taxes will automatically disappear.

What do the different order statuses mean? insert_link

Your orders can go through five different states:

  • Payment accepted: This is the default status when you have placed an order and it has been processed correctly.
  • Pending payment by bank transfer: If you have selected the bank transfer method, this will be the status of the order until we verify that the payment has been made.
  • Payment error: This status can occur when an error has occurred in the payment gateway or the order has been canceled at the time of payment. If you do not know why the error may have occurred, please contact us.
  • Shipped: This status applies from the moment we process the shipment and it leaves our facilities. From this moment onwards, shipment tracking is now available.
  • Delivered: The status that your order will have once it is delivered. If your order has this status but you have not received the merchandise, please contact us.

What do I need to print with flexible filament?

Flexible Filaments

Printing flexible filament is more complicated than working with rigid filaments. By their very nature, they present various problems when using them, especially if you do not have a 3D printer prepared to work with them. However, with a good configuration of our 3D printer it is very easy to obtain great results with a good printing speed.

In this section you will find everything you need to work with flexible filament in your 3D printer. If you see that something is missing, do not hesitate to contact us.

First Steps

Extruder for flexible filament

The most important thing to print with flexible filament is to have a good extruder. Most commercial 3D printers already incorporate a compatible extruder, for more information on compatible printers visit the corresponding section in the section of the material you want to print in this article. If you have a RepRap printer and you do not have a compatible extruder, there are several alternatives on the market and also many freely designed extruders that you can use to improve your printer.

The key points to take into account when choosing an extruder are the following:

    • Filament guidance

    • Friction

    • Filament pull

    • Nozzle size

Filament guidance

Any slight gap between the flexible filament pushing system and its entrance to the hot-end can cause the filament to begin to wind in this gap.

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To solve this, we need this gap not to exist in our extruder. The objective is for the filament to be completely guided to the hot-end.

extruder

Commercial extruders prepared for printing withflexible materials will not present this problem. If you have a RepRap extruder you have two options, either assemble a new one that is prepared or print a wedge-shaped part that solves this problem. Although the best option is to update our extruder.

Friction

Excessive friction of the filament with the extruder elements can cause problems in the feeding of material.

To solve this problem there are several things we can do. The first thing is to use direct extrusion systems. In a Bowden system, excessive friction of the filament with the guiding tube is generated.

We must also ensure that the distance between the pulleys and the hot-end is as small as possible.

Another very important aspect is to work with barrels in the hot-end that have a PTFE tube incorporated. The Teflon tube (PTFE) reduces friction and acts as a thermal insulator, preventing the filament from expanding before reaching the hotend heating zone.

Filament traction

Unlike with rigid filaments, achieving good traction with flexible material is more complicated.

We must look for an extruder that allows us to adapt the traction that is carried out on the filament. The most used system for this has always been a lever-like arm pressing the filament thanks to the force of a spring.

print

Now we have more complex systems that offer better results. Also work with two toothed pulleys instead of a pulley and a bearing. If the filament slips on the bearing, we will not get optimal traction from it.

Nozzle size

The size of the nozzle is related to the quality of the printed pieces. The smaller the size, the lower layer height we can achieve and therefore greater definition in the piece.

However, when dealing with flexible filament a very small nozzle size can cause excessive pressure inside the hot-end, which will cause the output flow toof the material is not constant.

The printing speed that we can achieve withflexible material is also directly related to the size of the nozzle. We can obtain the best quality/speed ratio using 0.4 to 0.6 mm nozzles.

Once we have chosen the perfect extruder to work with flexible filament, we are going to see the first steps to start printing.

The first thing is, of course, the loading of the filament in our printer. For this, the ideal is that we work with an exclusive hot-end for flexible filament.

If this is not our case, we will first remove the previous filament. It is advisable to extrude a little before removing the filament. With this we will be able to eliminate impurities at the nozzle outlet and ensure that the material flows correctly.

Once removed, we will set our hot-end to the recommended temperature to work with each material (see corresponding section). Once the filament has been introduced and seeing that it comes out of the nozzle, it is advisable to extrude a little filament, especially if We make the change from something hard like PLA or ABS.

And we are almost ready to print! Now depending on which filament you are going to work with, you should visit its corresponding section for the particular considerations of each one.

Tips

To achieve perfect results it is necessary to modify our printing profile depending on what we want to achieve.

Hanging parts

It is possible to print hanging parts with eFil, for this we will need an extruder that has a layer fan. Most extruders today have this. If yours does not have it, you can try to improve it with the following parts:

Cape Fan List

By activating the layer fan when our 3D design has exposed parts, we will ensure that these solidify sooner and serve as support for the following layers.

Support

Using support with eFil can be problematic when removing it, since it will be very adhered to the piece. To do this, it is recommended that when designing the piece we add supports whose contact with the piece is as minimal as possible.

Troubleshooting

Threads

The appearance of threads in a piece may not be critical for the result of our printing but it may cause a poor finish.

The parameters directly related to these problems are retraction and printing temperature. By decreasing the printing temperature and increasing the retraction we should eliminate the threads. We must be careful not to stray too far from the recommended parameters.

A very interesting option that almost all slicers incorporate is “Avoid crossing perimeters”. This option will force the machine not to cross the perimeters of the piece while the head is moving. This will largely prevent the appearance of threads, although it can have a negative impact on printing time.

Adhesion to the printing surface

Parts coming off during printing is usually not a problem with flexible filaments. What's more, we may find ourselves with excess adhesion that prevents us from removing the pieces once printed.

To help with the removal of the pieces we can use acetone or alcohol.

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