What’s an FDM filament coloring’s function however to be an aesthetic selection? Because it seems, the components that create these adjustments in coloring and transparency additionally have an effect on the bottom properties of the polymer, whether or not it’s PLA, PETG, or one other materials. That is the place a latest video by [CNC Kitchen] is moderately illustrative, utilizing a group of coloured PLA filaments from a single filament producer.

[CNC Kitchen] ran a spread of checks together with tensile power, ductility, layer adhesion, influence resistance, and annealing efficiency. The outcomes confirmed no clear total winner between plain PLA polymer and any particular colour. Maybe most fascinating was simply how a lot these colour components change the fabric’s response to annealing. Baking the PLA at 100°C for half-hour typically improves materials properties, but additionally may cause warping and shrinking. The efficient warping and shrinking differed wildly between the filament.

The final conclusion would appear to be that the pure polymer isn’t essentially the optimum selection, however that you need to take a look at and choose the filament from a particular producer to suit your challenge’s wants.