Endless Exploration EX4 (September 2024) Glow for it!

The days are getting shorter again and Halloween is next month. It's the perfect time for fun with glow-in-the-dark filaments, don't you think?

You might be wondering, "Why glow in Endless Exploration?"

Well glow-in-the-dark is a new aesthetic ingredient for us that requires special consideration. First, we promised Endless PLA subscribers we would not give them abrasive materials, and we warned Endless Exploration subscribers that we may. As you may already know, the particles required for the glow effect are mechanically hard and abrasive.

We started with large particles and learned they were too abrasive. They actually turned the filament gray (below left) because they were sanding away the metal inside of our machinery. We didn't let that happen long, but as discouraging as that was, it's also a wonderful visual indicator!

Switching to finer particles, the material was no longer gray (above right). The resulting material is also noticeably less gritty. It's surely still somewhat abrasive, but less abrasive. Nevertheless, really important to know. More about abrasive filaments plus a discount code for wear resistant nozzles at the end of this blog.

Ok, so we down selected to smaller particles, but that still left us a number of grades to choose from. We loaded filament with the same % of each grade and then judged how bright and long they glowed. While all glowed relatively well, there was some variation. We chose the one that glowed brightest, longest!

It's worth mentioning that like with our other color and composite filaments, we start with powder and make our own masterbatch with our in-house compounding equipment. Masterbatch is the powder concentrated in plastic as a carrier. We do this to control composition and ensure the best possible quality. Off-the-shelf masterbatches can lead to unexpected and undesirable chemistries.

With a bright glow and a manageably abrasive filament, we explored adding color. We learned adding color reduces glow. Colors like black, blue, and red absorb light for considerable reduction glow. Colors like white and yellow allow light to pass and/or reflect for less reduction in glow. In learning this, we prepared (left to right below) white, natural (uncolored), and fluorescent yellow glow-in-the-dark to maximize glow while adding some variety.

What's your favorite? What will you print? Show us on social (links below).

Not an Endless Exploration Subscriber? Subscribe by October 31 for our next delivery in November (topic: electrical conductivity) and/or purchase the glow-in-the-dark filaments individually in October.

Take care and enjoy the pasta,

Alex and the Protopasta Team

More about wear and working with abrasive filaments:

Until recently, we stocked wear-resistant nozzles from Microswiss (click here for our blog on the subject). Great hardware, guys, and company! We chose plated brass nozzles from Micro Swiss because they lasted longer than, but behaved thermally like brass. Now, there are more choices than ever that balance thermal conductivity and wear resistance. Here are some links to wear resistant nozzles:

• E3D offers wear-resistant nozzles for Bambu, Creality, Prusa, Voron, and other 3D printers. Shop at e3d-online.com with the discount code FRIENDSOFPASTA for 10% off abrasive resistant nozzles including: ObXidian (V6, Volcano, Bambu & Revo), High Temp Abrasive Revo Nozzles, and High Flow High Temp Revo Nozzles now through October 31st.
• Microswiss offers CM2 and other wear-resistant nozzles plus hotends and extruders for Bambu, Creality, Elegoo, and other 3D printers. Shop at https://store.micro-swiss.com/ with the discount code included in your Endless Exploration shipment.

Some manufactures even offer factory wear-resistant nozzles. Still, know that nozzle performance will vary. Other soft, in-line components, like PTFE tubes, will also wear more aggressively and require more frequent replacement.