colorFabb Steelfill

Steel die

The high steel content of Steelfill material causes a very abrasive effect on the normal brass nozzles. It is not as extreme as the XT-CF20, but it can affect the print quality after printing with this material. After about 1.5 kg, the impact of the material on the print quality can be seen.

Therefore we recommend using a hardened nozzle.

Heated building board

Steelfill can be easily printed on a cool platform with BlueTape or a building board spray. If your 3D printer has a heated board, we recommend that you heat it to about 50 ° C.

Layer height

For the first test prints, we recommend using a layer height between 0.2-0.27 mm when printing with 0.4 mm nozzles.
In general, this will give you a good amount of flow with the default settings to prevent clogging of the hot-end.

If you use lower layer heights, reduce either the printing speed or the temperature. Furthermore, the flow has to be adjusted.

Printing temperature

Steelfill is quite similar in performance to Bronzefill. For most devices, the standard PLA temperature is a good starting point.

Cooling

Steelfill is very effective at cooling during printing. Only use the cooling if you really need it on the model. (Many details, sharp corners, etc.)
Less cooling means a better layer adhesion. Ideally, start with 50% cooling capacity.

Retraction

Before you set the values for the retract, make sure the temperature and speed are already optimal.
PLA retract values are a good starting point for most machines. However, one can expect slightly higher values for the best results.

TIP! Depending on the set-up, 3D printer and slicer software, it may happen that colorFabb metal filaments require more flow compared to normal PLA.

TIP! If you polish and sand the printed parts, the metal particles in the filament will start to shine.
Start with a grain of 120-180 to make sure the printed lines (layers) disappear. Continue with a finer grit and at the end only use a clean white cloth with polish.

Only for experienced users.

Tips for processing can be found here: Tutorial