FAQ

 FILAMENT

Q: What is PETG good for?

A: PETG is a great option if you want a filament that can be processed over a wider processing range than conventional PET filaments and also offers a good combination of properties such as toughness, clarity, and stiffness. This filament is great for printing transparent or lightweight items due to its durability.

Q: What is the glass transition temperature of your PETG filament?

A: The Glass transition temperature of the PETG is 100-110 degrees. It prints very similarly to ABS filament.

Q: Since PETG is hydrophobic, is it an issue to keep it sitting out?

A: Over time, PETG will pick up moisture from the environment. We recommend storing all HATCHBOX filament in the original plastic bag with the included desiccant.

Q: Is PLA filament food safe?

A: Currently, the FDA has not approved PLA as a food safe material. However, the equivalent of the FDA within the European Union declared PLA food safe a long time ago.

However, for liability reasons, HATCHBOX cannot recommend using PLA with food products as per the current FDA recommendation.

Q: I would like to know the difference between PLA and PPLA.

A: The PPLA has even lower warpage then PLA, slightly stronger, and has a nice almost matte sheen to the finish. It’s a bit harder to dial in the settings the PLA, but once dialed in it’s amazing to work with.

Q: What percent wood is in the Wood PLA?

A: The wood fiber percentage is 11% recycled wood.

Q: Can Wood PLA be stained?

A: To Stain the Wood PLA, we recommend sanding down the filament and then using a wood stain. It is best to treat it as you would regular wood.

Q: Does your Glow in the Dark filament require a hardened nozzle?

A: You can print out our Glow in the Dark filament using a regular nozzle, although we do recommend replacing or upgrading your nozzle often as normal printing can cause your nozzle to wear away.

Q: Hatchbox ABS 3mm filament. I use acetone vapor to smooth other brands of ABS, works fine. But acetone used with Hatchbox ABS 3mm does not work to smooth the 3D prints. Do you add something to your ABS so that is does not work with acetone vapor smoothing???

A: The Acetone smoothing process does vary by brand. What works for one type of ABS may not work with HATCHBOX ABS, and it can also vary by print. It just takes some time and many small adjustments to get it just right. But we have done this process with our ABS.

Q: Is your filament compatible with (X) printer?

A: HATCHBOX filament is compatible with any printer that has an open filament system and accepts either 1.75mm or 3mm filament. Be sure you select the correct diameter of filament for your printer!

Q: Why has my filament become brittle?

A: Brittleness is usually the result of improper storage. Between prints, we recommend removing the filament from the printer and placing it back in the bag it came in with the desiccant pack (silica gel).  For added security, we keep ours in a plastic tub with the lid on and out of direct sunlight.

Q: While printing, my filament makes a popping/hissing sound and the prints are not turning out. What's going on?

A: Unfortunately, the roll you received was defective. While our Quality Control is very high, sometimes defective rolls make it through. Please contact the HATCHBOX or the Authorized Dealer with your order number and a picture of your defective roll/print, and they should be able to assist you. (PLEASE NOTE: If your filament was purchased through a 3rd party seller, please contact them for assistance)

Q: Do you have the technical data available for your filament?

A: At this time, we do not have that information available and will be working closely with our factory to have those properties tested and measured.

Q: How long is your filament?

A: There are about 330m of filament per 1.75mm 1KG spool.

Q: How much does an empty spool weigh?

A: Our Spools weigh about 225grams.

Q: WHAT PERCENT OF CARBON FIBER IS IN THE CARBON PLA?

A: The carbon fiber percentage is 10%.

Q: Do you sell spools that are larger than 1KG?

A: As of right now, we only carry the 1KG spool size.



TECHNICAL

Q: Is it harmful to breathe in the fumes from 3D printing? Do you recommend a ventilated room?

A: We always recommend printing in a well-ventilated, cool, dry, and dust-free room, regardless of the type of filament you are using. This especially important when printing with ABS and PETG filaments. Prolonged exposure to the fumes from the filament can cause you to feel nauseated or have headaches.

Q: I'm looking to print water tight parts what would you recommend to use 

A: Any filament is fine for a watertight print, as long as the design is watertight. For example, if you're looking to print a bowl, any of the plastics will hold the water given a good design. We recommend using a mesh program to ensure that your prints are watertight. The one we use here is called Net Fabb and can be found at www.netfabb.com.

Q: There are some discrepancies between the 3D printer’s default settings and Hatchbox’s recommendations for each material.  Should I stick with my default printer settings or adjust them?  If they should be adjusted, please advise on the temperature that is optimal for each setting.

A:We provide temperature ranges based on what has worked well with a number of printers. However, every printer is different and has a number of variables. We would recommend doing a series of small test prints to find what works best for your printer with our filament, and save those settings. Please keep in mind that settings can vary a bit by color, whether the filament is transparent, etc.

Q: Do you have the material safety data sheet (MSDS) or the safety data sheet for (SDS) PLA?

A: Yes, our SDS is universal for all color and sizes of PLA material. You can find all of our Safety Data Sheets here .

Q: How do I get my filament to stick to the print bed?

A: Generally, you can use painters’ tape on the bed to help create a surface that can provide more adhesiveness. We would also recommend using a glue stick for prints that are having a really hard time sticking.

Please note that you should check to make sure that your heated bed is turned on as that will also help to improve adhesion.

 

GENERAL

Q: Do you recycle spools?

A: We do not currently have a recycling program available for our Spools. We recommend reaching out to a level 7 Recycling center as they will be more than happy to assist you with recycling the spools.

Q: Will you consider developing filament for a Master Spool?

A: As of right now we do not have any immediate plans to develop filament for a Master Spool. This is something that we are currently discussing and may consider in the future.

Q: Do you have any promotional material available? (Stickers, posters, business cards, etc…)

A:  At this time, we do not have any promotional materials available for distribution. We may develop stickers and posters in the near future.

Q: We are currently employed by a University and are looking to purchase filaments; however, we are being charged tax. How can we gain tax exemption status?

A: We now offer tax exemptions through our wholesale website only. Signing up is simple and only takes a few moments, please visit our wholesale page for more information and to sign up.

Q: Do you offer Sponsorships, Educational discounts or Wholesale opportunities?

A: Our Sponsorships and Educational discounts opportunities have been temporarily suspended as we are working to improve our production capabilities. We are looking forward to bringing these programs back to life as soon as we can! Our Wholesale Program is currently available, please click here for more information.

Q: I noticed that there is limited availability for HATCHBOX Filaments. Why?

A: The demand for HATCHBOX Filaments has exceeded anything we could have imagined. We are currently working hard to make sure that our manufacturing capabilities can meet the demand. We are also doing this so that we do not have to sacrifice the same quality our loyal HATCHBOX fans have come to expect. Please bear with us as we are working to increase those lines of production.

Q: Do you accept Purchase Orders?

A: Unfortunately, at this time we can only accept orders purchased through our web store.

Q: Do you offer shipping internationally?

A: We currently offer shipping to the United States

Q: I just printed out something that looks really awesome! Can I share it with you?

A: Of course! We love to see what your making! Please tag us at @hatchbox3d when posting on social media!