If you are printing 3D for cosplay or wearable, there are many filaments to choose from, but which one is best? This article aims to give you a detailed cosplay and an accurate answer to help you decide which filament to choose when printing your garments.
If you want a cheap and easy-to-use solution, ABS is the best filament for cosplay and wearers. Stopping the accident may require trial and error, but once you do, the ABS leaves most of the filaments there. The premium solution for the best filament for cosplay is Nylon PCTPE, specially designed for wearable devices.
It is easy to print with PLA, but ABS 3D printing has the extra durability needed after wearing it for several hours. You don’t want your 3D printed object to fall on you as your favorite character in the middle of the day.
This is a simple answer, but there are more useful details on this topic. Read on to find out which filament works best for some professional cosplay 3D printer artists and why.
What is the best type of filament for cosplay and wear?
When deciding which filament to use for cosplay, you need material that contains a number of important factors.
Here are some things to look for when selecting your fixture:
sustainability
Easy to print
Ability to bond with adhesives
Resistance to sun and UV rays
Detailed printing
Easy post-processing
There are a few different things to balance, but with a little research I made it easy to choose between cosplay and filaments for your wearable needs.
ABS, PLA, PETG and some other filaments all have a place in 3D printed cosplay and worn items. So what are the key points for each of these materials?
Why are ABS cosplay and good filaments for wearers?
There are many professionals out there who constantly want customers to print 3D on ABS, and for good reason. When left in a hot car on a hot summer day, the ABS will stop very well, which can be quite a high temperature.
If you plan to wear cosplay items outdoors, you should look at ABS as a rope.
ABS has slightly softer and more flexible properties than PLA, so it actually has better impact resistance, which is important for cosplay items. Although softer, it is actually more durable due to its ability to withstand force.
You will be able to withstand more wear and tear using ABS than PLA.
One of the ideal things about ABS is how easy it is to generally smooth the surface with acetone and a finish.
The ABS filament can definitely be a problem when trying to print larger objects in 3D due to the high bending. ABS also shrinks, so keep that in mind.
You need to add precautions and prevention in really excellent printing conditions to prevent large ABS prints from bending.
It is well known that ABS bends even in such excellent conditions, so it is for more experienced 3D printer users.
Once you get the ABS print, you can create very precise and detailed prints that will definitely look great on cosplay and wearers.
It is widely used for this purpose, so if you are looking for 3D printed cosplay objects, you should definitely try.
There are special products designed only for ABS mounting, such as adhesives and ABS smoothers.
Printing with ABS is not always so easy if you do not have the necessary knowledge to print. The best way to print 3D with ABS is to control the print temperature environment using the housing.
This should stop the bending problem that is common in ABS plastic.
If you can handle bending with ABS, this is definitely the best filament for cosplay and wear.
Why are PLA good filaments for cosplay and wearers?
In the world of cosplay, there are many big players standing next to PLA for their wearable items, so let’s take a look at why PLA is such a good filament for this purpose.
PLA is less prone to bending during the actual printing process than ABS.
The reason PLA is the most common filament is that it is easier to print and durable enough to print cosplay and other accessories.
With PLA, you are more likely to get a successful print for the first time, so you don’t lose time, filament and some frustration, especially for long prints.
PLA, on the other hand, is more prone to cracking because it has a property that makes it more fragile. Being hygroscopic means that it absorbs water from the environment.
PLA, in its optimal form, is somewhat flexible with a high tensile strength of 7,250 psi, but with regular use it can quickly turn against you and become brittle quickly when exposed to heat in most environments.
PLA is very useful for cosplay and LARP accessories, but you don’t want to leave PLA in your car because it has low resistance to high temperatures. Because PLA prints at relatively low temperatures, it also tends to bend when exposed to high temperatures.
To prevent this, it is enough not to put it in such hot places, it is very easy. You can use the heat resistance to your advantage. Some people actually heat the PLA with a hair dryer and form parts on their bodies.
Finally, if you choose PLA, it is a good idea to finish and cover it to strengthen it. If you do not want to go through this process, there are other options you have to go through. Can be polished like ABS with plenty of sandpaper, filler (lacquer coating / primer).
There are several products you can use to boost your PLA:
Bondo
XTC3D – brush on self-leveling resin
fiberglass and resin
These products can give your parts extra heat resistance and even UV protection, but with this finish, you can lose details.
You can add more circles to your print settings for extra power. Then sand to learn what the print will look like, but don’t go into filling the print.
Why is PETG a good filament for cosplay and accessories?
We should not exclude PETG in the discussion of good filaments for cosplay and wearable items.
It is slightly more expensive than PLA, but has more power than both PLA and ABS. Ease of printing with PETG is there with the presence of such low bending with PLA.
PETG is an excellent intermediate candidate for cosplay filament because it looks like an anchor like PLA and is more durable than ABS, but certainly not much.
You also have more flexibility than PLA, so if you plan to wear or use this cosplay, PETG may be the ideal candidate.
The disadvantage of PETG is how long it takes to finish and sand the final product. In fact, it is the elasticity of PETG that makes sanding difficult.
Protruding models can be quite difficult with PETG because they require powerful fans, but PETG prints at a lower fan speed. Some programs have a bridge fan speed to take this into account.
Why is HIPS a good element for cosplay and wear?
HIPS is another competitor when it comes to cosplay and wearable filament use. It has features such as very low bending and high impact resistance, which makes it very useful in this application.
Another plus is its low odor, unlike ABS, which has a fairly pungent odor.
Why is Nylon PCTPE Good Filament for Cosplay & Wearable Items?
PCTPE (Plasticized Copolyamide TPE) is a material which has almost exclusively been designed for cosplay & wearable items. It is a co-polymer of highly flexible nylon and TPE.
The features that this material has is perfect for cosplay due to the highly flexible characteristic and great durability of the nylon polymers within.
This is an amazing filament to be used for durable prosthetic as well as your premium cosplay wearable items. Not only do you have this durability, but you have a very smooth texture with a rubber-like feel.
It does come at a premium price, which is expected for such a high quality material. 1lb (0.45 kg) of Nylon PCTPE costs around $30, which can be bought direct from Taulman3D.
