Common white 3D print filament name?

[Jib]

When you buy stuff that people 3D print and then sell to you, it’s always this white, kind of smooth material, kind of fragile.

What is that material? I’ve only ever worked with PETG and TPU and it’s not either of those. Is it PLA or ABS? Or something else?

All of PETG prints seem like they’re going to need quite bit of sanding to smooth out, and whatever this material is, it seems to need minimal post processing.

[tankme]

Color is arbitrary. Most stuff I've seen printed is PLA or some version of it because it's cheap and easy to print. Problem with it is that it can't take heat very well and will deform in the sun which is why I don't use it in anything that is going to run outside, or be stored in a garage, or a car, or on a window sill. PLA is also biodegradable so it will break down over time faster than the other plastics which is still a decent amount of time unless it's ground up. PETG is more heat resistant and has good impact resistance, but it is harder to sand and has softer details. It also tends to hold screw holes better without using heat inserts and tends to cost just a little more than PLA. Just remember to pre-drill holes/tap (optional) or they can split from the screws, but that is a good idea for all plastic types. ABS is more heat resistant than PETG, prints with better detail than PETG (but not as good as PLA), sands nicely (better than PETG or PLA), and is also cheap. Down side is it can warp without an enclosure and the fumes are usually pretty bad. I print most things in ABS now as my printer is in my garage and I don't worry about fumes from the ABS. I was printing a lot in ASA (basically ABS with UV resistance) as the detail seemed better than ABS, but it warps more than ABS and the layer adhesion isn't as good as ABS. Plus it's just softer than ABS IMO.

I've also used Bambu's PETG-HF, but I won't buy it anymore as it's not as strong as regular PETG even though it prints better details than standard PETG. It doesn't solvent glue together as well as regular PETG so ABS is just a better option for me.

So for most of my tank/tracked projects I print big pieces with little detail with PETG. More detail parts I print with ABS. The most detailed parts (hatches, machine guns, engine covers, smoke dischargers, etc) get printed in resin. I've also become a fan of Sunlu Toughness resin for tracks as it has a decent flexibility which helps it hold up well as tracks. Tires get printed in TPU or TPE depending on how a test print turns out for each material.

[Jib]

Thanks for the all information! I guess maybe it’s PLA?

I might look into PETG HF or ASA. My printer is in the basement, and while it is enclosed (Bambu X1C), I don’t want to chance venting anything into the house.

Right now everything I’m printing is for 1/8 scale, and I haven’t made anything yet where I couldn’t get sufficient detail out of PETG. Because the parts are big, I have been printing items with holes built into them and using M2, M2.5, and M3 screws after tapping the holes, and this has worked out well for me so far. So gluing hasn’t been something I’ve had to deal with yet.

I’ve got the TPU that’s compatible with the AMS 2 Pro, but I don’t really like the texture and feel of it. Do you have a favorite material/brand you use for flaps and/or tires?

[tankme]

TPU and TPE are something I haven't really mastered. I have used Overture TPU (kinda stringy and just OK printing), eSun TPE (less stringy, but still just OK and has a less shiny finish), and Bambu TPU95-HF (not impressed especially for the price and printed worse than Overture). I will say that these filaments should be dried really well before printing or they will be really stringy. I'm still kinda experimenting with which TPU/TPE I like best.