When comparing NinjaFlex Flexible Filament vs Proto-pasta Original Carbon Fiber Filament, the Slant community recommends NinjaFlex Flexible Filament for most people. In the question“What are the best filaments for 3D printing?” NinjaFlex Flexible Filament is ranked 5th while Proto-pasta Original Carbon Fiber Filament is ranked 7th. The most important reason people chose NinjaFlex Flexible Filament is:
This is truly elastic material, which means that the material will deform under stress (stretched or compressed), but the moment stress is removed, the material original shape is restored. The exception is if tensile/compressive yield point is reached: in this case permanent deformation occurs. This filaments tensile yield point takes place at 660% elongation, which means it's very hard to break this material only by applying tensile stress.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Recovers original shape after deformation
This is truly elastic material, which means that the material will deform under stress (stretched or compressed), but the moment stress is removed, the material original shape is restored. The exception is if tensile/compressive yield point is reached: in this case permanent deformation occurs. This filaments tensile yield point takes place at 660% elongation, which means it's very hard to break this material only by applying tensile stress.
Pro Good chemical resistance to a variety of substances
This filament has limited resistance to a variety of alcohols, alkali and organic substances (fuels, oils, etc.). This contrasts with what happens with many other 3D printable material, that can't even withstand contact with water.
Pro NinjaTek has published several case studies of filament applications
Several examples of how NinjaFlex was used in real-world applications are available. This is a great move from NinjaTek, since, even though it is useful to see how good a product is “on paper”, it’s even better to see examples of how it was actually used. All case studies are well documented and provide visual evidence of successful use.
Pro Can be used with virtually any standard 3D printer
You can use this filament with pretty much any standard 3D printer, since it's available in the two most commonly used diameters: 1.75 mm and 3.0 mm. The 3.0 mm spools are cheaper than the 1.75 mm ones. This is because it’s generally cheaper to produce 1 kg of 3.0 mm filament than 1 kg of 1.75 mm filament.
Pro Available in 10 different colors
This filament is available in 10 different colors, all of which are of very high quality and look rich.
Pro No heated printed bed required
This filament can be used with a printer without a heated bed, which is very convenient, since many 3D printers don't come with a heated bed by default or don't even have the option of adding one. Nevertheless, if your machine does have a heated bed, you can set it to 40ºC (recommended) and improve surface adhesion.
Pro Printed objects are very stiff and strong
This filament's resulting prints are very stiff and can withstand great stresses, perfect for when you need extra strength in your projects. This is due to the carbon fibers used in this filament, which are small enough to make it through the printing nozzle, but long enough to add rigidity.
Pro Allows to 3D print objects that can't usually be 3D printed
The extreme rigidity and stiffness of this material enables the user to print things that normally can't be properly 3D printed. It’s great for printing frames, supports, shells, propellers and even tools. All these applications are interesting for users that are drone builders, RC hobbyists, or similar.
Cons
Con Complicated to print without a direct-drive extruder
The filament itself is very flexible, which means that non-direct-drive extruders will have the issue of their bowden tubes clogging up. This is normally fixed by experimenting with the material feed rate and the extruder temperature (this tweaking process takes some time and effort). Double check if you have a direct-drive extruder before purchasing this filament, which avoids this bothersome process.
Con Unprotective filament packaging
The filament packaging doesn't provide adequate protection for the material, which is quite surprising, considering its high price. The spool is shipped simply sealed with a vacuum film (without a silica pack) contained in a simple box. There's no proper external packing to protect the filament from mechanical damage. If the film breaks, the filament becomes vulnerable to air humidity, absorbing water and, consequently, compromising the printing process.
Con Requires some skill to use
Since this filament contains tiny carbon fibers, it’s difficult to print with standard extruders. Adjusting the correct feed rate and printing temperature specifically for your extruder will be necessary. Note that it is also recommended to use stainless steel nozzles while printing this material, since it has been reported that regular brass nozzles may deform while printing this material.
Con Only available in black
Because it contains carbon fibers, the filament is only available in black.
Con Can only be used with 1.75 mm nozzles
The filament is only available in 1.75 mm diameter, meaning it can't be used with printers that have nozzles with different diameters.
Con No available datasheet with mechanical data
The lack of technical documentation makes this product almost unusable for academics and professional engineers, due to the need of having the exact mechanical values in order to justify design decisions.