FilamentBay Materials Lab
Guides
Short, numbers-first answers to the questions that decide whether a print succeeds. Every guide is backed by the same instruments that test our spools.
TPU hardness explained: 85A vs 90A vs 95A vs 98A vs 72D
What Shore hardness means for 3D printing, how each TPU grade feels, which extruder it needs and which parts each grade is for.
6 min read
How to print TPU without stringing or jams
Step-by-step TPU settings for direct-drive and Bowden printers: temperature, speed, retraction, drying and bed prep.
7 min read
PLA vs PETG vs PCTG: which one for the part in front of you
Side-by-side numbers from the same lab: strength, impact, heat deflection and printability for PLA, PLA+, PETG and PCTG.
5 min read
Drying filament: temperatures, times and when it is worth it
A per-material drying table from our lab, the symptoms of wet filament and how to store spools so you dry them less often.
4 min read
Which spools fit the Bambu Lab AMS: dimensions, materials, TPU
Bambu Lab's published AMS spool limits, how the FilamentBay spool measures against them and which materials the AMS will not feed.
4 min read
What filament really costs a print farm, per kg and per part
How to model filament spend for a print farm: usage per printer, tier pricing, batch consistency and the hidden cost of failed prints.
5 min read