https://aster-filament.com/blog Guides on making your own 3D printing filament: extrusion, materials, diameter control and recycling. en Wed, 21 Oct 2026 13:30:46 GMT https://aster-filament.com/blog/composite-filament-carbon-fibre-glass-fibre https://aster-filament.com/blog/composite-filament-carbon-fibre-glass-fibre Composite filament is made by blending a filler or reinforcement into a base thermoplastic as it is extruded. The extruder's mixing zone distributes the filler evenly through the melt. ASTER-C supports carbon fibre, glass fibre, metal powders, natural fibres, additives, colourants and surfactants in an extrusion-grade thermoplastic base. Materials Sun, 11 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT sales@printgloo.com (ASTER) https://aster-filament.com/blog/filament-diameter-tolerance-explained https://aster-filament.com/blog/filament-diameter-tolerance-explained A 3D printer pushes filament by length and assumes a fixed diameter, so any change in diameter changes how much plastic is deposited. On 1.75 mm filament, a ±0.05 mm variation changes the cross-section by roughly ±6%. ASTER-C measures the pulled strand with a Hall-effect sensor and holds diameter to ±50 µm. Extrusion Sun, 11 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT sales@printgloo.com (ASTER) https://aster-filament.com/blog/how-a-filament-extruder-works https://aster-filament.com/blog/how-a-filament-extruder-works A filament extruder feeds thermoplastic pellets into a heated barrel, where a rotating screw melts, compresses and mixes them. The melt is pushed out through a die, cooled by air, measured for diameter and wound onto a spool. ASTER-C does all four stages in one benchtop cabinet, up to 450°C. Extrusion Sun, 11 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT sales@printgloo.com (ASTER) https://aster-filament.com/blog/make-filament-from-recycled-3d-print-waste https://aster-filament.com/blog/make-filament-from-recycled-3d-print-waste To make filament from 3D print waste, sort the scrap by polymer type, clean it, reduce it to small, even pieces and dry it if the polymer absorbs moisture. Then extrude it like virgin pellets, measuring diameter as it is spooled. Expect some loss of properties each time a polymer is reprocessed. Recycling Sun, 11 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT sales@printgloo.com (ASTER) https://aster-filament.com/blog/what-plastics-cannot-be-made-into-filament https://aster-filament.com/blog/what-plastics-cannot-be-made-into-filament Thermosets and PVC should not be run through a filament extruder. Thermosets cure irreversibly and will not re-melt, so they pack cured material into the barrel. PVC releases corrosive decomposition products at extrusion temperature that attack the screw and barrel. ASTER-C runs extrusion-grade, non-corrosive thermoplastics only. Materials Sun, 11 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT sales@printgloo.com (ASTER)