{"id":165088,"date":"2022-07-07T17:34:10","date_gmt":"2022-07-07T09:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/?post_type=kb&p=165088"},"modified":"2022-08-11T14:47:36","modified_gmt":"2022-08-11T06:47:36","slug":"hatchbox-wood-3d-printer-filament-review","status":"publish","type":"kb","link":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/hatchbox-wood-3d-printer-filament-review","title":{"rendered":"Hatchbox Wood 3D Printer Filament Review"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Many people are intrigued by so-called “exotic” wood-infused PLA blends. Let’s try Hatchbox’s version, which comes at their typical low price point!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What’s Special?<\/h3>\n
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Some of our test prints in Wood PLA. Source: Emmett Grames \/ All3DP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Hatchbox is a filament brand based in the USA. It offers a large variety of filaments, ranging from everyday PLA and ABS to more exotic blends like this Wood filament.<\/p>\n

Boasting high-quality materials, Hatchbox advertises a plus or minus 0.03-mm precision in all of its filaments (that\u2019s right \u2013 all of them). Hatchbox materials are currently supplied by North Bridge New Material Technology, a Chinese manufacturer that also offers its own Kexcelled brand.<\/p>\n

Hatchbox Wood PLA is made with a blend of \u201cplant-based materials, polymers, and wood particles\u201d making it more environmentally friendly. Additionally, the models produced with this filament will have a wood-like finish, allowing you to sand and stain it like real wood.<\/p>\n

A 1-kg spool of 1.75-mm Hatchbox Wood PLA costs $29.99. It is available in both 1.75 mm and 3 mm.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Verdict<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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A rather stringy 3DBenchy… Source: Emmett Grames \/ All3DP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Throughout our tests with this filament, the results were good, but we encountered a large issue with stringing in prints. This isn\u2019t a problem if you already plan to sand and finish your models, but otherwise, they will require more work than most other PLAs.<\/p>\n

The filament came nicely packaged in a recyclable cardboard box, vacuum sealed in a plastic bag with a desiccant pouch. The bag was resealable, so you don\u2019t need to worry about where to safely store your filament.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Test #1: 3DBenchy<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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A rough surface finish on our Benchy adds to the wood effect. Source: Emmett Grames \/ All3DP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Our first test, as usual, is the ubiquitous\u00a03DBenchy<\/a>. Our print finished fine, but immediately we could tell that stringing was going to be an issue with this filament.<\/p>\n

A close-up look reveals that the layers are fairly even, but have a rough wood-like edge. All of the details turned out crisp, aside from the obvious stringing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Test #2: Barrel<\/h3>\n
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Our barrel, with lid detached. Source: Emmett Grames \/ All3DP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our second test was a screw-top\u00a0Barrel<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0Nicholas Dimelow<\/a>. Printed in a single go, the results were good. All the details turned out fairly well, and there was less stringing between the parts than we had expected.<\/p>\n

Within the barrel, there was a fair bit of stringing, however. The screw cap was a very tight fit, and the models would require a bit of sanding to fit together as intended.<\/p>\n

Additionally, we noted that the flat tops of the objects turned out quite rough, as the nozzle of the printer leaves ridges in the material during printing.<\/p>\n

Test #3: Baby Groot<\/h3>\n
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Those strings aren’t because he’s growing… Source: Emmett Grames \/ All3DP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our third test, inspired by the material, was a\u00a0standing Baby Groot<\/a>, by\u00a0Dav Lov<\/a>. As with the previous prints, it came out very stringy.<\/p>\n

The supports were interesting to remove, as they don\u2019t snap like regular PLA would\u00a0\u2014\u00a0they sort of peel off of the print. Unfortunately, Groot lost a few fingers in the process, as the details were very small and the layers did not adhere well enough to each other, instead breaking off along with the supports. Hopefully, he\u2019ll get over it and grow them back.<\/p>\n

There were no other issues with this model, the details all came out nicely (aside from the fingers). Even with the strings, the surface finish was fairly uniform, again having a slightly grainy wood texture.<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/h3>\n

Overall, the filament was enjoyable to use. The stringing is only an issue if the models are not meant to be post-processed. Otherwise, it can be quite easily removed with a few passes on sandpaper.<\/p>\n

This filament handles fine detail relatively well, considering its grainy texture, and definitely gives prints that wood-like finish. All in all, a recommendable experience.<\/p>\n

Specs & Settings<\/h3>\n
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The web-like strings inside of this barrel would make an excellent haven for spiders… Source: Emmett Grames \/ All3DP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A form of PLA, this filament will print well with most generic PLA profiles. However, with a few tweaks, the results will likely go from good to great.<\/p>\n

We 3D printed using the \u201cColorfabb woodfill\u201d and \u201c0.15 mm Quality\u201d settings in\u00a0PrusaSlicer\u00a0for best results, with the following changes:<\/p>\n