You’ve probably heard of jewelry that changes color based on the body temperature of the wearer to “show” their emotions. For example, it would change to pink for love or red for anger. But what does this have to do with 3D printing?
Thermochromism is the scientific principle that makes the rings above change color that is now being applied to 3D printing filament. It’s a property of a material where the color can change based on temperature. Materials utilize thermochromism in two ways, either through liquid crystals such as in strip thermometers or through leuco dyes used in color-changing novelty items.
Leuco dyes are simply organic chemicals that change their molecular structure with changes in temperature, thus changing their color. Usually, it can only change between two colors, one indicating a cooler temperature while the other a warmer temperature. In 3D printing, leuco dyes are mixed into the filament giving makers the ability to add trippy effects to their projects.
These materials are safe to touch and give great finished print results. Makers have used this filament for prints ranging from temperature indicators for electronics to toys to tablewear. The most common materials with this effect are PLA and ABS, but we’ll be focusing on PLA for this list.
Before we get to the list of brands that offer color-changing filaments, we’ll go over some general printing recommendations. Let’s dive in!
Printing Tips
Even though many reviews say color-changing filaments are equal in quality to standard filaments, a common issue is clogging. Some people suggest that you need a metal nozzle to prevent this, but you can simply increase the nozzle temperature. Regular PLA asks for a nozzle temperature between 190-220 °C and it’s recommended that you increase this range to 215-230 °C for color-changing material to prevent clogging.
There’s also the issue of brittleness, which seems to be affected by low ambient temperatures. This can be minimized by following proper filament storage guidelines for your spools when not in use. You could also consider adding an enclosure to your setup.
At the end of the day, you should always defer to the filament brand’s printing suggestions. Now, let’s look at some brands!
Gizmo Dorks
Based in California, USA, Gizmo Dorks was created in 2009 by a group of longtime friends with the mission to make desktop 3D printing more accessible to the general public. They provide a wide array of filaments from PLA to nylon. Gizmo Dorks offers temperature color-changing filament in both ABS and PLA material, which change colors around 31 °C.
One of Gizmo Dorks’ stated missions is to provide products that are both affordable and reliable. Reviewers praise this but also stated some quality issues, such as brittleness under certain temperatures.
- Diameters: 1.75 mm, 2.85 mm
- Spool size: 1 kg
- Colors: Green to yellow, grey to white, purple to pink, blue to white
- Color change temperature: 31 °C
- Bed temperature: 110 °C (ABS), 60 °C (PLA)
- Hot end temperature: 230-250 °C (ABS), 190-225 °C (PLA)
- Price: $20-$23/kg
Amolen
Established in 2017, Amolen produces and sells 3D filaments that have, on the whole, good reviews. They claim to have heavily tested each product before selling it.
Amolen’s color-changing filament changes both from temperature and sunlight light exposure. The only material they have available with these capabilities is PLA.
- Diameter: 1.75 mm
- Spool size: 1 kg
- Colors: Pink to white, blue to white, green to yellow, tricolor (green to brown to yellow)
- Color change temperature: 33-45 °C
- Bed temperature: 50 °C
- Hot end temperature: 190-220 °C
- Price: $33-$36/kg
MG Chemicals
MG Chemicals started in 1955 as a manufacturer and wholesaler of chemical products for the electronics industry. They sell things like circuit coolers, protective coatings, and epoxies, and more recently they have expanded to selling 3D printing filament.
Their color-changing filament has been rated highly by reviewers for the smoothness of completed prints. There are just a few colors available for both ABS and PLA.
- Diameter: 1.75 mm
- Spool size: 1 kg
- Colors: Red to natural (PLA), purple to red (ABS), green to yellow (ABS)
- Color change temperature: 43 °C (PLA), 31 °C (ABS)
- Bed temperature: 50 °C
- Hot end temperature: 200-220 °C (PLA), 230-240 °C (ABS)
- Price: $22-$27/kg
Sunlu
Sunlu is an international 3D printing consumables company rich in R&D experience in the field of 3D printing materials. Through innovation, they’ve received many patents and awards in the 3D printing industry.
Since its beginning in 2013, Sunlu has developed its own brand of filaments giving them properties such as conductivity, luminescence, and thermochromism. There are a number of positive reviews of this brand for the color-changing effects of its filament, but it should be noted that it has a tendency to clog.
- Diameter: 1.75 mm
- Spool size: 1 kg
- Colors: Pink to white, blue to white, green to yellow, tricolor (green to brown to yellow)
- Color change temperature: 31 °C
- Bed temperature: 60 °C
- Hot end temperature: 190-220 °C
- Price: ~$27/kg
Go-3D Print
Go-3D Print sells their brand of 3D printing manufacturing supplies ranging from 3D pens to 3D scanners to specialty filament. The only material they provide with the thermochromic property is PLA. Unique to this list, you can get 50-gram sample packs to try.
Go-3D’s filament is recommended for its quick reaction to different temperatures in its color change. Buyers have noted that it’s very easy to print with little to no issues; there’s no need to play around with temperature settings. At the same time, some reviewers have stated that certain colors had a hard time changing back, most notably the orange to yellow.
- Diameter: 1.75 mm
- Spool sizes: 50 g, 225 g, 1 kg
- Colors: Red to white, green to yellow, orange to yellow, blue to white, grey to white, green to gold flake, orange to gold flake, tricolor
- Color change temperature: 33 °C
- Bed temperature: 60 °C
- Hot end temperature: 180-230 °C
- Price: ~$35/kg (also available in samples and multipacks)
Isanmate
Isanmate was started in 2017 and over these few years, they’ve developed a wide array of products on demand for printer manufacturers and professional users, including PVA and flexible TPU.
The filament they have with thermochromic capability is PLA+. Users have been happy with the filament’s responsiveness to different temperatures and its ease of printing. Keep in mind that issues with bed adhesion can be solved by increasing bed temperature or using hairspray, glue, or tape.
- Diameter: 1.75 mm
- Spool size: 1 kg
- Colors: Green to yellow
- Color change temperature: 33 °C
- Bed temperature: 50 °C
- Hot end temperature: 190-225 °C
- Price: ~$24/kg
Bumat
Bumat intends to provide hobbyists and professionals alike a line of 3D printing filaments to bring their creations to life. They manufacture a wide range of filaments, including wood– and metal-filled.
Bumat’s color-changing filament has been reviewed by users as being easy to use along with getting great print results and bed adhesion. Some users have noted some problems with clogging when they printed with the hot end set below 225 °C. Other users have also said there are problems with the filament adhering to itself when building on layers, but this could also be attributed to the hot end temperature being too low.
- Diameter: 1.75 mm
- Spool size: 1 kg
- Colors: Orange to yellow, purple to pink, brown to green, grey to white
- Color change temperature: 33 °C
- Bed temperature: 50 °C
- Hot end temperature: 190-230 °C
- Price: ~$38/kg
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