Author Topic: FEP Film - Is it all the same? Or not?  (Read 2488 times)

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C855B

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FEP Film - Is it all the same? Or not?
« on: April 02, 2022, 10:40:26 AM »
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I finally exhausted my 3-year-old stash of FEP film last night, and had to shop around for replenishment. Found quite a variety on eBay, all 0.15mm, the only difference I could discern from the dozens listed was sheet size. The "official" AnyCubic FEP was stupid expensive, and only available in 2-sheet packs. A number of listings specified certain makes/models of printers.

Then there's "nFEP".

The brand I have been successful with is still available, but only with shipping from China. So I pulled the trigger on a US source of seemingly generic FEP for $3/per. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

Is there a difference to consider? I would guess that there are very few manufacturers of the film, the only end-user distinction being sheet size and packaging.
...mike

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kornellred

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Re: FEP Film - Is it all the same? Or not?
« Reply #1 on: April 02, 2022, 11:29:37 AM »
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McMaster Carr.  Lots of FEP.  Cheap.

Chris333

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« Last Edit: April 02, 2022, 12:16:27 PM by Chris333 »

JeffB

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Re: FEP Film - Is it all the same? Or not?
« Reply #3 on: April 07, 2022, 08:56:02 AM »
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https://www.fluorotherm.com/technical-information/materials-overview/fep-properties/
https://www.fluorotherm.com/technical-information/materials-overview/pfa-properties/

From what I've read nFEP is better, but I cannot prove that  :)

https://helpcenter.phrozen3d.com/en/content/the-difference-between-fep-and-pfa-%28nfep%29

I switched the FEP on my old Photon 1 to nFEP the last time I put a new film on all my vats...  I just started printing again two days ago (after a long hiatus) and I've noticed that the peel cycle is quite a bit quieter than I remember it being.  On parts with a large surface area, I don't hear the distinctive "snap" when the build plate moves to separate the print from the nFEP, like I did with the old FEP.

But that could be my mind playing tricks...

Jeff

JoeD

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Re: FEP Film - Is it all the same? Or not?
« Reply #4 on: May 13, 2022, 01:38:13 PM »
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McMaster Carr.  Lots of FEP.  Cheap.

Be carful, we got a few rolls of the McMaster Carr and its pretty beat up...lots of deformations and in some cases full of tiny tiny pin holes.  Lost two LCD screens because of it.   

Joe
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timwatson

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Re: FEP Film - Is it all the same? Or not?
« Reply #5 on: June 01, 2022, 07:54:30 PM »
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Be carful, we got a few rolls of the McMaster Carr and its pretty beat up...lots of deformations and in some cases full of tiny tiny pin holes.  Lost two LCD screens because of it.   

Joe

Wow that's good to know, it pretty much kills the whole reason to get new FEP in the first place.
Tim Watson
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