Filament Opacity and Matte Finish Test Strip- For Quantitative Measurements
Description
Opaque and matte parts are needed for many photography projects (and other things like LED-embedded designs for toys, cosplay, etc). There is a broad range of optical properties for available filaments, and there is often variation from batch to batch so it can be luck of the draw to find good ones. The methods the broader community use are relatively imprecise/subjective/semi-quantitative (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1662956) because they rely on non-standard illuminants and human vision. These have obviously been adequate for many makers to date who have created great gear, but there's room for improvement to save people time and to push the envelope in design by deriving numerical data with calibrated equipment. I've been compiling data from several people for PLA, PETG, ABS, and other filaments from several manufacturers. Using lab-grade analytical tools, I'm characterizing the light-handling properties quantitatively against calibration standards to better record, with no subjective interpretation or user error, how opaque and how non-reflective various filaments are when printed. This allows calculation of wall thicknesses and infill amounts for specific applications and really pushing the boundaries of designs and materials to be as thin and light as possible. It's overkill for a thick lens board, but more important elsewhere with thinner parts. The knowledge never hurts either way. This model is just a wedge from 0.05 mm to 2 mm thick, but your slicer will split it into steps I can read the optical density and reflection density (how opaque and matte it is) of the filament sample. Include all info about the brand, material, color name, other specs, when you bought it, and filament lot number if possible. This is super old-school, but I'll need interested parties to send printed samples by mail to get tested, at least 5 samples will fit in an envelope with a normal $0.50 stamp if you're in the USA. I'll share an address by PM if it doesn't seem like you're an eccentric nut-job (in a bad way). This will get logged in a shared spreadsheet linked here soon. Also I have developed a calculator to guide the needed total wall thicknesses for light-sensitive applications, both film and digital. Watch this space for updates.
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