Quality
All Production Lines Monitored by Customized QC System
QC Reports on Products Available
-
Can be provided with each shipment
-
Real-time data monitoring, logging, and review
-
Out-of-spec flaws trigger an alert and the reel is immediately stopped and a corrective action is taken to minimize loss of material
3 Axis Laser Micrometer Technology
-
300 measurements / second / axis (Total 900 / second)
-
Most all producers use only 2 axes (200 scans / second typical)
All Process Parameters and Settings Stored
-
Stored in the production systems
-
Line, Operator, Time, Settings, Material, Measurements,...
-
Data stored for each reel produced and is tracked with a unique barcode/serial providing complete traceability
-
Data kept on all products for 5+ years for quick review and retrieval
100% Inspection
-
Entire filament length is scanned (upwards of 500k times)
-
All reels are inspected – no filament is shipped without complete inspection for quality, consistency, and diameter.
Keene Village Plastics' Triple Axis Flaw Detection
-
Stored in the production systems
-
Line, Operator, Time, Settings, Material, Measurements,...
-
Data stored for each reel produced and is tracked with a unique barcode/serial providing complete traceability
-
Data kept on all products for 5+ years for quick review and retrieval
Single and Dual Axis Flaw Detection
-
With a single-axis micrometer, it is theoretically possible to have an infinitely large defect that remains unseen.
-
Detection: Statistically Infinite
-
With a dual-axis micrometer, blind spots are bounded.
-
With a dual-axis micrometer, as defects grow larger, at some point they will all be detected regardless of flaw shape or orientation on the product.
-
Industry standard
-
Detection: >.066mm
Quality vs Price
Do you really save money with cheap filament?
When users look to buy filaments they tend to forget that when simply price becomes THE factor when selecting filament, they make a potentially costly tradeoff. Remember the old saying, “you get what you pay for” and this particularly applies to 3D printing filaments.
Buying cheap filament, the user runs the risk of inconsistent tolerances, colors, spool winding, and also of filler materials. Any of these can cost the user to have a failed print. We understand that getting a great price is hard to pass on but too many times the back end costs outweigh the upfront savings; by a lot.
The most common reasons cheap filament can cost more:
Re-Printing Costs
Unjamming Costs Unjamming=More Time
Repairs Costs
Troubleshooting Costs
Re-Printing = More Time + More Materials
Cheap filament can cause many problems: poor printing, broken filament, windings that bind, and more. These problems require you to start over with your print. That means more time and more materials. Remember: Time = Money. Those savings you reaped with the purchase are now gone.
Cheap filament inevitably jams 3D printers and that takes time to clean the hot end and associated parts. The time to do this is lost and unbillable if the print was a commercial project. Sometimes the jam cannot be corrected, and then new parts are needed. A jam also means a lost print.
Repairs = More Time + New Parts
If the jam cannot be cleared, or if the cheap filament caused other related problems, then new parts will need to be acquired. A jam can require the entire extruder assembly to be replaced. Now the printer is ‘hard down’ until replacement parts are received and the printer can be repaired, tested, and brought back online.
Evaluating the true cause = Even More Time
The time and energy spent looking for the cause of the failed print has cost many a 3D printing maker money in support, parts, and reputation. Only to find out, after the fact, that it was the cheap filament causing the problem all along. Now that cheap filament doesn’t seem like such a bargain, after all!
Village Plastics
We are the largest US manufacturer of high quality 3D printing filaments with an unparalleled selection of materials, colors, and sizes. All Village Plastics 3D printer filaments are manufactured in East Longmeadow, MA, USA with top quality raw materials and 3-Axis laser-controlled precision providing the highest class of products for the 3D printing industry.