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What things
are made of

Nanopack explains two corners of applied materials science in plain terms: the nanoscale materials used in packaging, and the polymers and composites that go through a 3D printer nozzle.

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The latest guides, answering the questions 3D printing forums ask most.

The first layer of a square part with a round opening, laid in white lines straight onto an amber heated bed

7 min read · 9 sources

3D print warping: why corners lift and how to stop it

Why 3D prints warp and lift at the corners, which filaments warp most, and the fixes Prusa and Bambu Lab recommend: plate cleaning, bed temperature, brims, drafts and enclosures.

A hot end with a red silicone sock laying the first lines of a print onto blue painter's tape

9 min read · 11 sources

TPU print settings: nozzle, bed, speed, retraction and drying

TPU print settings from Prusa, Polymaker and Bambu Lab: nozzle and bed temperature, print speed, retraction, fan, drying, 85A vs 90A vs 95A, and where the sources disagree.

A white PETG pulley shaft with five grooved sheaves and a keyed hub, lying on a black worktop

8 min read · 8 sources

PETG print settings: nozzle, bed, fan, retraction and drying

PETG print settings from the Prusament, Polymaker and Bambu Lab data sheets: nozzle and bed temperature, build surface, fan, retraction, drying, and where the documents disagree.

01 // Tools

How hot, how long

Drying temperature and time for 13 filaments from Bambu Lab, Polymaker and Prusa data. Pick a material. All calculators

Oven or dryer50 °C

Time8 h

Other makers Polymaker PolyLite PLA 55 °C, 6 h. Prusa 45 °C, 6 h.

AMS 2 Pro heats to 65 °C45 °C, 12 h
AMS HT heats to 85 °C45 °C, 12 h
Your dryer's maximum, °C

Times are the makers' figures for a full spool.

02 // Materials

3D printing materials

3D printing filaments compared on datasheet numbers: PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, nylon, polycarbonate, and carbon fiber and graphene filled grades. All materials guides

Shapes of raw biscuit dough on baking paper, cut with a 3D printed cutter

12 min read · 18 sources

Is PLA food safe: the resin, the filament and the printed part

PLA resin is cleared for food contact, a printed part isn't. What filament makers' tests cover, layer lines, heat above 55-60 °C, brass nozzles, epoxy and PETG.

An Ultimaker 3 printing a green part with white breakaway support

13 min read · 24 sources

Are 3D printer fumes toxic: particles, VOCs and filters

What 3D printers emit by filament in chamber studies: ultrafine particles and VOCs like styrene, what HEPA and carbon filters remove, and safer setups.

A drop of molten plastic hanging from the tip of a printer nozzle

12 min read · 25 sources

3D printer nozzle clogged: causes by filament and how to clear it

Why PLA, PETG, TPU, fiber and glitter filaments clog a 3D printer nozzle, cold pull temperatures from Prusa, Bambu Lab and UltiMaker, and when to replace it.

Spools of orange, purple, red and grey filament on a shelf above printed figurines

19 min read · 39 sources

3D printer filament types and uses, compared

Types of 3D printer filament compared: PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, nylon, PC and composites, with a temperature chart, pros and cons, and which to use for each job.

A printer nozzle laying down orange plastic over a heated bed

17 min read · 30 sources

PLA vs PETG vs ABS (and ASA): which filament for which job

PLA vs PETG vs ABS compared with datasheet numbers: strength, heat resistance, UV and outdoor use, warping, fumes, food contact and when ASA is the better pick.

Woven carbon fibre fabric on a loom

16 min read · 28 sources

Carbon fiber, glass fiber and graphene filaments: what the filler changes

What is in carbon fiber, glass fiber and graphene filaments, what the filler changes in stiffness, heat and conductivity, and the nozzle and safety trade-offs.

A row of filament spools in red, yellow, white, blue and green lying on an open workshop shelf

18 min read · 38 sources

Filament drying temperatures and times for every common material

Drying temperatures and times for PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, nylon, PC, PVA and carbon fibre grades, what moisture does to a printed part, and how to store filament so it stays dry.

A Bambu Lab X1 Carbon printer with a four spool AMS unit on top, its lid closed over black, red, grey and white filament

10 min read · 4 sources

Drying filament in the AMS 2 Pro and AMS HT: settings by material

Bambu Lab's AMS 2 Pro and AMS HT drying temperatures and times for PLA, PETG, TPU, ABS, PC, nylon and PVA, which spools can share a cycle, rotating or static mode, power and printing while drying.

The toolhead of a Voron printer, its orange and black printed housing marked VORON, over a textured build sheet

7 min read · 14 sources

ASA print settings: nozzle, bed, fan, chamber and drying

ASA print settings from the Prusament, Polymaker and Bambu Lab data sheets: nozzle and bed temperature, fan, chamber heat, drying, and where they disagree.

A close view of a PEEK satellite frame printed by ESA, its lattice wall open over circuit traces built into the part

15 min read · 22 sources

Engineering and high temperature 3D printing filaments compared

PCTG vs PETG, polypropylene, PVB, POM, PEI (ULTEM), PEEK, PEKK, PPA-CF, PPS-CF and PA12-CF compared: temperatures, heat resistance, drying and the hardware each needs.

03 // Packaging

Packaging science

Nanomaterials in food packaging, active and intelligent packs, migration and EU and US food contact rules, explained with the regulation cited. All packaging guides

Clustered nanoparticles seen through a transmission electron microscope

16 min read · 22 sources

Nanotechnology in food packaging

How nanotechnology is used in food packaging: nanoclay barriers, nanosilver and ZnO antimicrobials, migration studies, EFSA opinions and EU and US rules.

An industrial nitrogen generator with receiver tanks used for modified atmosphere packaging

15 min read · 22 sources

Active vs intelligent packaging: definitions, examples and EU rules

Active packaging absorbs or releases substances to keep food fresh; intelligent packaging monitors and reports. EU definitions, examples, labelling, US rules.

04 // Scale

The scale of this site

One logarithmic ruler, 0.1 nm to 10 mm. Each division is ten times the last.

From a clay platelet about one nanometre thick to a 1.75 mm filament, both halves of Nanopack sit on the same ruler. The nanomaterial range ends below the wavelength of visible light, which is why a well dispersed nanoclay film can stay transparent.

05 // Terms

Terms worth separating

Words that get used loosely in press releases and product pages, and what they mean on this site.

Barrier nanocomposite: Platelets, usually a clay such as montmorillonite, dispersed in a polymer. They do not block gas; they lengthen the path a molecule has to take around them. Permeability falls with the aspect ratio and with how well the platelets are aligned, more than with how much filler is added.
Active packaging: The material does something: absorbs oxygen, releases an antimicrobial, scavenges ethylene. The nanoscale part is usually the carrier that controls the release rate rather than the active agent itself.
Intelligent packaging: The material reports something, such as a freshness indicator or a time-temperature label. Press coverage often confuses it with active packaging; the distinction is whether the pack acts or only signals.
Glass transition (Tg): The temperature band where an amorphous polymer goes from glassy to rubbery. For a printed part it is the practical ceiling: above it, the part creeps and sags under its own weight.
Filled filament: A base polymer carrying chopped fibre, platelets or particles. The filler mostly buys stiffness, dimensional stability or conductivity, and it wears a brass nozzle.
Migration: The transfer of substances from a packaging material into food. EU plastics law sets migration limits, and it treats a substance in nanoform as needing its own authorisation.