Geeetech – It’s time to shine!
This time I am testing Geeetech Glow in the Dark PLA of which can be purchased via Amazon. I am starting to think that browsing Amazon can be hazardous to your wallet. Idly flicking through the different filaments while waiting for the wife to get ready, I came across Geeetech Glow in the Dark PLA.
I’m curious and easily lead! I’ve never printed with anything that claims to glow in the dark, so I ordered a roll. Luckily for me, it is reasonably priced too, which is always a bonus. I selected the green to try, but there is also the option of a cool looking blue.
One Day Later…
I am opening the bag on the following day. I find my Geeetech Glow in the Dark PLA. As I’ve come to expect from Geeetech the packing is robust and functional nondescript brown cardboard box. The vac pack seal is intact, and the desiccant is dry. Examining the roll I don’t see any crossovers, just nicely spooled PLA.
I have a habit of weighing new filaments, and this one weighed in at 1201g. Geeetech claim this is 335M, but I’m not prepared to measure it out so I will take their word for it. With my printer set up I lazily opt for my standard temp settings, 210C and 55C bed, and print a calibration cube. Geeetech recommends a temperature print range of 210-240C. Layer adhesion is excellent, and the first layers go down on the glass very well. I don’t need to alter my slicer settings for this filament. Everything looks good, so I follow up with a Benchy
Having to wait until it was dark to test how luminous the Geeetech Glow in the Dark PLA would be wasn’t the plan, so into the under the stairs cupboard we go as its the only dark place on a sunny day. Awesome! So much brighter than I expected. I can see a lot of uses for this filament, especially with Halloween soon. I think I may need to find an STL for a skeleton before then.
Rocket Man!
I decided to see how dependant the density and its infill was for the printed item and the associated glow. This was achieved by printing a Rocket in vase mode using one outline, no infill, as low density as I could make it. As you can see from the pictures, it seems to glow even brighter than the other prints.
PLA – Wear and tear
It would be remiss of me if I didn’t point out that glow in the dark filaments contains a chemical called Strontium aluminate. This chemical cause premature wear to brass printer nozzles similar to printing with a carbon fibre infused filament. If your planning to print a lot of this, I would recommend a hardened nozzle or at the least regular replacements.
Final Thoughts on the Geeetech beacon in the dark?
I like it! Beyond the cool factor of just being able to print something that will glow in the dark, I can see loads of different applications for it. Safety signage, door numbers etc. and of course Halloween skeletons! A point of note is that the Geeetech glow in the dark PLA works because it is made with a phosphorescent material that will glow in the dark after absorption of light energy during the day. The longer it is in the light for the better it will shine. Realistically priced and with Geeetechs usual high standard this is a filament you can trust to deliver what it promises.
Are you enjoying these articles?
Why not check out another of our Filament reviews Geeetechs Marble PLA or a Resin review – Dragon Resin
The prints on my Cr10S Pro with this filament are excellent, as ive come to expect from Geeetech, I wouldnt hesistate to buy this again, and I will be printing and painting a test piece in this PLA, over the coming weeks so watch out for that article for more information on how that goes.
