3D printers

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MarkR
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Re: 3D printers

Post by MarkR »

I tried carbon PLA for a few parts. It's very similar to standard PLA but a bit more rigid, and printed on the standard settings with good quality.

Apparently filaments with carbon fibres in have abrasive effect on the nozzle, but you can still use normal brass ones, just they last less time. Our 3d printer guru (at Reading Hackspace) has setup our printers with ruby nozzles for better durability. Of course in the hackspace the 3d printers get heavily used and often with abrasive materials.
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Tufty
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Re: 3D printers

Post by Tufty »

Thanks, good to know. Will look into various nozzles for the printer.
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Tufty
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Re: 3D printers

Post by Tufty »

New printer (Ender 3) issue has come up recently, and I can't find anything online to fix it. Even going direct to Creality just got me the response that I should replace what got wrecked myself and try resetting the axis offsets manually.

However, it's not fixing the problems I'm having. The printer has taken to ignoring roughly 50% of the layers in anything I've asked it to print, basically wasting a ton of plastic and electricity. My options are now either a miracle (this is where you guys come in!) or, failing that, a new printer.

If the latter, my options seem to be:

Delta 3D https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08JLSTS91/ ... ws_uk_1-21

Tronxy X5SA https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07PPFVT64/ ... ws_uk_1-21
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Team RobotMad
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Re: 3D printers

Post by Team RobotMad »

i have a ender 3 V2 and have played with the softwear and slicer setttings so i might be able to help. i also recomend the facebook pages on 3d printing, some are dedicated to solving problems.
Lincoln Barnes
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Tufty
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Re: 3D printers

Post by Tufty »

Thanks, I'll drop you a PM.
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MarkR
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Re: 3D printers

Post by MarkR »

Yes Carbon/PLA should be the same but it is abrasive and will wear the nozzle faster than normal PLA. I haven't tried it myself just using PLA for now, but I do use the Hackspace printers sometimes they have ruby nozzles which are wear resistant.
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minionhunter
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Re: 3D printers

Post by minionhunter »

I finally ordered a Prusa Mk3

What do people usually use to print their bot parts?

I was looking at PTEG which looked promising.
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peterwaller
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Re: 3D printers

Post by peterwaller »

I always use Alloy 910 nylon for any armour or areas likely to come in contact with a spinner.
I get it from 3DFilaprint who offer a great service if you buy two spools of filament you get free next day delivery.
MySolderIsOlder
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Re: 3D printers

Post by MySolderIsOlder »

I mainly use three filaments, all of which I get from "3D Jake". Shipping from Germany can be a bit slow (normally about a week) but I find their range and service excellent:
- Fiberlogy's 'PA12+CF15' (a Nylon/Carbon Fibre mix) for most bodywork/armour.
- PolyMaker's 'PolyMax PC' (polycarbonate) for more intricate parts, like gear wheels or servo horns - gives much 'sharper' prints than Nylon.
- Fillamentum's 'ABS Extrafiill' transparent for everything else, and also for prototyping - because it's cheaper than other two and its being translucent when printed makes it easier to spot design flaws.

Whether any of these would work for you depends a lot on your printer set up. I use an "Up 2 Mini", which has a heated chamber, a hot-end that works fine at 290c, and an abrasion-safe steel nozzle. For some reason, those filaments all just 'worked' for me with minimal tinkering, while bizarrely I've always struggled to get any decent results from PETG or PLA. Best thing is to get small samples of a few types, read all the Prusa discussion boards, print some tests and see what works. PETG and PLA+ certainly seem to have their fans in the ant world. Indeed there are some that claim "PLA+ Is a Perfectly Legitimate Choice..."

Finally I'd suggest not obsessing too much about filament type at this stage. Whilst material choice certainly does make a big difference to survivability, designing for strength is just as important. A PLA shell printed with the right wall thickness, perimeters, infill, etc, with decent fillets on all corners, and with surfaces angled to deflect blows, will outlive a CF-printed shell that got the basics wrong.
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Re: 3D printers

Post by T_Y »

Indeed there are some that claim "PLA+ Is a Perfectly Legitimate Choice..."
You called? :D

I use eSun PLA+, mainly because that's what I started using when I got into 3D printing and didn't have a proper set up for printing better materials like an enclosure or all-metal hot end. Some materials will require an all-metal hot end to avoid the PTFE tube deteriorating. I think the Prusa already has an all metal hot end so you should be fine in that regard, but always worth checking.

PLA+ is supposed to be stronger than PLA but still just as easy to print. PLA+ can work, but you need to be careful when designing and slicing prints. If you do use PLA+ I'd recommend avoiding those parts from taking direct hits, or if you can't avoid that, then try to make those parts thicker/more infill. In most of my bots, I use 3D printed brackets to hold 0.5mm-1.5mm polycarb panels together, and just make sure I have plenty of spare prints.

For slicing, I try to align my parts so that the layer lines are vertical in the final build. This way, if a vertical spinner gets a good hit, the print isn't being peeled at the layer line, which is the weakest direction for the print. Horizontal spinners in my experience won't cause this to happen as much, and it is easier to defend against those with wedges.
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