Going soluble - printing PVA

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dryeti
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Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2014 10:22 am

Going soluble - printing PVA

Post by dryeti » Fri Sep 19, 2014 2:26 pm

A major motivation for me to try dual printing was using soluble support material.
So I ordered a spool of PVA which is soluble in water.
I printed this male side release buckle using PLA as main material and PVA for support and raft.
I used the right extruder (all metal) for the PVA and blue painter's tape on the glass.
CAM00412.jpg
CAM00412.jpg (117.1 KiB) Viewed 12468 times
The print does not look perfect - but the issue is related to PLA only (my Cura settings for PLA were not right and bad PLA quality).
Actually, the PVA part turned out to be very nice.

Q*bert
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Location: Waukesha, WI

Re: Going soluble - printing PVA

Post by Q*bert » Sat Sep 20, 2014 9:58 pm

So how does it look after dissolving the PVA? How long did it take to dissolve?

dryeti
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Re: Going soluble - printing PVA

Post by dryeti » Sun Sep 21, 2014 12:00 pm

Q*bert wrote:So how does it look after dissolving the PVA? How long did it take to dissolve?
The bottom layer (where it stuck to the raft) looks just like a top layer. I let it dissolve overnight. Most of the PVA was still there
but it was quite pulpy so you can easily remove it.

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insta
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Re: Going soluble - printing PVA

Post by insta » Mon Sep 22, 2014 2:45 pm

Next time you're dissolving it, put a small aquarium airstone in the container, and a little submersible aquarium heater. Keep the water 80-85F and constantly moving.
Custom 3D printing for you or your business -- quote [at] pingring.org

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Capt. John
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Re: Going soluble - printing PVA

Post by Capt. John » Sat Oct 04, 2014 4:29 am

Best news I've heard so far about my yet to be installed 2 extruder kit.

Unless it's a flat, supports when used under a curved surface it looks
pretty bad.

Having all 4 sides on curved objects look finished will be a big step forward.

Did you use 100% infill on the PVA?
Capt. John
Manistee, Michigan
Reel Amateur at 3D printing
Fishing Tackle Manufacturer & Webmaster for:
http://www.michiganangler.com
http://www.michigansportsman.com

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Tim
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Re: Going soluble - printing PVA

Post by Tim » Sun Oct 05, 2014 1:20 am

Where did you get your PVA from? What measures are you taking to keep it from absorbing moisture out of the atmosphere?

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