WTF of the Week

[jimc]

yes. im curious about it. if its all they claim it could be a game changer.

[pyronaught]

Why ABS or PETG? If it's not under heat, that looks ideal for some of the "+" PLAs. If abrasion is a concern, coat it with XTC-3D.

I was thinking that too, but I couldn't get the damn PLA to print without jamming the nozzle. I couldn't even get two rounds on the brim before it would jam, then I'd have to drill it out to get it working again. I'd blowtorch the nozzle, drill out the other tube with a 2mm bit and then print at 200 temp. I could extrude fine, but then I'd go to print and it would jam. Then once it jammed I couldn't even manually push the filament into the hot end. Something just gummed it up bad and twist drills up through the nozzle wouldn't fix it. I just got tired of screwing with it due to how long and annoying the whole nozzle recovery procedure is. I'm amazed PLA is supposed to be the "beginner" filament, I've had nothing but problems with nozzle jams every time I use it (which isn't often).

I'm throwing in the towel on ABS though. This part just can not be done in ABS. The warp, which is really just shrinking it looks like, is not just on the bottom but on the sides of the corners as well. So the face where the two halves are supposed to attach to each other is bowed and ruined. Also the image below shows a huge split I got on an ABS+ attempt, which didn't happen the first time I tried it. So there is no consistency on what degree it will fail.

But yeah, PLA was my original plan since it sands easy, doesn't warp, is very rigid and the RC airplane guys use it for their molds. But I'll be damned if I can get PLA to print without jamming. How fast can you print with PLA?

[pyronaught]

Anyone use that high temp pla from makergeeks? They claim its high enough to run through an autoclave and stronger than petg and abs.

I just ordered a few spools of it to try. Hopefully water won't have any ill effects on it, as these hollow molds I'm making have to be filled with plaster to keep them from compressing in the press. Something like plaster of paris or Durham's Rock Hard Putty will have to be poured in there and then allowed to cure, so there will be a lot of moisture trapped inside the print for several days.

[Jules]

But I'll be damned if I can get PLA to print without jamming. How fast can you print with PLA?

PLA is the fastest printing filament.
(But it likes to be cooled off quickly when printing or it warps up on overhangs....exact opposite of ABS. Leave the door open on your enclosures, or better yet, remove the machine from the enclosure, or point a desk fan into the open door to cool things off.)

Read up on PLA in the Filaments forum to get more tips for printing it. Every filament prints differently, and not just from an extruder and bed temperature standpoint.

Buy a spare nozzle or two and use those only for PLA. Jamming problems are typically caused by one of only two things....one is the possible remnants of some incompatible filament left behind in the nozzle when you switch to a different kind of filament. (Make sure that is cleaned out before going to a new filament, or keep a set of dedicated nozzles and change them out.)

The other is not having the Filament Drive Screw Tension correct for the filament you are using, and it changes each time you switch type of filament.

But making sure you have checked both of those things before switching to a different filament type and you should reduce the problems to dealing only with particular quirks for a specific type of filament.

There is a very detailed discussion of How to Print PLA in the Beginner's Guides now:

For your machines:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3342

[insta]

ABS is the fastest printing filament, Jules. PLA is next in line though. My computer generated profiles have the fastest speeds I've reliably used for each filament.

[Jules]

ABS is the fastest printing filament, Jules. PLA is next in line though. My computer generated profiles have the fastest speeds I've reliably used for each filament.

No! Say it isn't so!
(My life is a lie!!!!) (Picture a little overly dramatic emoticon here.)

[pyronaught]

That part in the last picture I posted actually destroyed my 5 mil kapton sheet. It pulled almost 50% of it off the plate, and stretched it so bad in the process that there is no way it would ever lay flat again. What sucks is that Eckertech no longer seems to stock this stuff, which is a real bummer. That material is so tough you can clean it off with a glass scraper and never worry about ripping it. I've used thin sheets of metal to chisel parts off the kapton and never ripped it. Guess I'll have to settle for the 4mil stuff being sold on Amazon, I hope it is close to being as tough.

[pyronaught]

But I'll be damned if I can get PLA to print without jamming. How fast can you print with PLA?

PLA is the fastest printing filament.
(But it likes to be cooled off quickly when printing or it warps up on overhangs....exact opposite of ABS. Leave the door open on your enclosures, or better yet, remove the machine from the enclosure, or point a desk fan into the open door to cool things off.)

Read up on PLA in the Filaments forum to get more tips for printing it. Every filament prints differently, and not just from an extruder and bed temperature standpoint.

Buy a spare nozzle or two and use those only for PLA. Jamming problems are typically caused by one of only two things....one is the possible remnants of some incompatible filament left behind in the nozzle when you switch to a different kind of filament. (Make sure that is cleaned out before going to a new filament, or keep a set of dedicated nozzles and change them out.)

The other is not having the Filament Drive Screw Tension correct for the filament you are using, and it changes each time you switch type of filament.

But making sure you have checked both of those things before switching to a different filament type and you should reduce the problems to dealing only with particular quirks for a specific type of filament.

There is a very detailed discussion of How to Print PLA in the Beginner's Guides now:

For your machines:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3342

I've been printing PLA without issues on several machines now, I think the previous problem was from a badly leveled bed that was jamming the nozzle right at the start. I think what happened is the bed wasn't fully seated when I leveled it the first time, then at some point it got pushed all the way down and then got way out of level after that and I didn't notice it. It just created the illusion that the nozzle was jamming, but really the nozzle got so close to the plate at some points that no filament could extrude out of it and then it would just jam after that.

So now PLA seems very easy to work with and I'm printing it at 6000 mm/min no problem and it never jams on long 24+ hour prints. I notice that overhangs curve upwards if no support is used though, which is every odd and seems to defy gravity. I also notice that the cooling fan never turns on at any point during the entire print. Does it only turn on when bridging or is it supposed to run all the time?

I'm surprised how difficult it is to sand PLA. I was thinking it would be just as easy as ABS to sand, but instead it is almost as abrasion resistant as PETG.

[Jules]

You set the fan on the Cooling tab. (ABS doesn't need it, but PLA does - 100% after layer 1.) PLA warps on overhangs without a lot of fan.

[pyronaught]

I'm seeing PLA warping at the corners as well. Not nearly as bad as ABS, but I thought it didn't warp at all. I'm printing it on a 70 degree bed with kapton sheet. Is printing it straight on the glass better?

The worst thing about printing PLA is the noise from having to print with the cabinet doors open. OMG these things generate a lot of noise! I might have to get some of those stepper gaskets I see people talking about if I have to do this very often. With the doors closed I can barely hear them so it's never been an issue before.