Question about ABS glass transition

I have a friend that is an artist and she saw a hinged butterfly that I printed in ABS [www.thingiverse.com]

She works with polymer clay and she wanted to know if she could fill the cavities with polymer clay and then bake it. The baking would be at 135c for 1 hour. This is above the glass transition point of ABS but it takes another 100c to print it (melt) so I am trying to estimate if it would hold up.

My thinking is that it would become slightly soft and rubbery but would not lose it's shape but I am not sure so I thought I would ask here. I will likely send her a piece to try but she is international to me and I would just like to know if it's a waste to try or now.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Quote
tmorris9
I have a friend that is an artist and she saw a hinged butterfly that I printed in ABS [www.thingiverse.com]

She works with polymer clay and she wanted to know if she could fill the cavities with polymer clay and then bake it. The baking would be at 135c for 1 hour. This is above the glass transition point of ABS but it takes another 100c to print it (melt) so I am trying to estimate if it would hold up.

My thinking is that it would become slightly soft and rubbery but would not lose it's shape but I am not sure so I thought I would ask here. I will likely send her a piece to try but she is international to me and I would just like to know if it's a waste to try or now.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

135C is pushing it and it may deform a little. If I were you I'd just try it out with a random printed part first to see if it will work.

EDIT: You should actually use the same part to test this as the wings on the butterfly look fairly delicate and may be an issue.

Eric

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/09/2014 08:34PM by RP Iron Man.

It might work because it's flat, it'll lose it's detail, but the general outline will still be there.
You might want to support the hinge with a pin.
Two more things to consider are the shrink rate, and boding.

Print one, and toss it into your oven, note oven temperatures over shoot by a lot.
You need to validate the max temperature, and don't leave it unattended.

ABS, (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, Type: extruded):

Drying Temperature:
Range: 70°C to 93.3°C, (158ºF to 200ºF).
Average: 80.9°C, (178ºF ).

Dry time:
Range: 2 to 4 hours.
Average: 3.2 hours.

Glass-transition temp:
Range: 108°C to 109°C.
Average: 108°C, (226.4ºF ).
Wikipedia: 105°C, (221ºF ).

Begin testing around this temp:
Substrate/bed temperature: <105°C, (221ºF ).
Enclosure temperature: <105°C, (221ºF ).

Material properties are generally stable between:
−20 and 80 °C (−4 and 176 °F).

Linear Mold Shrinkage (extruded):
0.002 – 0.008 cm/cm.
Average value: 0.00532 cm/cm.

Machine parameters:
Extrude temp (RepRap): 210 C ~ 240 C

Thanks. I knew actual testing would be needed but it sounds like there is at least a chance it will work.