Anyone tried different plastics?

Looking at one of the a filament suppliers I have used (http://3dfilaprint.com/shop/) it seems they have a few plastics other than PLA and ABS, and I was wondering whether anyone has tried them. Nylon interests me in particular because of its strength (might be good for gears for example), and the write-up indicates the temperatures are about the same as I use for ABS. There is also an elastic filament (http://3dfilaprint.com/product-category/ninjaflex-3/) and other types that I have no present use for, but will bear in mind. I'll order some of their 10m sample lengths to try out and let you know how I get on.

Dave
(#106)

Some of the other plastics might require extrusion temperatures of around 300C, which I would not recommend at present with the current hot end.

Although some of Ormerod users reported success AbS prints, yesterday I heat up the bed to 95 degree ( 1 hour of waiting ) and start print a small gear , the gear side warped and before I terminate the print job I noticed that my x bearing holder turned soft and the bearing stay at a side, the print head dangle swinging around. I wonder how others can print ABS successfully but in my case, I think Ormerods are for PLA only unless fully modified. I wish to change printed parts to ABS but Ormerod can't even print a small ABS gear.

I have tried another type of ABS plastic and it seems to be working just fine....I can't recommend to anyone here because I bought them from a supplier in South Africa (Cad House) but I'm sure they use a Chinese supplier.

IMHO I would say experiment with different plastics if you are printing a lot. At worst if it doesn't work then you've lost a bit of cash, if it does then you'll save a lot more. Obviously if you have to set up ridiculous extrude temperatures then that makes no sense.


The black I'm using came in one of those 1Kg roles and works just fine with a bed temperature of 100 and extrusion temp of 240.

To make the print stick I paint a bit of "mud" scraps mixed with acetone. I've you've not done this before don't overdo it or you will have a very hard time getting the print off the bed. I

Incidentally I've found that Lacquer Thinners also works really well too for the "mud" mix...

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2014 02:28AM by gregstah.

@dmould That ninjaflex looks amazing, I didn't even know it existed!!!
Thanks for sharing.

---

Ormerod #007 (shaken but not stirred!)

I now only print with ABS BUT I had to reprint the X-carriage, gears, head mount and extruder...else the Ormerod turns to putty ;-(

Always lift head up high when heating the bed.
Also put something on the bed like a piece or carton (while heating up). The bed heats up faster but you also protect the stuff above it.

When your X carriage, heat mount and extruder are still PLA then only print the first 2 layers at 100C to 110C, then drop to e.g. 80C or less. Yes, the part may warp but the majority of it will be functional. Then, after reprinting your new parts in ABS, you can leave the bed temperature to 100C +

But plastic like Polyprop and Nylon you probably need to reprint the parts to that as well. Remember you cannot polish a diamond with glass powder! You always need the same or better.

Good luck

Quote
dmould
Looking at one of the a filament suppliers I have used (http://3dfilaprint.com/shop/) it seems they have a few plastics other than PLA and ABS, and I was wondering whether anyone has tried them. Nylon interests me in particular because of its strength (might be good for gears for example), and the write-up indicates the temperatures are about the same as I use for ABS. There is also an elastic filament (http://3dfilaprint.com/product-category/ninjaflex-3/) and other types that I have no present use for, but will bear in mind. I'll order some of their 10m sample lengths to try out and let you know how I get on.

Dave
(#106)

Nylon is not suitable for gears, the acetal it's ok.... [en.wikipedia.org]
But the PLA is more a friendly for the planet and less dangerous for us.

Print Acetal, ABS, Nylon, better to be ventilated places... be careful to emissions!

Dario

Quote
Ormerod187
Nylon is not suitable for gears, the acetal it's ok.... [en.wikipedia.org]
But the PLA is more a friendly for the planet and less dangerous for us.

Print Acetal, ABS, Nylon, better to be ventilated places... be careful to emissions!

Dario

Hmm - the melting point of acetal seems suitable for the Ormerod. I wonder if it's available in filament form? OTOH I have just seen this:

[solidsmack.com]

It allows you to make your own filament, and the hype indicates it produces filament that has a pretty accurate & consistent diameter. Looks like a handy machine to make. Not only are pellets far cheaper than filament, but you can turn failed prints back into filament for re-use and experiment with plastics that are not available in filament form. In addition it allows you to add colorant to produce your own custom colours, which could come in handy when you need an exact match to something you are using your printed part with. Experimentation with fillers and additives is also possible to attempt to make plastic that is conductive or has catalytic or chemical properties, e.g. a plastic that acts like litmus paper. I suppose you could also recycle the plastic in commercial products rescued from rubbish tips, though contamination may be a problem with that.

Dave
(#106)

Hi Dave - Acetal is on my wish list (it's great for bushes and sliding bearings as well as gears) it's pretty stiff though, so not sure if additives are needed to get a useful filament. I found this blog a couple of weeks ago [blog.think3dprint3d.com] by T3DP3D, using an experimental batch from Stratum3D, and I've been meaning to follow up on it.

Alternatively, 3mm rods are available in 2 or 3 metre lengths, but trying to use these (if you had a 3mm extruder) would probably push a bowdenlink apart pretty quickly, and with direct drive, I imagine it would be a tail-wagging-the-dog scenario, because of the stiffness - not that I've tried

As Dario mentions, fume extraction really would be necessary, acetal partially decomposes to formaldehyde when it's heated to melting (or when you machine it fast or friction weld it).

It looks like they had problems getting it to stick down fully, but mention that (what I presume to be but may have been glass in epoxy) srbp stripboard worked - presumably some affinity between the phenol/formaldehyde resin in it and the acetal (but they conjecture it might be down to the perforations), I'd try a phenolic tufnol (as they mentioned, but didn't try)


Ray

Some helpful ...
The acetal resin should be kept dry!!!
Keep the roll closed in a plastic bag with a lot of desiccant gel....just make a hole for the filament.
Forget the printing on glass, maybe better printing on PLA bed, 0.25 could suffice.
As for the PLA there are many different mixture, I'm looking for 3D printing-friendly...
Is a resin tough to work... 1.75 is much better than the 3 mm.
Neutralize the toxic vapors is my biggest problem now ..... working at home ...
There is some chemical engineer who helps me?
I can not put the printer outdoor ... it rains a lot in the UK..
Before to try printing I want to study all possible details ....
Thanks everyone for sharing!

Dario

Quote
Ormerod187
Some helpful ...
The acetal resin should be kept dry!!!
Keep the roll closed in a plastic bag with a lot of desiccant gel....just make a hole for the filament.
Forget the printing on glass, maybe better printing on PLA bed, 0.25 could suffice.
As for the PLA there are many different mixture, I'm looking for 3D printing-friendly...
Is a resin tough to work... 1.75 is much better than the 3 mm.
Neutralize the toxic vapors is my biggest problem now ..... working at home ...
There is some chemical engineer who helps me?
I can not put the printer outdoor ... it rains a lot in the UK..
Before to try printing I want to study all possible details ....
Thanks everyone for sharing!

Dario

If you have an extractor hood over your stove, maybe put the Ormerod under that when you don't need to use the cooker for a while?

Dave
(#106)

[/quote]
If you have an extractor hood over your stove, maybe put the Ormerod under that when you don't need to use the cooker for a while?

Dave
(#106)[/quote]


not bad idea... but
I do not live alone .....
Ormerod..... if I put in the kitchen probably'll become..
I have a room where I work ... I'll have to think of some solution..
Anyway thanks Dave

Dario