New To 3D, filament suggestions please ?
Hi, Im new to 3D and am going to attempt to print this on my mini. Its my first go at designing for myself and its going to be part of a heavy weight tripod for my caravan satellite dish made with aluminium legs simply slotted into the sockets, the center post will be permanently bonded into the center hole and be fastened down to a ground anchor.
Like I said I am very new and have little experience. My question is what will be the most suitable material to print with, Ive only up to now used PLA. It will not be subject to much vertical weight but carrying a satellite dish wind shear could be a factor and its going to be outside from April to October in Scotland UK, so cool sometimes but probably not freezing and no more than about 30 (hopefully) centigrade. It will be rained on and subject to UV.
As I have to print in the living area of our house I would prefer not to try ABS or others that can give of nasty fumes while printing, probably not a good idea for a novice anyway. Also because of strength concerns would I be better printing it solid without any fill, I've calculated it should take about 800 grams if using PLA which will be considerably cheaper than anything I could buy.
Cheers Ian
RE: New To 3D, filament suggestions please ?
PETG - Where are you from?
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: New To 3D, filament suggestions please ?
Or you can print the tripod in PLA, then protect it from UV and rain. Painting can be sufficient, or a rubber cover.
RE: New To 3D, filament suggestions please ?
If this is a first attempt, AKA a prototype, then I would plan to print it twice. First print in whatever cheap filament you have and are used to printing. PLA is fine but NOT at 100% fill - why? PLA is liable to shatter; at 100% there is nothing to stop a propagating crack, so add extra perimeters for strength but stay below 75% fill to reduce fragility, 30% is usually plenty.)
Put together a test version and use it for a while, expect to replace it with PETG in due course (PETG for toughness, it's not stronger but it deforms before failure) by which time you may have refined the design.
Hth, Cheerio,
RE: New To 3D, filament suggestions please ?
I would recommend Nylon (PA6). This is printable with the Mini. You just have to make sure that you get the adhesion to the print bed right. An alternative, which is easier to print, would be CPE-HG100 (more stable than PETG). https://fillamentum.com/products/cpe-hg100-natural
Statt zu klagen, dass wir nicht alles haben, was wir wollen, sollten wir lieber dankbar sein, dass wir nicht alles bekommen, was wir verdienen.
RE: New To 3D, filament suggestions please ?
@karl-herbert
I would agree that nylon is a good choice for this application, Not so good for someone new to printing.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: New To 3D, filament suggestions please ?
@cwbullet
Another good tip would be 3dktop. As far as I know, this is only available in Germany (Berlin). The material is extremely tough after tempering at 120 degrees and also (which is not necessary) heat resistant. I often use this material for 3D printer parts.
The most stable material for this would probably be PEEK or ULTEM - but then you can have it made of gold right away 😋
Statt zu klagen, dass wir nicht alles haben, was wir wollen, sollten wir lieber dankbar sein, dass wir nicht alles bekommen, was wir verdienen.
RE: New To 3D, filament suggestions please ?
PETG - Where are you from?
Hi, thanks for the reply. I'm from Lancashire, UK
Ian
RE: New To 3D, filament suggestions please ?
I was going to recommend Nylon or (Black) ABS or even ASA, but with you being new to printing they can be difficult to print at first. I think you should try ASA, I simply can't recommend PETG for this application and PLA has no business in this conversation, maybe for a a practice run (Fitment) but not for real world use.
I think ASA is a good way to get your feet wet, it will handle this application, and the part doesn't even look like it will curl much : )
The Filament Whisperer
RE: New To 3D, filament suggestions please ?
@ian-9
There are a lot of dealers in the UK. In Europe, I like Filamentum.
In my opinion, get good at PLA before you go to other filaments. Then try PETG. Then try ASA or ABS. The higher the temp, the more experience is needed.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: New To 3D, filament suggestions please ?
@ian-9
There are a lot of dealers in the UK. In Europe, I like Filamentum.
In my opinion, get good at PLA before you go to other filaments. Then try PETG. Then try ASA or ABS. The higher the temp, the more experience is needed.
For the record,
I agree with Charles, My ASA recommendation was only if you for some reason absolutely couldn't wait.
The Filament Whisperer
RE: New To 3D, filament suggestions please ?
@ian-9
There are a lot of dealers in the UK. In Europe, I like Filamentum.
In my opinion, get good at PLA before you go to other filaments. Then try PETG. Then try ASA or ABS. The higher the temp, the more experience is needed.
In principle I would absolutely agree with you, this is however a part I need for next years holiday season. I dont actually need the part until start of April next year so I have a few months to gain a bit of practice. If I dont have the part before then I would have to buy something (expensive) and thereafter wouldnt need it anyway so its do it before next April or dont bother.
Its not actually an expense thing anyway, I could buy something its just more satisfying doing it myself.
To swiss_cheese
My reading was leading me towards ASA anyway but Im a bit wary of the scare stories you hear about toxic fumes.
Thanks for all the replies anyway
Ian