24
votes
Accepted
Which is more durable to sunlight/weather - PLA, ABS or PETG
Ok, I tried all 3 materials.
PLA failed after less then one day, I believe it deformed from the constant pressure and fell out (I didn't find the part but I didn't really search for it, there's some ...
- 2,551
18
votes
Accepted
Is PLA filament conductive?
Normal PLA is non-conductive. You can take an $\Omega$-meter to a test part if you're really concerned somehow you have some PLA that is conductive.
There is a caveat that your color may include metal ...
- 196
13
votes
Is PLA filament conductive?
PLA itself falls in the category of non-conductors, with a resistivity ($\rho=R\frac A l=\frac 1 \sigma$) in the order of $10^{16}\ \Omega \text m$ (see here), similar to other plastics. Following ...
- 308
13
votes
Which is more durable to sunlight/weather - PLA, ABS or PETG
PLA would be a non-starter for outdoor use as it's biodegradable and can breakdown in sunlight. Albeit slowly, but won't be useful for long term project.
ABS would be a good choice for longevity, as ...
- 1,915
11
votes
Accepted
Reducing amount of material
Updated to match the improved question format.
There are a few ways to reduce material usage. First is what you have touched on. Which is to reduce the design by punching out holes, and removing all ...
- 3,123
9
votes
Which is more durable to sunlight/weather - PLA, ABS or PETG
I might be late to the party, but I have a suggestion. Why not use ASA filament, it's the kind of plastic used in car cup holders, lawn rakes and sprinkler heads, it is both heat and cold resistant, ...
- 251
8
votes
Accepted
Are 3D prints safe to touch right after printing?
FFF/FDM: Yes
FDM/FFF runs by melting a filament and letting it cool again. As soon as the printed parts are cooled down to below 50°C (which is rather quick) handling them is safe. There's no chemical ...
- 22.5k
7
votes
Is PLA filament conductive?
PLA is non-conductive at room temperature, but when you heat it up over 70 C it is no longer as great an electrical insulator as the part will begin to fail. These temperatures could occur in ...
- 71
7
votes
Advantages of PETG filament?
PETG is great, but definitely not as easy to print as PLA. However the advantages of higher impact resistance, temperature resistance and longevity make it superior to PLA for parts that require those ...
- 111
7
votes
Should I be worried about the lead in brass nozzles?
No. Leaded brass is around 2 % lead and the wear is negligible. How much has your nozzle worn?
If your nozzle has worn from 0.4 mm to 0.5 mm over that year, there's maybe
$$
((.5 mm/2)^2-(0.4 mm/2)^2)...
- 171
6
votes
3D printing a boat hull
You will really need to specify your constraints better because the short answer is yes, what you describe is entirely possible, but without knowing whether you are limited to a particular budget, ...
- 183
5
votes
Would 3d-printed objects outgas in vacuum?
This naturally depends on the ultimate pressure you require. I have made a few tests with LEGO pieces (ABS) in vacuum and reached 10-5 mbar without problems. I did not try to go any lower.
Otherwise, ...
- 51
5
votes
Accepted
3D printing a cardboard box
The closest thing you will find is Woodfill plastic. As time goes on we are seeing more and more PLA that is infused with other materials. Woodfill will look and feel like waxy wood. We are pretty ...
- 3,123
5
votes
Reducing amount of material
"Just like the movies"-type tech typically means $$$.
For those who do not own (legally or otherwise) expensive CAD software, it may be difficult to find an out-of-the-box solution. That's not to ...
- 6,334
5
votes
How to print TPU material with 3D printer
Elastomers do much better on direct-drive heads (pulled to the head by the motor) than on Bowden designs (where the material is pushed to the head by a motor). This is because the flexible TPU or TPE ...
- 2,440
5
votes
Accepted
What filaments allow air to pass but not water vapor?
It is difficult enough to make 3D-printed objects water-tight (unless you paint them). Making them permeable to air but not water vapour is too big an ask, I think.
- 3,190
5
votes
Accepted
How much weaker does PETG become when it absorbs as much moisture as it can hold?
To my knowledge, there is no reason to expect a printed PETG object to become weaker by virtue of absorbing moisture. Unless you keep it in a controlled environment with desiccant or unless it's solid ...
4
votes
Is PLA filament conductive?
It's non-conductive, but I would check to make sure with any colored filament. Black may have iron oxide or carbon black which may give it minor conductance.
4
votes
stable FDM materials
Tough set of requirements and definately pushing into the professional domain. I would recommend checking out ULTEM 1010 Resin which is similar to PEEK but has a higher glass transition temp of 215&...
- 1,071
4
votes
Affordable 3D printing of reflector
I would not recommend extrusion printers for this, because they are unlikely to produce a smooth enough surface. To get a clean surface, the irregularities have to be a fraction of visible ...
- 3,051
4
votes
Which are the food-safe materials and how do I recognize them?
I have looked at this a lot, both from the standpoint of my own use, and of selling items on Etsy.
As far as I can determine, PLA and ABS are both generally safe.
The FDA lists ABS and PLA as safe ...
- 4,591
4
votes
3D printing a boat hull
Something similar has been done in ABS already, although I don't expect it gets left in the water for years. See the video, showing a kayak being printed in many ABS sections of about one cubic foot, ...
- 2,440
4
votes
Can 3D printers print details in the 1/10 of the micrometer for metals?
You can get the 0.1 micron (100 nm) resolution with a 2-photon 3D printer, but only in a polymer resin. Nanoscribe, in Germany, pioneered this technology, see Mechanical Microstructures.
Their ...
- 180
4
votes
Filament material for chemical application
There are two issues you have here, one is temperature stability and the other is chemical reactivity of plastics. I can't help you with the chemistry side, but I can help with the temperature.
...
- 1,915
4
votes
Can PLA be reshaped after printing if it is heated?
Yes, printing a flat strand structure and then shaping it using heat to form hair is something people already do, for example with the Hairy Lion model.
3
votes
Simulation tool software for 4D Printing
I am going to say that this probably is a whole dimension out of scope for this group ;-)
That said this new type of 3d printing is still at the University level. Also 4d is not necessarily 3d ...
- 3,123
3
votes
Advantages of PETG filament?
I love PETG. When I first started I always used ABS because I thought it was the best and didn't see the point in using PLA. However, after a few years of playing around I no longer use ABS. I use PLA ...
- 161
3
votes
Would 3d-printed objects outgas in vacuum?
At work, I put a 3d ABS part printed via 3d hubs (5*20*30), in the chamber at 1 mbar. No signs of breakage what so ever. No signs of sudden leaks.
Going anywhere below 1mbar, i.e., to 10^-infinity ...
- 131
3
votes
stable FDM materials
PEEK, a plastic known for its superior chemical and physical resilience (http://www.zeusinc.com/materials/peek/chemical-resistance-chart-peek), has been successfully used for filament-based printing (...
- 201
3
votes
3D printing for outdoor use: "What types of filament are most weather resistant?"
I have several items printed in PLA that have been outdoors for about a year now. Apart from some discoloration I don't see any structural damage (yet?). Some of them are at the south side of a ...
- 249
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