26
votes
Accepted
Can I 3D-print a PET bottle?
No, due to 3 reasons
PET is not (easily) printable.
There is a lot of confusion on what Filaments you can buy: most times filament branded PET is actually PETG, sometimes PETT.
PET is not an easily ...
- 21k
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 ...
- 2,461
23
votes
Accepted
Is 3D printing safe for your health?
There is very little information about safety available, as home 3D printers are relatively new. However, plastics such as ABS have a long history in making plastic products, and a study found that at ...
- 14.7k
23
votes
Accepted
How does one use a heat tower?
When you slice an STL of a heat tower, you need to tell the slicer that you need a different temperature at a certain level and maintain that new temperature until another change is requested.
The ...
- 34.1k
19
votes
Accepted
How should I clean my extruder when changing materials?
If you feel you need to clean the nozzle the best approach is a cold pull. You can perform this procedure with many printers, however, you should seek advice from your printer manufacturer before ...
- 470
18
votes
Is 3D printing safe for your health?
Almost all 3D printers have issues that could cause health problems.
FDM/FFF printers heat plastic to a temperature that may cause it to off-gas, and these byproducts may not be healthy.
SLA ...
- 1,843
14
votes
What are the ideal print conditions for polypropylene?
Polypropylene CAN be printed with excellent results, you just need a good filament roll and good printing setup.
A few days ago I read this topic and was kind of afraid of testing it, now I am so ...
- 141
14
votes
Accepted
Improving durability of a printed propeller
As Kezat noted, your part has very low infill, but infill is not what provides most of the part strength anyway. From what I can see of the broken part, it looks like you only have 1 or at most 2 ...
13
votes
Advantages of PETG filament?
I have never used ABS, because I have a young child at home and no ventilation system (just to be safe). I have however used PETG, a crystal clear brand competitively priced on AMA-ssive online ...
- 421
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 ...
- 1,865
12
votes
Accepted
Advantages of PETG filament?
PETG is great stuff to work with. It is stronger than ABS also. It prints slower than ABS and PLA. The formulas vary quite a bit from vendor to vendor. I have used 3 brands, and each of their ...
- 201
11
votes
Accepted
Why can't powder-based 3D printing techniques create enclosed or hollow structures?
It's not hollow or enclosed structures that are a problem. It's structures that are hollow and enclosed. Think about it. The machine lays down a thin layer of powder, and then a laser fuses some of ...
- 340
10
votes
Is 3D printing safe for your health?
I am going to address the air issue as it is currently unresolved. the third dimension offers a great answer for common safety issues.
The short answer is that based on our limited knowledge at this ...
- 201
10
votes
Accepted
How does this Martian habitat 3D printer built for NASA work?
Let's start with the general design look and feel: This printer contains a robotic arm with a toolhead, pretty similar to a welding robot, and probably is controlled with a similar CAM software.
...
- 21k
10
votes
Accepted
PETG layer adhesion
What you describe is usually the result of using a too high of a part cooling fan rotational speed. Like ABS, PETG doesn't require much cooling (if needed at all that is). If you do cool too much, ...
- 34.1k
10
votes
Is there a method for telling how much filament is left on a spool?
If you have an empty spool of the same brand, you could weigh the empty spool and the one you're trying to "measure" to get an approximate weight of the remaining filament. Divide by the (...
- 1,641
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, ...
- 211
9
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to print a resonator for a musical instrument?
I can't answer this from a technical 3D printing angle. But, from a musical angle:
Where the body of an instrument has the primary function of enclosing a vibrating air column, the material has ...
- 206
9
votes
Printing with colorfabb XT fails after several successful layers
This looks a lot like under extrusion caused by heat creep.
Heat creep is when the nozzle temperature 'creeps' up through the filament and makes it melt (a bit) and form a blob (or just widen enough ...
- 894
8
votes
How should I clean my extruder when changing materials?
In most cases, removing the old filament from the printer, inserting the new filament in, and running the new filament through the printer for a short period of time will clean the nozzle. The skirt ...
- 2,258
8
votes
What are the ideal print conditions for polypropylene?
Polypropylene is a bear to print. There's a good reason almost nobody does it. The main problem is that it's a semi-crystalline material, which means it doesn't follow the normal rules for warping ...
- 6,526
8
votes
Can I print in wax?
Yes, you can. But no, you don't need to make your own filament for it, there is one called Print2Cast that you can buy for about 50$/kg.
This filament has the following recommended slicing settings:
...
- 272
8
votes
Is it possible to print a resonator for a musical instrument?
Following up on this, the answer is, yes, this works quite well. I printed this cabaça model from Thingiverse using PLA on a Lulzbot Mini and put it on my berimbau today to test it out. I can't make a ...
- 303
8
votes
Can commodity 3D printer extrusion hardware and filament be used for injection molding?
Injection molding requires two major components: pressure and heat. So your question can be broken down into those two halves: can your average extruder handle injection molding temperatures, and can ...
- 901
7
votes
Accepted
3D printing related safety precautions for a baby rattle
You're on the right track. Since you asked for "steps" here you go:
Step 1. Choose a safe material:
Consider chemical safety and physical safety. Food grade PLA should be chemically safe, but ...
- 1,061
7
votes
Advantages of PETG filament?
In addition to what @AsaDeDeBuck said, PETG is also more flexible than PLA, and less stinky than ABS. Furthermore, some PETG variants like to accumulate on the nozzle (particulate build up) and then ...
- 234
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
PETG layer adhesion
While 0scar was right that cooling fan hurts layer adhesion, I've continued to have problems with PETG even with no fan, regardless of temperature. I went looking for advice on the topic, and found a ...
7
votes
Accepted
Design connection to motor shaft for printed gear
Design a different connection to the shaft, however I don't know of any
Use a shaft/flange coupler to be fastened to your shaft and to your printed part.
Without knowing the length of the shaft, you ...
- 34.1k
7
votes
Good filament/s for heat resistance in cars
ABS, or preferably ASA which is "a better ABS", is probably your main option. ASA holds up better under UV/sunlight and is easier to print (less warping). Like ABS it should be printed with ...
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible