Can Anyone Recommend Pla And Abs

Question

I had a failure again last night because of a nozzle clog after 17 hours of printing. This was my second try at the same part. I have made three of these with no problem. I assume it was because I used a lower quality PLA. I get good prints with it most of the time, but it looks like when I get failures, they are due to variations in the filament composition.

I also have problems with ABS. I get reasonable parts sometimes, if they are small or I get lucky. I believe the high amount of part warping when printing with ABS is also due the low quality filament I bought. Same issues. Larger parts warp pretty badly or delaminate. Even with real good build plate bond, I still have problems with ABS.

Can anyone recommend a reasonable priced PLA and ABS 1.75 filament that has been working well for them? My main colors are white, red, blue and black. I have heard colors can affect the print.

I've looked at Anthony's videos, but just wanted more opinions.

Thanks,

Ron R

bhouston · Answer

I have used black and white RepRapper PLA for the last 2 years in my Makerbot Rep 2 without any problems. Highly recommend it.

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

Warping with abs is usually due to not enough build plate heat and/or build chamber heat... I have zero warping issues with my UP! Plus 2 printer since I enclosed it, cheap filament or not... ABS needs to cool slowly or it will warp... That's why you need a heated build plate and chamber... @ANDY ROID What printer do you have?....

Andy Roid · Answer

RepRap clone I built called a Borlee. With PLA I go along printing well then I make junk. With the same spool, it comes back fine again, using the exact same settings printing the same part. I really think it's the filament. Regarding ABS,I have a heated bed, and tried covering the machine to keep in the heat. I have tried running the bed as low as 70 and as high as 110 and find the problem never goes away. I have the filament as low as 190 and up to 245. I even mess with the speeds. I would have to get my book to give you those numbers, but I have slowed it to about 75%. I will admit sometimes my tape breaks loose and I get a warp that way, but often I will get a delamination. I want to have a good brand of filament so I have a good idea of something being constant. Then I can try changing settings. Ron R

Andy Roid · Answer

@ bhouston Thanks for the advice. Ron R

Andy Roid · Answer

Richard R, In my R2D2 post is a picture of my printer. Maybe I will make an enclosure like you have done for ABS. I normally just cover it with a fire resistant cloth to keep the heat in. What temperature do you keep the chamber at? Ron R

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

You can buy "Smart abs" .... I can get it at Filaments.ca here in Canada (not sure about the US)... I haven't tried it but it claims to be formulated for 90% less warping... It's kind of pricey too.... Smart ABS Filament

Andy Roid · Answer

Thanks Richard. I will look into it. I am going to try your suggestion of enclosing the build area. What kind of temperature do you maintain in the build area. I may consider using a heat gun with a thermostat if necessary. We used a similar method when bonding areas on aircraft parts, We would bag the part and heat it with a heat gun and controller to cure it. I think it is overkill, but I really want to make some larger parts out of ABS. Ron R

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

Usually you just need to enclose the printer... the nozzle and heated bed keep it nice and toasty...

Andy Roid · Answer

So just a box around the print area works for you? The heat bed and nozzle give enough heat? I can build that fairly easily. I will give it a try. My cloth idea must have had too many losses.

Thanks,

Ron R

Dunning-Kruger · Answer

Yep... as long as the box isn't too big (meaning a too large an area to heat efficiently)

Andy Roid · Answer

Thanks Anthony, I will look in to it. I need to be sure the filament variations go away. Thanks for your You tube post also. Very helpful and informative.

I finally got a good, not great print of the foot for my R2D2. I will resin it for a good finish.

Ron R

Andy Roid · Answer

Last Update

I went out and bought another piece of glass from Lowes and made up an Acetone ABS slurry. The liquid is the consistency of milk. I applied it twice to a cold heat bed and let it dry. I took an old towel and placed it over the machine to hold in the warmth from the machine when running. I ran some ABS test parts which warped in the past. They came out nice and flat.

I ran a full bed of parts the same way, which was a 22 hour run. They came out great. Thanks to all that helped me with the elimination of a haunting problem.

I plan to take the advice given, when I order my next batch of filament. Sounds like the brands suggested is the way to go.

Ron R

Andy Roid

Can Anyone Recommend Pla And Abs

Upgrade to ARC Pro

Products

Community

Support

About