3d printing by masses is hitting critical mass. Advancents in the last year have eclipsed the last 5 years. Its an exciting times thats for sure. Pla and abs have been standard for a while but other materials are starting to be used. Dual filament, post print processes etc etc. kinda cool to go on forums and see guys coming up with new stuff all the time.
So I bought a 3D printer...
- Thread starter Kanwar88
- Start date
3d printing is undoubtedly a excellent tool the future looks exciting and it has come leaps and bounds in the last 10 years.
Here are a couple photos of a 3d prototype vs a production part I had sitting on my desk.
The black one is the printed part. Notice the rough surface?
Sorry they are not very clear but the white one is smooth and perfect. The Black (my guess ABS) 3d printed part is rough you can see where every line was printed. A non homogeneous surface means it is weak. Plastic needs to be bound molecularly for strength. Merge lines are inherently a point of weakness. And a 3d printed part is nothing but a merge line.
Or perhaps we just get our 3d parts from someone with a crappy printer.
Here are a couple photos of a 3d prototype vs a production part I had sitting on my desk.
The black one is the printed part. Notice the rough surface?
Sorry they are not very clear but the white one is smooth and perfect. The Black (my guess ABS) 3d printed part is rough you can see where every line was printed. A non homogeneous surface means it is weak. Plastic needs to be bound molecularly for strength. Merge lines are inherently a point of weakness. And a 3d printed part is nothing but a merge line.
Or perhaps we just get our 3d parts from someone with a crappy printer.
That was printed on an additive layering printer and thats probably what most 3d printers are. Is it as strong as the white box? absolutely not... Is the white box strenght needed though? in some areas, yes, in most, no.
If you want to add to the bonding strenght of the printer parts, look into Acetone Vapor Bath process. It can be done very cheapy depending on the size of your object. It totally transforms the look and strenght qualities of the printed parts
If you want to add to the bonding strenght of the printer parts, look into Acetone Vapor Bath process. It can be done very cheapy depending on the size of your object. It totally transforms the look and strenght qualities of the printed parts
3d printing is undoubtedly a excellent tool the future looks exciting and it has come leaps and bounds in the last 10 years.
Here are a couple photos of a 3d prototype vs a production part I had sitting on my desk.
The black one is the printed part. Notice the rough surface?
Sorry they are not very clear but the white one is smooth and perfect. The Black (my guess ABS) 3d printed part is rough you can see where every line was printed. A non homogeneous surface means it is weak. Plastic needs to be bound molecularly for strength. Merge lines are inherently a point of weakness. And a 3d printed part is nothing but a merge line.
Or perhaps we just get our 3d parts from someone with a crappy printer.
Good luck Kanwar hope it works out.
Interesting Red_liner! Might try to duplicate that. Oh and as for the strength of the white part it is made from a custom engineered resin Polycarbonite/PET damn near bullet proof.
If Kanwar wants to print some test plates I would be willing to do some destructive testing in our quality lab. Would be interested to see if there is any difference in strength after Red_Liners vapor treatment.
Interesting Red_liner! Might try to duplicate that. Oh and as for the strength of the white part it is made from a custom engineered resin Polycarbonite/PET damn near bullet proof.
If Kanwar wants to print some test plates I would be willing to do some destructive testing in our quality lab. Would be interested to see if there is any difference in strength after Red_Liners vapor treatment.
With the extruder I mentioned previously, one could easily print with a stronger material such as that Polycarb/PET, so long as it is possible to have it in filament form. And as for that printed part, it looks like it's only around 80-90% infill.
So I'd say it'd be far weaker than something that was printed at 100% infill.
Ah Yes. I see what you are saying.
I am still a bit stumped as to how these digital printers get around the need to dry the materials. We need to dry hygroscopic materials in dessicant dryers for usually 2-4 hours before they can be processed. Is it just ignored due to it being not generally visible due to the tiny area that is being printed at any one time? I find it interesting.
