Custom

[tymcneer]

So... I just had the pusher blocks fail... Not too bad for PLA and a very small area wearing to nothing...

I just ordered some Nylon filament to see what happens

Reference part...


Failed parts...


More pictures, because we like pictures






On the last picture, you can really see the wear, and how it has reduced the important little "tooth" to nearly nothing, rendering the parts "failed"

Ty

[freedummy]

I think you'll be pleased with the results from nylon, it just requires a little more effort than your standard filament.

Must MUST 100% MUST be DRY. Even straight from the package, you absolutely should dry the filament a minimum 4 hours in an electric oven @175f or food dehydrator. Nylon is strongly hydrophilic, meaning it actively pulls moisture from its environment. Double or triple ziploc bag for storage (even this will be insufficient for long-term). DO NOT use desiccant packets, the nylon is a STRONGER absorbant and will draw moisture even from the silica inside. Finished parts can be wet and left to absorb moisture to reach ultimate strength. They can also be colored with acid-based dye (ie RIT), following normal instructions.

Failure to follow will result in massive warping, shrinking, bubbling, nozzle oozing, low interlayer-adhesion, weak parts, balding, heart conditions, aneurysms, and eventual death of the user.

[tymcneer]

Ok... I consider myself well schooled and appropriately warned

Seriously... For the purposes of printing... Will being in a house with 30% or less humidity for a few hours be ok?

Does Nylon produce any fumes when printed? (Jen did NOT deal well with ABS being printed... It made her very ill )

I am using one of the "polypropylene" beds Creality has for the Ender... Will that work or must I revert to either glass or something else?

Ty

[freedummy]

Once properly dried, it'll be fine for 24-48 hours maybe? I live in a near-desert climate, so I can't say for sure, but you'll learn to see the signs your filament is getting wet.

Nylon is one of the best low-emission materials, up there with PETG and TPU I believe. No odors. ABS is the worst offender for emissions - aside from the printing issues (ABS is formulated to shrink (warp) because it was invented for injection molding), the unknown health risks for ultrafine particle emission are the main reason I avoid ABS.


As for print-bed, I use glass+glue stick. I don't know the compatibility with PP, I would do some tests... At least use the glue-stick as a barrier layer to prevent permanent bonding?

Another great benefit of nylon - use it to clean your nozzle. You can use a technique called “cold pulling” where you allow the Nylon to fully melt, bond to debris within the nozzle, and then after it partially cools you pull the filament (and debris) out of the hotend. A successfull cold-pull will look like a clean profile of the inside of your nozzle. The TG temperature of nylon is around 140, the sweet-spot for a cold-pull.

[tymcneer]

Excellent information! Thank you.

Ty

[Rainmaker]

Printed the first iteration of the business card idea that I came up with. It functions great, but the holes showing the paintball traveling are too small, and the top layer too thick which makes a shadow and you can't really see the green arm inside as it moves.
IMG_0101.jpg

[tymcneer]

Sweet!

I am printing a simplified version of Alpha434's Typhoon cover.

Ty

[JonM]

My wife wanted a phone stand to use in the kitchen, so I made her one. She loves it.

[tymcneer]

So i gave printing nylon a second try. The first time around the PTFE in the Ender 3 hot end melted and stunk up the place/rendered the printer unusable. I found that the titanium throat/heat break sold for he CR-10 does not match the heat sink of the Ender 3. I also found out that standard 6mm stainless steel throat/heat breaks do not fit the 7mm ID hole of the Ender 3 heat break.

Now... Onto better news. If you drill out the lip in the middle of the stock Ender 3 heat sink with a 6 mm or B dril (I don't have metric drills in the shop), locate a hobby store which carries K&S Precision Metals tube stock, purchase 7mm OD x .45mm wall tube in either brass (KS9825) or aluminium (KS9806), cut it to length and then assemble the entire mess, you can build a hot end without any PTFE tube near the heat break.

As to performance of this little kludge... I am not entirely sure. The nylon filament, fresh from the manufacturer and still sealed was loaded with water, and produced very porous and weak prints. My next task will be to dry the filament in the oven at 170* F for 6 to 8 hours and then try again. In the meantime, I might have to swap the hot end, as the last nylon run might have done a bit of damage to the PTFE tube :/

I am very glad that work is paying me to make these parts for them

Ty

[freedummy]

Originally Posted by tymcneer

As to performance of this little kludge... I am not entirely sure. The nylon filament, fresh from the manufacturer and still sealed was loaded with water, and produced very porous and weak prints. My next task will be to dry the filament in the oven at 170* F for 6 to 8 hours and then try again.

Hehe, can't say I didn't warn you. At least you have the benefit of knowing why and now have witnessed the signs of wet filament. Nobody told me **** and that was a headache to figure out.

In the meantime, I might have to swap the hot end, as the last nylon run might have done a bit of damage to the PTFE tube :/

I am very glad that work is paying me to make these parts for them

Ty

Whoops, I'm sorry I didn't know the specs of your machine when I recommended nylon. The print temperature is higher than PTFE liners are safe for, and thermal decomposition of PTFE is... uhh, extremely toxic.

Yeah, all-metal hotends only. I'm glad you're crafty! Let us know how the next attempt goes. All the parts on my v1 FSR springfeed were printed in white nylon and dyed black, so it's very do-able with preparation.