Starting 3D Printing

[TITANIUM94010]

I'm going to get a 3D printer soon and is looking at a Prusa i3 MK3s.

I've been doing some research, and polycarbonate (PC) seems to be the strongest material in 3d printing that my printer can handle, but is a hassle and hard to print. I've heard that PLA is very easy to print and good for beginners, but it's not the most durable to constant wear and tear. ABS is also pretty strong, but it's still not a very beginner-friendly material I've heard.

Is starting with ABS and then moving on to polycarbonate a good idea, or should I still start with PLA, then ABS, then to PC?

 

[HumboldtEF]

These kind of questions are answered here if you want to have a read through http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/tools-procedures/592226-3d-printer-rc-parts-58.html

Short answer absolutely start with PLA, ABS is not favored due to the fumes and temps required. Most avoid printing in ABS.

PLA to prototype parts and PETG for the actual parts. If I want Nylon or ABS i send it off to get printed by some place like Jawstec.

 

[QuesoDelDiablo]

Forget PC. At least for now. Nylon too.

Humboldt gave you some solid advice. Start with PLA, it will be adequate for a huge portion of your prints and it's great for prototyping and banging out quick prints.

Skip ABS completely. Bed adhesion is tricky when the surface area is large, it really needs an enclosure that's vented to outdoors as they need the ambient heat controlled and produce some of the most toxic gas in the 3d printing world.

PETG is overall the best material around. Prints almost as easily as PLA, as flexible as Nylon and almost as strong as ABS. I'm running 2 printers with it in my dining room right now and I can't even smell it.

 

[vwdaveb]

3rd vote for PETG

 

[mikemcE]

PLA also has one big disadvantage and that’s poor life in a hot environment (in a car) it will distort.
HTPLA is OK after tempering, But as the others all agree, PETG for the win


Hang up and Drive

 

[mikemcE]

Sczerba Tool printed in Carbon PETG, tough as nails


Hang up and Drive

 

[JatoTheRipper]

Sczerba Tool printed in Carbon PETG, tough as nails

Hang up and Drive

That looks nothing like the Szczerba Tool. Is that the one from HumboldtEF?

Anyway, it looks great. What brand is your Carbon PETG? Any special settings on your printer? I assume you will be getting a hardened nozzle if you haven't already.

 

[mikemcE]

That looks nothing like the Szczerba Tool. Is that the one from HumboldtEF?

Anyway, it looks great. What brand is your Carbon PETG? Any special settings on your printer? I assume you will be getting a hardened nozzle if you haven't already.

Yes that’s HumboldtEF’s mix....
I’m using a micro Swiss hot end on my Monoprice III Plus, set for PETG. Picked this up on sale at AMain

Hang up and Drive

 

[TITANIUM94010]

So here's my plan:

PLA for accessories because of ease of printing small parts and practically no warping

and PETG for larger and mechanical parts, like trailers, etc.

Although for smaller parts, like a servo winch mount, would I be better off using ABS or something else that is more rigid than PETG?

 

[JatoTheRipper]

So here's my plan:

PLA for accessories because of ease of printing small parts and practically no warping

and PETG for larger and mechanical parts, like trailers, etc.

Although for smaller parts, like a servo winch mount, would I be better off using ABS or something else that is more rigid than PETG?

In my experience, PETG is just as easy to print as PLA.

Avoid ABS. It is a PITA to get it to stick AND not warp. PETG is a decent alternative to ABS.

 

[Gula]

I've also moved away from ABS and use mainly PETG. I sometimes use ABS for my son's nerf guns though. Prints well at 230 with a 80 degree bed in an enclosed enviroment with "raft " as your adhesion. No tape, no glue sticks, no hairspray. Ithink my ABS was the hatchbox brand.

 

[FloridaST]

What's the current recommendation for someone getting into 3D printing?

 

[HumboldtEF]

What's the current recommendation for someone getting into 3D printing?

Yes!


I assume you mean what printer or something. Can you elaborate?

 

[mikemcE]

Do your research first. Will PLA work for your needs? Then Bowden vs Direct. How big of things do you want to print? How big is your budget? How technical/mechanical are you? Computer literate? Lastly can you do CAD drawings, or look on the web for freebies?


Hang up and Drive

 

[TITANIUM94010]

Looking at ABS's properties, especially the ability to be acetone polished, it looks like something worth using.

The prusa i3 MK3 has a heated, and if I put a cardboard box over it, it should print decently well.

 

[svt923]

Looking at ABS's properties, especially the ability to be acetone polished, it looks like something worth using.

The prusa i3 MK3 has a heated, and if I put a cardboard box over it, it should print decently well.

Vapor smoothing with ABS takes a lot of trial and error to get the part smooth without melting any fine details off. You can get very similar results out of most any print after a couple coats of filler primer. Even with vapor smoothing, ABS still falls short of the finish on resin prints if super accurate details are your thing.

The biggest positive for ABS in this hobby is the ability to bond it to styrene with solvent for custom hard body work. Anything mechanical or functional, I'm using PETG or nylon.

 

[TITANIUM94010]

Vapor smoothing with ABS takes a lot of trial and error to get the part smooth without melting any fine details off. You can get very similar results out of most any print after a couple coats of filler primer. Even with vapor smoothing, ABS still falls short of the finish on resin prints if super accurate details are your thing.

The biggest positive for ABS in this hobby is the ability to bond it to styrene with solvent for custom hard body work. Anything mechanical or functional, I'm using PETG or nylon.

Is PLA a good choice for hardbodies? It warps a lot less than abs, which is great because of its size, but is it strong enough?

 

[HumboldtEF]

No PLA is not a good fit for a body. PLA doesnt warp much on the build plate, but it does warp when PLA is exposed to heat and or sunlight. Its also very easy to damage.

 

[TITANIUM94010]

No PLA is not a good fit for a body. PLA doesnt warp much on the build plate, but it does warp when PLA is exposed to heat and or sunlight. Its also very easy to damage.

So PETG for bodies?

Really don't want to use ABS for bodies due to warping.

 

[HumboldtEF]

Sorry I honestly dont know what to recommend but I use PETG for almost everything I do, I've just never done a body.