#Printing LW-PLA-HT

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

supple dome
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I’ve been fighting with my Bambu A1 all day trying to get it to print LW-PLA-HT from Colorfabb. All my test cubes are either too heavy, too thick, or structurally unsound. I’m working towards using it to print an rc airplane. Is anyone able to help me dial it in?

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viscid vine
# supple dome I’ve been fighting with my Bambu A1 all day trying to get it to print LW-PLA-HT ...

Usually the amount of foaming goes up with temp so theoretically that would make it lighter.... But i'm not quite sure if your tests are also showing that trend.
Higher temp also = higher layer adhesion...but more foaming = less strength..so interesting to see how your tests go.
(Note: i've never attempted to make stuff lighter, so all the following might be theoretical knowledge)

Are you also testing different nozzle sizes?
And you can try pla up to 260 with care (maybe ventilate the room though.)

rough torrentBOT
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Research Article: Investigating the effect of fabrication temperature on mechanical properties of fused deposition modeling parts using X-ray computed tomography

Premise
Experimental investigation on effects of fabrication temperature on mechanical properties of FDM parts is presented. Specimens fabricated at temperatures ranging from 180 to 260 ∘C were used for this investigation.

TLDR:
PLA has been shown to benefit from printing at elevated temperatures, even as high as 260C. Some of these benefits include higher density, lower internal porosity and improved interlayer adhesion. These benefits amount to a stronger part.

Caution:
Take care before exceeding 225C to ensure your machine and hotend are up to the task. Stock machines usually are not safe above these temperatures due to a ptfe lining see ?ptfe-temps for more info.

?platemps requested by: wolfesbluebox
viscid vine
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And i'm not sure whether you could also anneal it for more strength?

supple dome
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I can't anneal rc plane parts because they're too thin

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I only have the one nozzle for now

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The part I printed just now using 235C at 0.5 flow was approximately 18% lighter than an identical pla basic test part

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Good, but not enough

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So far the only way I've been able to consistently make the cubes lighter was by severely restricting the flow, which causes other problems.

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When I got to 245C, the print got all splotchy and melty

viscid vine
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Yeh, so then you have to slow the print down via "max layer time" to get it to still print properly....but overhang performance is also worse.

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(although i've never really printed pla over 240 as i found it got smelly..)

supple dome
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I followed the specs online to the letter pretty much but 18% weight savings (with some visible layer lines) was the best I got

viscid vine
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Hmm ok, the print speed they have there should be slow enough to help with the cooling.
U can still run the cooling fan, but at even, low speed. Sudden changes can create weak points.

The non ht version says it could expand more (thus more weight savings). Where else can you shave off weight, that wont affect the balance of the plane...? 🤔

When u get the print hotter, it wont look good, very stringy, but strengthwise may be worth just a test.

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What weight are you aiming for?

supple dome
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I’m aiming for 30-40% weight savings

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my latest print seems to be going well at 250C. Wouldn’t have expected that