What filament for 3D RC parts?

[Jake4k]

Hi, I just got my first 3D printer, an Artillery Sidewinder X1 (which should be okay for TPU prints due to Direct Drive).

I have bought a few different filaments, but I only bought what I would think was good for RC printing parts - I have no clue!

I'm curious, and I hope you guys will share what filament you prefer for the different part types

For hard/yet slightly flexible prints I have bought Stronghero3D Nylon PA TPU which should have a 120A hardness.

For more flexible stuff like wingmount, I have tried extruder TPU 3D print which should be about D58.

E.g. what you'd you guys use for printing rod ends, roof skid plates etc (as strong as possible, but can't be brittle)

What do you use for the more slightly flexible parts, eg. wingmount?

Please share your experience, what's your prefered filament for different parts (links would be much appreciated )

 

[Harriot10]

Hi, I just got my first 3D printer, an Artillery Sidewinder X1 (which should be okay for TPU prints due to Direct Drive).

I have bought a few different filaments, but I only bought what I would think was good for RC printing parts - I have no clue!

I'm curious, and I hope you guys will share what filament you prefer for the different part types

For hard/yet slightly flexible prints I have bought Stronghero3D Nylon PA TPU which should have a 120A hardness.

For more flexible stuff like wingmount, I have tried extruder TPU 3D print which should be about D58.

E.g. what you'd you guys use for printing rod ends, roof skid plates etc (as strong as possible, but can't be brittle)

What do you use for the more slightly flexible parts, eg. wingmount?

Please share your experience, what's your prefered filament for different parts (links would be much appreciated )

Congrats on the new 3D printer. I own a Ender 3 V2! Not direct drive, but still capable of printing TPU!

I’ve printed a number of things for RC from side skirts, wings, wing mounts, switch holders, ESC mounts, and parts trays. It really depends on what you’re printing and how hard or soft you actually want it to be. Some parts you want to wear, some you want to flex, etc…

I mostly use PLA, ABS, and TPU. They all have their own strengths and weaknesses. Good luck on your printing adventure!

 

[Camaroboy383]

95a tpu...
87a tpu
Pc tpe
Nylon's 910 , 645, 230
Pc
Asa

All of the above , and all well worth looking into and using.. if your in Germany I'm not sure what would be available to you..

 

[KvConivore]

Can you guys throw in a good recommendation on a printer also?

 

[Harriot10]

Can you guys throw in a good recommendation on a printer also?

I’m very happy the the Ender 3 V2! Very easy to use and assembly was simple.

 

[dure16]

Can you guys throw in a good recommendation on a printer also?

Love my prusa mini+. Small and simple.

 

[KvConivore]

Awesome, I'll check into those.

 

[FatCatRC]

waiting for my direct drive kit and some petg to show up today. I have an ender 3 pro with the newest mother board and bl touch.

 

[WickedFog]

I use everything from PLA to ABS. I want to know how @Camaroboy383 is printing nylon! What are you using?

I don't have a printer setup to print it, but I messed with it when a company wanted me to test their material. It didn't turn out so good because my printer wasn't enclosed at the time.

For RC parts, it is not just the material that you use, but the design, and how you print it. For example...
The frame rails on this were printed flat on the bed. Let's say for sh!ts and giggles I printed the frame rails standing up. They would likely break because of the layers going through the part. As they were printed - flat on the bed, I could bend them quite a bit before they will break.

Also, not just the orientation, but 3d printed RC parts are only as good as the design. I have been 3d printing for about 6 years now I think? But I also worked in the racing industry designing and machining some pretty crazy stuff.

I learned a lot about part processing, meaning I learned which way to machine the part first, so subsequent machining processes were easier to machine and didn't affect the dimensions of previous operations. That experience helped me a lot when I started 3d printing. So if you ever need help, feel free to shoot me a PM.

 

[Camaroboy383]

I use everything from PLA to ABS. I want to know how @Camaroboy383 is printing nylon! What are you using?

I don't have a printer setup to print it, but I messed with it when a company wanted me to test their material. It didn't turn out so good because my printer wasn't enclosed at the time.

For RC parts, it is not just the material that you use, but the design, and how you print it. For example...
The frame rails on this were printed flat on the bed. Let's say for sh!ts and giggles I printed the frame rails standing up. They would likely break because of the layers going through the part. As they were printed - flat on the bed, I could bend them quite a bit before they will break.
View attachment 157574

Also, not just the orientation, but 3d printed RC parts are only as good as the design. I have been 3d printing for about 6 years now I think? But I also worked in the racing industry designing and machining some pretty crazy stuff.

I learned a lot about part processing, meaning I learned which way to machine the part first, so subsequent machining processes were easier to machine and didn't affect the dimensions of previous operations. That experience helped me a lot when I started 3d printing. So if you ever need help, feel free to shoot me a PM.

It's quite easy buddy... Cover the printer up, cardboard box, garbage bag, real enclosure.. 910 you could get away with open printers if the ambient isn't insanely cool and you print slightly hotter than recommended... 645 definitely needs a covered printer.. 230 slightly less finicky than 645..

 

[WickedFog]

It's quite easy buddy... Cover the printer up, cardboard box, garbage bag, real enclosure.. 910 you could get away with open printers if the ambient isn't insanely cool and you print slightly hotter than recommended... 645 definitely needs a covered printer.. 230 slightly less finicky than 645..

I will have to grab some. Any recommendations? And how is the layer adhesion compared to like PET or ABS? That was the problem with the nylon I tried. The layers wouldn't adhere to each other no matter what I tried. Fan, no fan, all different temps, etc. I did try a cardboard box over the printer, but it didn'thelp much. But my current printer is the S5. I don't have enough cardboard to cover that monster lol.

It may have just been the filament though. The guy that contacted me made fishing line, and wanted to get into filament for 3d printing. So it being his first go at it, may just not have been good.

 

[Camaroboy383]

I will have to grab some. Any recommendations? And how is the layer adhesion compared to like PET or ABS? That was the problem with the nylon I tried. The layers wouldn't adhere to each other no matter what I tried. Fan, no fan, all different temps, etc. I did try a cardboard box over the printer, but it didn'thelp much. But my current printer is the S5. I don't have enough cardboard to cover that monster lol.

It may have just been the filament though. The guy that contacted me made fishing line, and wanted to get into filament for 3d printing. So it being his first go at it, may just not have been good.

Start with 910, it will be the easiest to get a grasp on.. I remember when you got that s5 some time ago while we were in the thingiverse realm...

With our printers printing nylons there is some slight anomalies with the material.. your flow must be hiked up for it to extrude consistently.. this may be where your layer bonding issues began.. obviously we want freshly dried filament as well.. but don't be surprised when your flow rates enter the 130's - 150's...

Glass bed with pva for best bed adhesion.. I will also suggest pulling the part from the bed while it's still hot to prolong the glass life.. I've had 910, and 645 pull chunks of glass when let cool...

 

[WickedFog]

Start with 910, it will be the easiest to get a grasp on.. I remember when you got that s5 some time ago while we were in the thingiverse realm...

With our printers printing nylons there is some slight anomalies with the material.. your flow must be hiked up for it to extrude consistently.. this may be where your layer bonding issues began.. obviously we want freshly dried filament as well.. but don't be surprised when your flow rates enter the 130's - 150's...

Glass bed with pva for best bed adhesion.. I will also suggest pulling the part from the bed while it's still hot to prolong the glass life.. I've had 910, and 645 pull chunks of glass when let cool...

I am moving my printers into the RC room eventually, and will play around with it then. My original CR10 is down atm and I have just been using my S5 til I get everything moved. The S5 is still stock. Looking to grab a new hotend for it but haven't even looked at what is available for quite a while because it works so good for what I print.

 

[dure16]

95a tpu...
87a tpu
Pc tpe
Nylon's 910 , 645, 230
Pc
Asa

All of the above , and all well worth looking into and using.. if your in Germany I'm not sure what would be available to you..

I have experience with ASA but not nylon. How would you compare the two?

 

[Camaroboy383]

There really isn't a comparison to be honest.. nylons ability on layer bonding is well beyond asa or abs, as well as it's wear resistance... Nylon's are also neat because the molecule structure can be manipulated with boiling water.. a part that is internally stressed (from the actual printing process) can be annealed for more flexibility...

It really is a great material for many things.. large footprint prints may pose an issue on a printer that is not enclosed and preheated though.. so keep that in mind.. the less physical footprint the easier it will be to print.. that's where 910 really shines, it warps far less than other nylon's..

 

[WickedFog]

There really isn't a comparison to be honest.. nylons ability on layer bonding is well beyond asa or abs, as well as it's wear resistance... Nylon's are also neat because the molecule structure can be manipulated with boiling water.. a part that is internally stressed (from the actual printing process) can be annealed for more flexibility...

It really is a great material for many things.. large footprint prints may pose an issue on a printer that is not enclosed and preheated though.. so keep that in mind.. the less physical footprint the easier it will be to print.. that's where 910 really shines, it warps far less than other nylon's..

What temos are you printing the various nylons at?

 

[Camaroboy383]

What temos are you printing the various nylons at?

910 and 645 I print at;

260c initial layer

252-255c each additional layer..

No cooling unless the part is smaller in diameter than 13mm (1/2")

50c bed.. pva on glass.

230 is named after it extrusion temp.. so it will extrude at 230 and beyond..

Typically I'll run it at

235-240c

50c bed, pva on glass

Again same cooling.. none unless small..


All nylons need to be printed slowly on our machines as well... 20mm/sec usually works well.. small parts even slower..

 

[WickedFog]

Never used any glue on my bed. But nothing I have printed ever needed it. So you thin that and spray it on? Thanks for the tips. I will order a new hotend for my S5 and give it a go. Still printing with a stock setup lol.

 

[Camaroboy383]

So that is another thing I'd like to point out.. not one of my printers has an all metal hot end.. I still run ptfe hot ends on all of them.. I just use Capricorn ptfe..

You can use a glue stick for your pva.. no need for thinned bottled glue... The other option which is really the best is a garolite bed sheet.. nylon sticks very very well to garolite... So no need for a base glue....

 

[WickedFog]

So that is another thing I'd like to point out.. not one of my printers has an all metal hot end.. I still run ptfe hot ends on all of them.. I just use Capricorn ptfe..

You can use a glue stick for your pva.. no need for thinned bottled glue... The other option which is really the best is a garolite bed sheet.. nylon sticks very very well to garolite... So no need for a base glue....

I kept my stock hot end in my first two printers for a long time before going to the V6. After swapping and updating the firmware I was able to dial that printer in to print some gears within a .002" tolerance in XYZ. I have some pics somewhere showing all the dimensions. But I couldn't get it that consistant with my stock hotend. Same with my S5, it seems to print differently depending on it's mood. So I typically stay with a .2mm clearance radially if I have two parts that need to mate together. I still have to do some sanding at times.

I had the Capricorn on my heavily modded CR10 and I didn't care for it. It shrunk at the hot end and filament started getting stuck. Fiddled with the extruder for a couple hours before figuring out what it was. Switched back to the ptfe and no probs since.