Longtime lurker willing to enter 3D

[Artur5]

Don't worry, @The Hat, there're already lots of 3D mistakes stored in my 'Murphy's laws come true' drawer.

Questions and remarks about my first days with this machine:

- I'm starting to print the parts needed for making an enclosure for the Prusa. You can download the STL models from their website. My concern is if PLA will be right for this task, given that inside the cabinet, the temperature might rise up to 50-55ºC if 'some day' I try filaments that need more heat than PLA.

- After the filament was left on the spool above the printer for two days with room humidity around 60%, I started to see stringing in the prints. Lowering the temperature from 215C to 205C helped somehow but what helped more was that last night I stored the filament in a hermetic plastic bag with silica gels sachets. Today stringing was noticeably lower.
I thought that PLA was more or less immune to humidity issues ?.

- First layer adhesion was really a problem until I started to apply glue stick on the hot bed. Now that's fixed,

- I printed also a 'temperature tower' to see how it affects the final quality. Not big differences from 180C to 225C. Just a bit more stringing with higher temperatures.

-The PLA filament that Prusa shipped with the printer seems to be very good. Of course, I can't compare it with anything else for the time being..

-The machine is noisier than expected, I hope that when it's inside the cabinet, that will be less of an issue.

 

[Redbrickman]

Ah come on @Redbrickman, next thing you’ll want @arthur5 to do is to print the next Benchy bigger and put a Feckin sail on it.. It printed out first time and that has to be a winner, now let him make his own mistakes as we all did.. You’ll have him signing up for night school next.

I need more people to be as OCD as I am about prints

 

[Redbrickman]

- I'm starting to print the parts needed for making an enclosure for the Prusa. You can download the STL models from their website. My concern is if PLA will be right for this task, given that inside the cabinet, the temperature might rise up to 50-55ºC if 'some day' I try filaments that need more heat than PLA.

It may deform a bit with the heat inside. Once you get it built though you could get some Esun ABS+ which is easier to print then standard ABS and reprint the parts that are subject to heat. ABS will withstand over 100c so is ideal for that purpose. Probably find it wil hover around 40c unless you use very insulated side panels.

 

[Artur5]

Thanks for the tip.
I'm not expecting that this cabinet would reach temperatures above 45ºC. It isn't really insulated, just two cheap Ikea tables, one on top of the other, with metacrylate panels between the legs of the table above. Not a snug fit at all. You're right, probably I'll get maximum 35-40ºC with a room temperature of 20º. so I don't think that PLA would give trouble but, just in case...
I'm not very keen on trying ABS because of the supposedly toxic fumes and unpleasant smell. Even if the fumes will stay mostly inside the cabinet during the printing job, you have to ventilate it once finished.
Prusa's advice is to use PETg, which seems to be more comfortable to handle and less prone to warp than ABS.
Last Wednesday I ordered a spool of PETg and I'm printing now, It will take several days to complete all the parts because I'm not printing 24 hours a day like @The Hat

 

[Redbrickman]

I read today on the Voron forum I belong to that the Prusa - Lack mod will probably get about 30-35C inside. I'd be happy with that temp because I now believe Prusa no longer print their parts in ABS. They use PETG which has a lower melting point than ABS but you should still be OK at those temps. It may also be OK for printing ABS+ because ABS+ can tolerate lower chamber temps as long as the temp stays pretty constant.

ABS is the most toxic of them all but they all (including PLA) give off nano particles some of which are nasty. A solution is to make up a fan exhaust to fit one of the panels and vent it outside. When printing just have it ticking over slowly and it will create a negative pressure stopping most of the particles from leaking out of the enclosure.

Once the print has finished let it cool for 10-15 mins to prevent warping then run your fan at a faster speed to clear the enclosure before opening up.

 

[Redbrickman]

@Artur5

A project for you or any other MK3 owners
https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/69731-hyperpixel-4-touchscreen-lcd-raspberry-pi4-for-oct

 

[Artur5]

Reading in retrospective all this thread, it seems impossible that my first 3D printed object dates back to only 3 months.
According to the data stored in the memory of the machine, my Prusa has munched already 1545 mt. of filament, working 24 days 8 hours in the task. That's an average of 6 hours a day. Time to slow down ( and my wallet totally agrees. ).

 

[The Hat]

According to the data stored in the memory of the machine, my Prusa has munched already 1545 mt. of filament, working 24 days 8 hours in the task. That's an average of 6 hours a day. Time to slow down ( and my wallet totally agrees. ).

That’s the only down side I found about 3D ownership, it’s so deviously additive..

P.S. I’ve lost track of the Kg’s of filament I’ve bought, used and wasted.. O' and Months...

 

[stratman]

That’s the only down side I found about 3D ownership, it’s so deviously additive..

And you wonder why I do not do it.

This forum is my one allowed addiction. Thank goodness Nifty doesn't make us pay by the minute online.

 

[Artur5]

And you wonder why I do not do it.

This forum is my one allowed addiction. Thank goodness Nifty doesn't make us pay by the minute online.

I have the feeling that every time you deny your interest in 3D printers, you're taking another step towards the swimming pool .. or should I say the swimming spool ?.
Please, keep away from the 3D subforums, If you fall at last, I'll be forced to buy another printer.