Heres the first foto from the Model i am working on for some years now. Better images tomorrow. Mareike
Hi Mike, Here's the same Ching in different materials From left to right; (1)MDS http://www.mat54-wiki.nl/mat54_Wiki//index.php/Bestand:Mds-strongflex.pdf (2) Frosted detail http://www.mat54-wiki.nl/mat54_Wiki//index.php/Bestand:FUD_data_sheet.pdf (3)PLA http://www.mat54-wiki.nl/mat54_Wiki//index.php/Bestand:PLA_Datasheet.pdf (4) MDS (5) MDS (6) Frosted detail Regards and best wishes for 23017 Mareike
Yes and no. True it doesn't look as smooth but it is far cheaper and quicker to print. And dimensionally it is accurate enough too.
Correct. I only use it to see if the model looks good. See the examples below. Here you see the structure from the part Inside the support structure. as to be seen here and even here. It takes a lot of time to clean-up de model . PLA is ideal for solid models. Mareike
[/quote] PLA for dimensional checks makes sense to me, especially when appearance isn't a major objective. I'm in the middle of printing parts for a model of a Curta calculator in 3:1 scale and parts in PLA+PHA don't come out nearly as nice as those printed in ABS and support removal in ABS is much easier and cleaner. My FDM printer, a Zortrax M200, uses a proprietary slicer, though, and doesn't have an option for PLA or PLA+PHA so I make due with 3rd party accessories that allow PLA+PHA printing. They can't do anything for retraction, though, which seems to be an issue for PLA+PHA and small parts with fine detail. IAC, nice job on the train!
I'm very new to 3D printing but my experience with printing PLA is very different from yours as far as surface finish. This first picture is of a calibration box 20mmX20mmX20mm with 1mm walls. It is within .01mm in all dimension and the finish is flawless. Printed with ESun PLA+. Sliced at .2mm with Slic3r. [/url][/img] This next one is a sample file from Prusa sliced at .20mm and printed with PLA from Prusa. Again, flawless finish. [/url][/img] I'm a noob with printing but it would seem that the slicer and it's settings are at fault if your printer is capable of such nice prints in other materials.
I have used several materials and of all of the them ABS still rates as my best. I think the finish is better looking (my opinion), its mechanical properties are better, its is cold-weldable, and far easier to finish by hand (i.e. sanding) YMMV
The main issue I've had with ABS is warping on parts with large footprints, say, larger than about 10x10 cm and it seems to get worse exponentially with footprint area. In my experience with the M200, it excels with PLA+PHA for large prints and with ABS for small prints, even tall ones. No doubt the proprietary slicer it uses is a major impediment to better prints in either material. Oddly enough PETF looks pretty much like crap by comparison to either PLA+PHA or ABS.
Current project. A 3D printed model rocket booster. It is the first stage of a 3 stage bird (shown in second pic) . FYI I have updated my GrabCad (https://grabcad.com/library/3-motor-estes-pro-series-ii-e2x-booster-1#!) model to reflect the up dated version.
