3D printer

[Bitsyncmaster]

Got my QiDi X-plus printer today. Took a few hours to set things up. Did not get into all the slicer options so I used the default to print my HVAC panel that I printed on my resin printer. Says it will take 5 hours and 20 min. It's about one hour to finish printing but it looks to be doing a good job. I'm using the red PLA that came with the printer.

Interesting it looks like my slicer puts a honey comb inside solid objects. I will have to learn all the settings on the slicer as I play with the prints.

So I will also have to buy more filament. Right now just using PLA till I'm ready to print functional parts. So is all PLA created equal. I was going to buy more colors because my grandkids will all want to design and print things.

I did find a tough PLA filament that I ordered a spool to play with and test with. But it's very pricey.

Will post a photo of the finished print later.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Well this print came out good in that it did not warp at all. I was getting really bad warping printing flat with my resin printer. It did not warp much when printing at an angle with the supports. Defiantly the resin printer gives you a smother surface and would not want to even try printing the gear ball on this filament printer.

This print defiantly stuck very hard to the base plate but since this base plate can flex, it came off with a little work. They say I can adjust the first layer a little further off from the base to have it not stick so much.

Now I want to try the design with "pockets" where I want clear. I will then pour clear epoxy into those areas. I will use black tough PLA so no painting necessary to stop light bleed. They say the tough PLA machines (sanding) better also.

I may have to go to ABS filament for higher temp resistance but I will continue playing with PLA for now.

[FABombjoy]

I may have to go to ABS filament for higher temp resistance but I will continue playing with PLA for now.

I have a few large ABS parts in my car exposed to direct sunlight, installed in 2019. No warpage at all - so far so good!

ABS can warp like gangbusters during print depending on shape. I made a DIN adapter plate that's really thin at certain points and loved to turn in to a banana after about 1" of height.
Printing with a large 10mm skirt kept it stuck to the buildplate and was easy to trim off afterward.

[Bitsyncmaster]

I was testing the strength of the standoff studs and one broke off easy but the other three seem OK. I've decided to just make the standoffs with holes and glue a metal stud in each hole.

Looks like a problem with my idea of pouring epoxy in for the clear. The center standoff for the screw is in the clear section around the selector knob. So I don't think I can get the strenth for that screw standoff unless I don't do the clear under the knob (which lets the knob lines light up if you sanded off that paint). It may look better with that area not clear but loose that knob line illumination. I might try it anyway.

I bought three decals anyway for my testing.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Learning about this new printer. I thought setting 100% infill would stop it leaving air space inside the print, but it did not. What I think works is to set the minimum infill area to a very large number. The infill would produce very strange walls that seemed to pull off of the infill pattern. With my part producing, I do want a sold print.

This printer is slower than my resin printer. Even using 200 micron layers for the filament printer my resin printer at 100 micron layers would be a little faster. But with the resin printer you need to wash and post set the print. Don't know why the filament printer outlines the section and then fills it at 45 degree angles which alternate on the next lay. The resin printer prints straight from the left side to the right on each layer. With resin you can not have hollow insides like the infill with filament. That would leave liquid resin inside the part.

Cost is less with filament from $20 to $70 a kilo. Resin is $150 a kilo. I did order some $70 clear filament just to see what it does with the HVAC print.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Well I still have a problem printing the HVAC. Looks like the first layer prints good at 24 mm/sec then it prints at 48 mm/sec still looking pretty good then it starts lousy printing of layers at 60 to 100 mm/sec.

I printed a small test block and it printed nice on all layers so it seems my slicer is changing something when the print is large.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Well I still have a problem printing the HVAC. Looks like the first layer prints good at 24 mm/sec then it prints at 48 mm/sec still looking pretty good then it starts lousy printing of layers at 60 to 100 mm/sec.

I printed a small test block and it printed nice on all layers so it seems my slicer is changing something when the print is large.

Well I figured it out. I had to select expert options with my slicer and set the minimum area to use infill to a very large number (100,000 mm2). I answered my own question when it worked on my small test print but not on the large one. The slicer does let you look at each layer to find what happens.

I don't know why the slicers don't offer "turn off infill". I guess they think most users are just printing art objects.

The stock HVAC face plate has the three warning lights open to the face. They did that so you they could paint those locations to eliminate light bleed to the adjacent warning light. The clear plastic face plate will "light pipe" the light throughout the front face of the plastic. That is why I wanted to print the faceplate in black and fill cutouts with clear epoxy of the light locations. For those cutouts with a clear print, I would have to paint it before filling with clear epoxy so I don't think the epoxy would stick that good on the paint.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Learning how to get a good print. What I finally did was cut a one inch square of where my HVAC print was having problems. Then I could modify the options in the print slicer. The options are so many and the terms are "Greek" to me so it was just experimenting and doing that small test print.

So turning off the infill which fills the inside of the print with a honey comb structure which prints faster and uses less filament. That was setting the minimum area for infill to a very large number so it would not infill anything on my print.

Then I had a print which stuck to much to the print bed. My printer has a flexible magnetic plate with a "coarse coating on one side". That stuck print damaged a small area of that coating. All I needed to do was change the speed it printed the first layer from 24 mm/s to 30 mm/s so the first layer does not stick so much.

Then the last problem was the hardest to find a fix. The four standoffs on the corners of the HVAC would not print solid but the center standoff was fine. Well the corner standoffs are mixed into the sides of the print and when it would print the sides it moved over to fill the standoff and it could not fill it. That problem was fixed by turning off coasting. I guess coasting shuts off the filament feed but since the standoff was so close to the point it turned off that it could not start again in time to start filling the standoff.

Now I'm almost ready to try the clear filament print when that order arrives. I also ordered 5 new magnetic base plates but those were only available from overseas.

So if you want to get into 3D printing it may be better to get a US made inexpensive system to learn on. I do like the flexible base plate and heated base plate on my $800 printer. My printer also included a higher temp print head which will print carbon fiber nylon. I have yet to think about playing with that.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Got some black pro tough PLA from Matterhackers. Ran my test print and it worked nice. This stuff runs at 210 C and 60 C bed where as the PLA that came with my unit runs at 190 C and 50 C bed.

Only thing I noticed so far is the old PLA would drip out of the print head as it warmed up and the new tough stuff does not drip.

When I get my clear PLA my plan is to print the HVAC and install a decal. Then I will test it in my test oven. I will screw the center standoff to a metal plate like it does in the car and run it up to 60 C (which should be the max it will seen in the car).

[megamanex]

Don't use PLA for inside a car with heat Dave. Use something that has a high heat deflection point like PETG. PLA will start to melt and debond. You may be okay but longevity is a potential issue with it. You may be fine in the short term but in a few years it could fall apart. I've got resin parts that are 15 years old that are still going strong.