Not all Filaments are the same

Hi All

Just tried another new filament, is is called Raise3D Premium PLA from Raise3D, see: R3D Premium PLA Filament

It has a mild matte finish and printed well at 205/55c

I used it to build a guide that I designed to secure a linear actuator in my robotic project.

I will print a few more items with this Filament and see how good it is. On this part it was great.

Digressing, I found a great little ratchet spanner for nozzles. At some stage, I will venture into other filaments that require a hardened nozzle and this spanner may come in handy see: Ratchet Spanner - 6mm

Have a great weekend

Doug

Would it be possible to post code of this tower here for those that have only Snapmaker software and can’t get to slice the code for the temperature tower?

Thank you in advance.

Here you go
Better_Temperature_Tower_v5_240-180_PLA.gcode (1.6 MB)
Good luck!

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Thank you! Really appreciate it.

@rick and @peterp
I had a quick look at the GCODE. It is a nice tower but there is only 1 temperature change in this CGODE. It starts off on line 201 and 202 with;
201: M104 S210 T0
202: M109 S210 T0
Then it drops the temperature to 205 degrees at line 308 (this is on layer 2 (second layer after the table bed / initial layer.
308: M104 S205

Thus, you have a nice tower model with different numbers on but the temperature is constant at 205 after the initial layer of 210 degrees Celcius.
@peterp, do you have a text editor and do you know how to edit the GCODE for different temperatures?

Attached/following is GCODE I used to do a temperature gradient for my new filament (190-220). I took the original model from Thingiverse:
Temperature Calibrations
It is a nice model with overhangs and the required features to test at different temperatures. Since my filament only ranges from 190 to 220, I used MeshMixer to cut the model and only keep the 220 to 190. A bit of a bad cut since it has some of the 185 numbers on it, but I cut it such that Snapmaker slices it to 280 levels (40 per temperature). I then used Snapmaker to slice my model and produce the GCODE with the Normal settings. Using a text editor (TextPad to be precise), I edited the GCODE and added the temperature changes at Levels 40,80 etc. I used the M109 command that sets the temperature and waits until the temperature is reached.

If you need the full range of temperatures, please feel free to contact me or download the Thingiverse files and slice and edit it yourself. My make on Thingiverse:
Waldo’s Temperature Calibration for Snapmaker

Step_Calibration 220-190 280 slices Temps.gcode (2.2 MB)

Regards
Waldo

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My apologies @peterp and @Waldo. I posted a GCode for which I hadn’t put the temperature changes in. I do this using a script in Simplify 3D. Previously I had only printed a tower for PETG so was unaware that my PLA file was faulty.

Here is the corrected code:

Better_Temperature_Tower_v5_240-180_PLA.gcode (1.6 MB)

Regards Rick

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Thanks @Waldo I am going to give it a try right now.
regards
rick

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Hi All

I just spotted this article at rigid.ink which is a good comparison and description of Filaments https://rigid.ink/pages/filament-comparison-guide

Doug

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Thank you @doug
This is nice to have the specs on the same page. I always refer to this page
https://www.simplify3d.com/support/materials-guide/

Regards
Waldo

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Hi @Waldo

Doug the newbie here. I added the Rigid.ink link to the Snaplinks topic page. if you have not already done so, check it out as there are many good references there. I shall check to see if the Simplify3D links is on Snaplinks, if not, I will add it with credit to you.

Doug
ps. hahaha just checked I had added the Simplify3D link some time ago. I cannot remember all that i have done.

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Hey @Waldo. I printed out your temperature calibration using translucent orange PLA. It worked very well and showed that the PLA has a very wide temperature range. 210 degrees looked the best to me.
Thanks
Rick

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Hi All

Just tried a new PLA+ from a group down our way in Australia, named 3Dfillies, designated as a Lithophane White PLA+

This filament is for creating Lithophanes and I have just printed a small one to test the filament and it is fantastic. Now printing a larger scaled version, which will take several hours. When complete I will post some photos. Compared to other filaments I have used for lithophanes this is smooth, consistent pattern, no striations such as with the Snapmaker original PLA white and not as brittle.

Have fun, I am!

Doug

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I too have recently tried what HatchBox calls “Performance PLA”.
It sticks to the base very well, in fact one print I tried removing cracked the part away from the base.
Their web site says this about it:
“Because of the additional upgraded polymers in PPLA it has an even lower warping issue than PLA if any. The 3D printed object will have a matte type finish with PPLA”

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Thank you @Tone that is worth trying.

I wonder if anyone has tried a flexible TPE such as Ninjaflex and Filaflex yet.
It seems to me that the direct drive system will handle it well.

Yes, there have been some flex filaments tried/used with some success. Search the forum for them.

Do you guys use just plain rubbing alcohol to clean the bed and nozzle?

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@Nigel
I have had really good results with using 91% Isopropyl Alcohol. It is ‘Rubbing Alcohol’ but you will also see some that is only 70%. That one tends to leave a film which can effect adhesion. If you don’t actually touch the surface you can do a few models before cleaning again also. You should be able to get it at discount stores, pharmacy’s, or even some hardware stores.

Hi @Nigel

I use a rubbing alcohol product here in Australia named Isocol https://www.isocol.com.au/ which you can get in a supermarket and it works just fine.

Doug

For the price I really like 3d solutech. Works best at 210 on my snapmaker. I’ve gone through probably 6 kg of it. Parts seem strong enough.

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I use 99% ISO to clean my bed, just as you describe. If I am printing back to back I can leave it be if I don’t man-handle the plate.