4 ms·

In 3d printing circles and even 3d printer instruction manuals this has been written for years now... PLA is worse material (especially in regards for UV), but

In 3d printing circles and even 3d printer instruction manuals this has been written for years now... PLA is worse material (especially in regards for UV), but can be done inside, while ABS needs a heated surface and emits poisonous gasses so it should be done in separate ventilated areas (same for resin printers).

GuB-42 4y ago
Don't dismiss PLA. It is a great material, it is strong, cheap and easy to print. Its greatest weakness as far as I'm concerned is heat resistance. But there is a trick! You can anneal PLA in an oven, which will give it heat resistant properties similar to ABS, maybe a little better. It can be done with regular PLA, but the print will deform. If you don't need a very precise part, it can be sufficient, you can also compensate for the deformation by tweaking the model. Or you can use a specialized (and more expensive) filament like Volcano PLA that deforms very little during annealing. Sometimes, ABS is called for, but it is not "better" than PLA. Especially after you consider the extra hassle printing it. For UV resistance, AFAIK, neither ABS nor PLA are good. You probably should use ASA instead, which is like ABS but better in almost every way, UV resistance in particular. Unfortunately, it also releases nasty stuff, though it smells less. Or you can use PETG. Not as good as ASA, but easier to print and supposedly less toxic.
- misterprime 4y ago
  "releases nasty stuff, though it smells less" Good info, and thanks for the heads up. With natural gas a smell-able component is added to help alert people to danger. Maybe the fact that it smells less is a problem.
- fnordpiglet 4y ago
  Yeah I prefer PLA unless I need rigidity for a functional part, in which case I use PETG. I’ve not found abs that awesome except for the ability to smooth it in acetone vapor. PETG is supposed to be similarly relatively inert and safe compared to ABS and the vapors relatively non toxic. The problem is apparently fake PETG is quite common: https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/p8c85d/which_brands_of_petg_arearent_affected_by_acetone/ https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/p8c85d/which_br... These brands I would avoid as they must be using something other than PETG and likely have additives you don’t want to breathe.
- Ancapistani 4y ago
  I've experimented with annealing PLA parts in an oven, packed in fine-ground salt. It seemed to do a great job in terms of preventing deformation, and the resultant part was much stronger.

GuB-42 4y ago

Don't dismiss PLA. It is a great material, it is strong, cheap and easy to print. Its greatest weakness as far as I'm concerned is heat resistance. But there is a trick! You can anneal PLA in an oven, which will give it heat resistant properties similar to ABS, maybe a little better. It can be done with regular PLA, but the print will deform. If you don't need a very precise part, it can be sufficient, you can also compensate for the deformation by tweaking the model. Or you can use a specialized (and more expensive) filament like Volcano PLA that deforms very little during annealing. Sometimes, ABS is called for, but it is not "better" than PLA. Especially after you consider the extra hassle printing it. For UV resistance, AFAIK, neither ABS nor PLA are good. You probably should use ASA instead, which is like ABS but better in almost every way, UV resistance in particular. Unfortunately, it also releases nasty stuff, though it smells less. Or you can use PETG. Not as good as ASA, but easier to print and supposedly less toxic.

misterprime 4y ago
"releases nasty stuff, though it smells less" Good info, and thanks for the heads up. With natural gas a smell-able component is added to help alert people to danger. Maybe the fact that it smells less is a problem.
fnordpiglet 4y ago
Yeah I prefer PLA unless I need rigidity for a functional part, in which case I use PETG. I’ve not found abs that awesome except for the ability to smooth it in acetone vapor. PETG is supposed to be similarly relatively inert and safe compared to ABS and the vapors relatively non toxic. The problem is apparently fake PETG is quite common: https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/p8c85d/which_brands_of_petg_arearent_affected_by_acetone/ https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/p8c85d/which_br... These brands I would avoid as they must be using something other than PETG and likely have additives you don’t want to breathe.
Ancapistani 4y ago
I've experimented with annealing PLA parts in an oven, packed in fine-ground salt. It seemed to do a great job in terms of preventing deformation, and the resultant part was much stronger.