kmanstudios

I am in the process of checking out filaments and have found out that some of the 'off brands' are good for a variety of things. Not everything has to be high end and is a waste of money for certain projects. i.e. Sometimes better to use pewter than full on silver but it has its own quality as well. So, in my own weird way, I am agreeing with Krys above.

I totally agree if something is going to be used orally for any length of time. Whilst I am still learning about how to read the data sheets, I too look for food safety ratings until I am better at understanding the nuances of materials and their data sheets.

I have taken to exporting my material and print profiles via the configuration tab to create non-installation required backups. That way I can blow out the folder setup that Cura references and still reload (manually) the profiles. However, Having the same OS would probably be required unless the data is stored in a form that is transportable (ASCII, etc).

Thank you for digging that up. I started to find pertinent information on Page 6 of the PDF link.It seems all safety issues are with the post processing or pre-processing of materials that create a dust from the material itself. But nothing that says it is safe for using in the mouth or mucus membranes when solidified. It is one of the best Data sheets I have seen, complete with testing parameters and such and not just results. It is odd though that the link I posted is broken and took someone who knew more about the material and manufacturer to find this important information. Thanks for the link!!

Maybe have design flaws, but they are getting better and the 10 micron is not as important as the build area available. And the ability to make solid structures from materials not cleared yet or just now getting spare parts (Specific nozzle amendments) that increase other capabilities such as the Fiber Glass, Kevlar, and Carbon Fiber materials I will have to use eventually. But build area is really my biggest concern. And, the cost of a Raise 3D is worth it to find out and stress test a machine. There are others, but they are completely open and I'm not keen on that at all for a variety of reasons.

Food safe materials are definitely the way to go as long as they meet your needs. Most of the things I am researching deal with contact with skin and trying to minimize the allergy issues. Right now my motto is, "If it's food safe, it is skin safe." At least until I find out otherwise and not accounting for extra issues like very specific allergies. Not everything can be safe for everybody, but some things can be safe for a vast majority of people. An example of general food safety would be your PET and PETG filaments as they are used in all sorts of products already and for the most part should be checked by filament for the Material Safety Data Sheets. Edit: Here is an MSDS for NinjaSemiFlex that should give an idea what to look for. Please notice it does not say 'FoodSafe' though because that is a different thing altogether: https://ninjatek.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/SDS-SemiFlex-rev0.pdf And here is what you are looking for I have italicized a few areas to compare): ACUTE TOXICITY: IRRITATION/CORROSION: Not likely to result in irritation in solid form. Thermal decomposition may result in release of toxic airborne contaminates which can be irritating to eyes, skin and respiratory tract. SENSITIZATION: The chemical structure does not suggest a sensitizing effect. CHRONIC TOXICITY: CARCINOGENICITY: The chemical structure does not suggest a specific alert for such an effect. REPEATED DOSE TOXICITY: No known chronic effects. GENOTOXICITY: The chemical structure does not suggest a mutagenic effect.

That's a lot of what I read. But upon finding out that I did not have pay extra money, and use recycling instead of new packaging and extra money (though cheap, it is extra) for another product, I just use what I already have and plenty of it. Kinda the 'whole buffalo' thing and not just using more things when I have plenty of supply. For instance.... I now have about a gallon of perfectly wonderful PVA slurry that is ready to be shaken, not stirred, and used at whim. Bond...Buildplate Bond......---tee hee

Due to buildplate size I would go for the Raise3D N2+ as it can go to 10 microns. Buildplate size offers the ability to print large, single prints for structural integrity (not on that level of detail, but just large) as well as small things. My reseasrch has been more towards medical/prosthetic applications where detail can become that important. But, I like to push my equipment when I am learning. My motto is: I can't work it if I can't fix it and I can't fix it if I don't break it." LOL And my poor UM3+ is getting a beating at my clumsy hands and it still keeps on keeping on despite my best efforts to destroy it. Very, very robust machine indeed.

I just checked and they do not have the Safety Data Sheet available. All filaments will or should have one to check such things as bio-compatibility. Most things that are just coming into contact with tissue, especially mucous membranes, are more about what toxins are released through the material and not so much about sterilization as you can sterilize without heat (not the easiest way, but can be done). I would check the data sheets on the filaments. Here is the link to the page that has the "non-working" link to the MSDS. http://ngen-flex.colorfabb.com/what/

Since all filaments I am testing are new to me, I have a question about Armadillo and Cheetah. The good......prints easy. The question: Upon printing Armadillo, I have found that it made a quite sturdy piece in one respect, but still more flexible than I would have thought. I ran a couple of models in both and it seems that Armadillo is not much, if any, stiffer than Cheetah. And, when I compare a similar size print with something like ABS (yuck) and Armadillo, the ABS is much stiffer. I don't know if it is stronger as stiffness can mean brittleness. But it is more flexible than I would have thought. I'm looking for more stiffness than I am getting. Is this the way it behaves? I actually thought it could have been a mislabeled spool due to the consistencies of the filaments.

I have had no real issues with printing with PVA on my UM3+. I have only used Matterhackers PVA and Ultimaker PVA and still quite the noob. But so far I have found my PVA works as expected (Well, as I expected) and I have also played with temps to try and cook it a bit or less to find ways to make it work. Most surfaces have no more issues in cleanliness where the PVA is and the general printer resolution used. My first PLA/PVA print printed flawlessly (second print ever). Or, I have lower expectations due to what I have received from external printing sources. That is one reason I am investing in my own equipment. I am baffled by the lack of quality from some of the sources I have used compared to what I am getting with my short time on the machine.

That is good to know. I just foresee a reason to go to this level at some point. I guess the biggest reason for the question was the specs listed have the 20 micron level listed, so I would think it would be a 'preset'. But, I guess that's what I get for trying to think. LOL I'll have to play with that whence I finish me filament tests. Thanks!!

When I have gone there (The link you have posted) it just says "Latest..." How do you know which is the latest number vs what is on the machine?

I have managed to tweak out a 0.04mm (40 microns) but cannot get a 0.02mm (20 microns) to come out right. I get all sorts of colored boxes. I will return to that once I finish playing with basic filaments and such to start to fine tune to that level when needed. BTW...I really did not see much difference (for my purposes so far) in the detail level. But I know it will come and will be trying to set that up.

I have printed PETG just fine and like it very much. Still experimenting, but it does work. I started with the CPE profile because it had the closest temperature ranges.

I agree. Very well done on all aspects. I'm actually going to use this as a way to get my electronics and programming skills jump started (never programmed Arduino, only games and that is not the same thing as I have to learn about boards and such) Great education all the way around and I can see ways that this will provide jumping off points.

I am using a slurry from recycled PVA to coat my glass plate and have had no trouble with any peel ups or warping. But, I have no idea how the NinjaFlex compares. So many filaments to choose from to test. I haven't even finished testing all my filament types in the two months I have been printing, so I would be very interested to see your results.I am printing on the UM3+ so I have no idea how that compares to any other printer. It is my first printer, soooooo.....LOL

I just dissolve most of the support in a container with all the other junk in it (priming tower, or birds next if the priming tower gets toppled) as well as the main model. Depending on the PVA used, it will vary on times. Once most of it has gone by the wayside, I then do a final cleaning/dissolving to get rid of the more difficult parts. Those right against the model, in crevices and such. Depending on the model, there can be a lot of just long supports that melt away, or get globby enough to just gently pull off. It will leave it against parts where there are crevices and such. Yep, when I put on the glue stick it was not even and it did affect the bottom layer. That was when I started researching alternatives. Learned that the glues that were recommended were a PVA (white glue, Elmer's, etc) so I just started to recycle the PVA. I'm a "Use all the Buffalo" kinda guy. This way I do not need to buy new glues and, once I get my recycler to manufacture my own filaments from the waste, I can just let it dry out and solidify for additional recycling.I just find this is a money saver in the long run...why buy a PVA product when you have PVA waste? I will soon be trying to do this with the Ultimaker PVA to see how it works. That stuff is expensive, but has cool characteristics (stiffer, clearish and bubbly). I would imagine all PVA's have this change in characteristic from type to type/brand to brand. I am still in the noobish phase (only printing for about 2 months) and learning day by day. So many cubes, and other tests as well as my own models.

I have printed with the Nylon/PVA and it works like a charm with minimal effort on the user end. I have printed pieces that have hollows that need support as well as 90° overhangs and get good results. That would be using the 'Everywhere' option and not 'touching build plate' So far I have only used the Ultimaker Nylon but will soon try a third party brand.

I have seen some posts about seeing an error while autoleveling: "Difference detected too great..." Here is what I noticed, if there is any oozing of material that is uneven, it will cause a misread because of the sensitivity of the detection system. I started making sure the nozzles are not oozing and clear from any leftover ooze from a previous print and it has cleared up the issue. I found this by way of having the error, then clearing the nozzles and re-did the autolevel and it all came out fine. Hope this helps as I keep finding goofy things from the noobverse.....

I've been printing for a short time and having to do a lot of research and the glue was a subject that has a lot of solutions. My goofy tip is to recycle the PVA that you can into PVA slurry by just sticking all the bits into water, brush it on while you heat the bed, and it will make a nice, thin sheet of glue without the rough patches. Well, at least when I tried to get the glue stick down it always was rough. I don't even use the glue stick anymore and, well, you paid enough for the filament, put it towards savings Right now I have not tried this with the Ultimaker PVA (Thought of it as I ran out of the PVA that came with the printer), but the Matterhackers PVA makes a very nice slurry. It is a different chemical composition.

I have been experimenting a lot and still trying to dial in that sweet spot on all of this, but I am happy in my noobish attempts so far Thank you for the kind words.

I think it is a good move. There are too many patent trolls and too many who think hard work (long hours, years of development and innovation) should be free. Being defensive does not block anybody in and does protect the hard work of the individuals who make things we like to play and work with. I have seen way too many resources that have been offered for free only to be put up for sale elsewhere. Time will tell how it is handled, but I can say I do approve and appreciate the need for it. A little too much jumping up and down about a positive move methinks in a few responses here. And, there is way too much theft in the industry across the board. I was contacted by CGTrader to sell models. When I mentioned one of their models was found on another site for free, I heard nothing back from them. And, I have archived the emails in case someone wants to dispute this. Basically they are either selling free work, or someone bought it and set if free in the wild. What was disturbing was that once this was pointed out, I never heard from them again. We used to get paid for our work but somewhere, too many people decided everything was for free if it was on the internet. A lot of potential to make money, but a lot of risk too.

Here are pics. The spider is not my model. Everything else is. This is where to find the spider...cool spider.... http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1751722 EDIT!!!: The heart is not my model. It came from embodi.com and this is the link to it. Sheeesh...I should know better, eh? https://www.embodi3d.com/files/file/35-3d-printable-human-heart/ As an aside, I am recycling one of my test dinos for a diorama and is labeled as PLA. Pics: In order of squishiness-Natural is NinjaFlex, black is Ninja SemiFlex and Red is Cheetah.

Just a quickie, I am using a lot of the Matterqackers PVA and still adjusting the temps to get that sweet spot of good temp without making little burn marks every now and then.