davewlex

Thanks so much on the reply. Like I said, the print actually looked great. I had a small energy riser on the top of one part that formed perfectly. I had good bed adhesion and the layers looked good with no holes or any kind of underextrusion. It just seems weak when trying to pull it apart. I'm not sure if my expectations are too high and this is just the way it will print or if I can expect to get some functional usage out of an ABS printing. The part would probably be fine for a pencil holder or some kind of desk ornament, but if I was to build a device that threads into this or may be dropped or some kind of fixturing, then I don't think it would be sufficient. I know that my parts would be weaker than an actual molding or machined part, but what I am producing now doesnt even come close to something I would get from a stereolithography print or a polyjet. I will try enclosing the top and raising the temp about 10 degrees to compensate for my differences.

I have an ultimaker 2 that I have upgraded to a 2+ with the ultimaker nozzle upgrade kit. I have been printing on this for some time before the upgrade and about 25- 30 prints after the upgrade. I hate to go into ABS discussions again, but I just am not sure what to expect when I do print ABS as far as layer bonding. I have a spool of Ultimaker grey ABS that I can get absolutely beautiful prints from. However these parts need to be functional. When I test these to see how strong they are, they always fail my test. Here is what I typically do. I take 2 pairs of needle nose pliers and then give the parts a tug trying to see if they will separate. It takes a little force, but they still break apart in the layers at a point that I would say is really not good. I have no idea how much force I am appying, but it is certainly not more than an amount that would make the part useable. I use a plexiglass sheet that I place across the front of my machine as a door. I have been tinkering with the temps and considering a heat lamp aimed through the top to increase my internal temperature, but the big question is how strong of a part can I expect to achieve?? Is there just always going to be some weak layer bonding issues with ABS. The sample I am trying to print is a cylinder with 2.5 mm walls and solid fill. The diameter is around 30 mm. I think my last print was about 245C with no fans and 30mm/s speed and 80C buildplate. I checked my heater block with the nozzle off at the internal heating portion and it seems ot be about 8-10 C lower than the machine says.