tvaughan34

Definitely not PVA. The actual PVA dissolves and pulls apart like snot. My "nylon" holds together but just becomes very soft, bendable, and seems to lose most its strength properties. Doesn't completely fall apart however.

First of all, thank you for your detailed response. The part I am trying to print from Nylon is an interface between a linear screw actuator carraige and light load of less than 1lb. I will try to upload my solidworks model or .stl file when I am back in the office tomorrow. I printed two of these pieces. The first one failed 80% of the way due to pva not extruding. The second one I got the PVA to properly extrude and it came out well. I soaked the second/completed print in water to dissolve the pla (probably a week ago). Today I was messing with the actuator and noticed the nylon actuator interface piece was extremely weak. Flimsy, very soft, and bendable to the point I broke it pushing on it pretty lightly. No way this would have happened right off the print. I compared it to the failed piece which was nearby, and it was a world of a difference. The failed (non-soaked piece) was still hard as a rock and not bendable or flimsy. The piece in use was in the same enviroment as the failed print, with very little usage/wear on the completed print. Only difference was that I soaked it in water. I then came across another piece which I soaked the previous night (nylon with pva support, no production usage) and it seemed "swollen" and distorted in every direction. The piece looked nothing like when it finished printing the day before. Also noticeably softer/weaker. I was very suprised I could not find more info on this topic, but it seems most people dont have this problem? Perhaps the industrial water I am soaking the nylon in contains a chemical that affects it? I am at a loss as to what is going on. FYI I am using an Ultimaker 3+ Extended with Ultimaker spools. Thanks again. Taylor

Hello, I am new to printing with Nylon, but I heard it is best/strongest for production parts, so I am testing it out. I am trying to use PVA as a support material and then dissolve it away afterwards. However, Nylon is hydroscopic so I am having issues. At first, the PVA dissolved away fine and the print worked well. After a few days, the nylon (which I now assume had water absorbed internally still) became very soft and weak and broke very easily. My question is, if I want to use Nylon with a PVA support material, can I soak the print in water, and then dry in it an oven right after and not lose any strength? Or is it a case of Nylon never having the same strength after soaking it in water, therefore making Nylon and PVA an incompatible print combination. ABS warps a bit too much for some of the parts I am using. PLA seems a bit too weak. I also have CPE, but my understanding is that CPE is used more for high temp applications. Thanks for any advice or tips in advance! Taylor