Material recommendation please - dimensionally stable, moisture resistant

[purps 9]

Hi all,

Been printing PLA with my UM2 so far - loving it. I have some Colorfab XT samples to try as well.

I want to start investigating the manufacture of end-use parts, namely for my telescope project, but also for the future in general.

What would be the best material to use in terms of dimensional stability (low CTE) and moisture resistance? And generally for outdoor use?

Of course tough/strong is desirable, but to be honest I think PLA is up to the job from that point of view. Not too bothered about UV resistance, but nice to have.

Thanks in advance for any and all help!

Matt.

[yellowshark 153]

If temperature resistance is a consideration then nGen could be considered. I finds it prints as easily as PLA, has fewer colours, and without doing extensive testing I think has a better finish. I had a PLA part for inside the car which warped on one particular hot day which I have successfully (so far) replaced with nGen

[SyntaxTerror 344]

Have you looked at ApolloX?

I have nothing but good experiences with that. It's tough as nails and resistant to just about everything under the sun. Including the sun.

[purps 9]

Thank you for the replies gentlemen.

I think am definitely going to be looking into ASA (which is what ApolloX is I believe), it really sounds too good to be true. I will get some PETG as well (which I think is at least similar to the ColorFabb XT I've been experimenting with), but in terms of moisture resistance (indeed weather resistance in general) I think ASA is the one to try.

Many thanks again.

Matt.

[nilrog 103]

Have you looked at ApolloX?

I have nothing but good experiences with that. It's tough as nails and resistant to just about everything under the sun. Including the sun.

 

Could you please share some more details on your experinece with ApolloX?

I just found out about this material and, as @purps wrote, it sounds too good to be true.

I'm about to order a roll just for fun to play with. Although not listed on Formfuturas product page I guess you should have a well ventilated area when you are using ApolloX?

[SyntaxTerror 344]

Sure. I'm not saying it's the holy grail of filaments either - just that I've certainly had good experiences with it. I think this ASA is surprisingly easy to print and yields crisp, excellent quality results (for that purpose I'd say it almost equals PLA). It can warp a bit on you if you're not using anything on the bed (DimaFix seems to work very well for me here). I've been struggling slightly with interlayer adhesion using the white ApolloX - but nothing higher nozzle temperature wouldn't fix. It just seems to need a bit more than the others. It bridges very well and AFAIK it can be smoothed with acetone, although I've never done it. I usually sand parts instead, which it tolerates admirably. Painting it is likewise easy to get away with.

Originally I bought it because I needed something (read: anything that wasn't ABS, which at the time had really started to tick me off with its misbehaving nature) to print temperature resistant parts for computer hardware.

And yeah, they say ASA produces harmful fumes so ventilation is necessary. At least it doesn't thoroughly stink like ABS

[nilrog 103]

Thanks for the info!

I'm sure it's not the holy grail...every filament has some kind of compromise...as does our printers.

I've ordered some to play with to see how it behaves. I have some outdoor appliances I need to make for which ApolloX seems to fit nicely if it behaves the way you, and others, describe.

[kmanstudios 1,120]

Have you looked at ApolloX?

I have nothing but good experiences with that. It's tough as nails and resistant to just about everything under the sun. Including the sun.

I cannot find the glass transition temps. It is left blank on their spec sheet.

How would this compare to Polycarbonate?

[SyntaxTerror 344]

I cannot find the glass transition temps. It is left blank on their spec sheet.

How would this compare to Polycarbonate?

Definitely lower than PC. Glass transition is around 100 deg. C, Vicat softening around 96 deg. C.

[kmanstudios 1,120]

I cannot find the glass transition temps. It is left blank on their spec sheet.

How would this compare to Polycarbonate?

Definitely lower than PC. Glass transition is around 100 deg. C, Vicat softening around 96 deg. C.

Thank you I wish these companies would be more forthcoming in their data/spec information.

[SyntaxTerror 344]

I cannot find the glass transition temps. It is left blank on their spec sheet.

How would this compare to Polycarbonate?

Definitely lower than PC. Glass transition is around 100 deg. C, Vicat softening around 96 deg. C.

Thank you :)I wish these companies would be more forthcoming in their data/spec information.

Usually Formfutura supplies decent datasheets. Don't know what happened here.

[gr5 2,172]

I recommend PLA. It can handle moisture and is pretty stable. I have a few PLA prints outside in the sun, rain, snow for a few years and they look as good as new.