Safest lasting materials to print with using UM3(E) in the Noobverse

[kmanstudios 1,120]

I have been following this thread and it has brought to mind a set of questions I would like to pose.

If PLA can become brittle and prone to break when it ages (as if it is not brittle enough already) what materials can be lasting and safe?

I have been engineering some things for a client and this is something I took for granted until nzo asked about this.

One thing I am printing for an articulated model of a crane is in PC. But I have no idea how it ages. That got me thinking of nylon for things that may be handled a lot over time such as desk lamps and such.

And, yes, a desk lamp is just what I finished engineering up for them.

ABS is out of the question. So, what other materials, that can be printed with the UM3 Series would be considered long lasting and not prone to failure over time if handled. This also goes for things for the grandkids too.

Thanks!

Da Clumsy Noob

[gr5 2,192]

I've found PLA is quite good. I have PLA items a few years old and they still seem as good as new. I really don't know for sure but maybe it's only if you bend the material severely that it ages.

I guess I *have* heard people say you can't for example use PLA as a link in a chain that will hold something up for years. The stress I guess after many months becomes a problem.

But if you are printing a knob that only withstands large forces for a few seconds per day (like when opening a cabinet with a knob) you should be fine. Or a model that just sits on a desk.

Maybe butter knife that you use for an hour ever day to spread butter would be a problem?

[kmanstudios 1,120]

The lamps I am making for these people are articulated. Though not played with on a constant basis I wonder if torsion forces would take a toll eventually. Same with the PC and the articulated model.

Also, as the part gets more brittle with age, would PLA pose an issue with age as kids are prone to dropping things. I am talking young kids, but not toddlers.

[tomnagel 126]

Not an answer to your question, but related: I think most (all?) plastics deform when a continuous force is applied. This is called creep.

In practice: if you bolt 2 parts together,  your will see that after a while, the force between the parts will decrease due to creep. If this bolt was holding a lamp in a certain articulation, you might see it sags after a while. You have to retighten the bolt, and I think it will happen again and again.

Edited December 3, 2017 by Guest

[kmanstudios 1,120]

Not an answer to your question, but related: I think most (all?) plastics deform when a continuous force is applied. This is called creep.

In practice: if you bolt 2 parts together,  your will see that after a while, the force between the parts will decrease due to creep. If this bolt was holding a lamp in a certain articulation, you might see it sags after a while. You have to retighten the bolt, and I think it will happen again and again.

 

Thanks for the additional info! Anything added to the body of knowledge is greatly appreciated. For 40+ years, a great deal of my time has been in virtual land where there are no physical issues to contend with. And, working with paints and substrates is easy peasy compared to this, or at least it is now having absorbed all the changes and such as the years crept by.

So, thanks again!!