Nylon

[jumpmobile 0]

Hey

I intend to start printing with Nylon. Does anyone have special tips for me?

Is this as easy as ABS and PLA or is there something i should know?

Jumpmobile

 

[matengi 0]

Some interesting trials: http://www.tridimake.com/2013/04/3D-printing-with-cheap-trimmer-line.html

 

[illuminarti 18]

I find Taulman Nylon quite difficult to print on my Ultimaker... for a start the diameter tends to be a bit off, so that it often gets stuck in the Bowden. Secondly, the flexible, slippery texture of the surface seems to make it hard for the extruder bolt to grip effectively.

I've done some tests with PA6 Nylon, and that's a little easier to work with. More consistent diameter and plays nicer with the extruder drive, but needs very high temps - 265ºC or more. It'll stick pretty well to the unheated acrylic bed covered in gluestick, especially with lots of brim, but you'll probably want a heated bed for best results with any nylon, as it does tend to warp quite a lot.

 

[codemaven 0]

I've printed a fair bit of Taulman 618 Nylon on my Ultimaker. The biggest issue is warp. I've had no problems with extrusion or layer adhesion, but warping is a big problem. It sticks great to blue tape, but when it starts to warp it just peels the tape up with it and a heated bed makes no difference. The best thing I've found is to use a big brim and print onto a disposable piece of cardboard. You will destroy the cardboard trying to get it off and generally leave a layer of it left on your print, but it works. Even with this I still find my print warps a little bit though, it tends to bend the cardboard a little....

The parts don't look particularly attractive, but they are very strong and great for 'engineering' type tasks like pulleys, motor mounts, and brackets.

Cheers,

Troy.

 

[rhymeandreason 2]

I've been printing with Taulman 618. It's awesome as a material-- really strong, flexible, and fairly inexpensive.

Also, you can print really fast with it without issues. (I've been printing around 80 mm/s)

The hardest part is getting it to stick to the bed. Heat makes no difference.

Agree that the thing that seems to work best is craft paper, except you have to make the paper stiff enough.

Also have tried:

birch wood (okay)

sanded masonite board (quite good)

garolite (didn't work for me)

I'm going to try glueing the craft paper to the wood

The other issue is threading. Retraction doesn't work. Actually it prints better without retraction.

What happens is that nylon 'pulls out', because it is formulated to approximate silk.

So you get a bunch of threads that are soft and strong...they don't pull off, you need an exacto knife.

I think the threading can be solved.

Until then, someone should try printing a toothbrush! ;D

 

[jumpmobile 0]

Okay, so the biggest problem will be to get it to stick to the bed. So Masonite and gluestick are the first things i will try.

@Troy: Have you tried printing belt-pulleys yet?

Thank you all for your the quick and accurate responses. I ordered Taulman 618 ( http://www.mexhibit.ch/#!taulman/cpzy%20)%20and%20will%20post%20as%20soon%20as%20i%20make%20my%20first%20experiences.

 

[rhymeandreason 2]

Update-- Corrugated cardboard works super well!

Sand it a little to remove any wax that's on the cardboard surface.

You'll need a new sheet of cardboard for every print, it sticks that well.

 

[jumpmobile 0]

That sounds good....

Luckily i have lots of cardboard lying around...

Is the bottom of the prints okay, or is there still cardboard residues on it?

 

[rhymeandreason 2]

You basically have to tear the print off of the cardboard.

But if you soak it in water, you can scrub the paper off.

If you're printing something small, you might get away with using paper tape (sand it first).

Another update...Finding that retraction helps, but it just doesn't work as well as with PLA.

So it's probably figuring out retraction settings to work with nylon. Currently it doesn't look like you can make the retraction go faster on the machine settings, but I suppose that might get fixed at some point.

I'm sure there are people who know how to work with extruded nylon...like from real industrial applications. Insight appreciated!

 

[klausz 1]

Hello, nearly one year has passed.

Any news on this subject like better materials, Cura settings etc ? What type of Nylon should I order to start ?

[gr5 2,003]

I'm pretty sure Taulman "bridge" is the easiest nylon to print. But it might be too flexible for your needs. Here is some data on flexibility and strength of 2 nylons versus other materials:

http://umforum.ultimaker.com/index.php?/topic/7575-strength-of-different-filaments/

PA6 nylon is my favorite only because it is less flexible.