pats distorting

[roccop 1]

Hi

I printed some parts for a friend out of tough pla, he left them in the car for about 4 hours when he went to get them they were all distorted and changed shape. these are RC plane parts and are likely to be in a car for long periods of time. what would be the best material to use for these parts so they do not melt/ distort. I have attached a picture showing the parts they are aerials for one of his planes  

thanks for your help in advance 

[geert_2 557]

Indeed, PLA parts do deform quickly, even here in Europe in mild spring and autumn weather. Not only on top of the dashboard in direct sunlight, but even in the dark in the trunk, the coolest place.

 

Now I make parts for my car in PET or in colorFabb NGEN (which I think is similar?), both of which are still easy to print. Since then I haven't had parts warping. But these materials are harder to glue. While cyanoacrylate works very well for PLA, bonding is only mediocre for PET and NGEN, and tends to break suddenly under load, or due to temperature related expansion/shrinking. So I am not sure if this is a good idea for planes... I don't need painting, but if you do, it might be difficult. Before buying PET filament, try glueing and painting a PET water or cola bottle.

 

I have no experience with 3D-printing ABS or PS (=polystyrene, which is typically used in HO-model railroads, houses, and planes that you glue together).

 

As a kid I never had any trains or planes in PS warp, and PS is easy to glue and paint. So maybe this is worth trying, if you can find it?

 

ABS is also easy to glue and paint, but might be prone to warping while printing, and layer-delamination later on. But you can acetone-smooth it to remove layer lines.

 

[Framar 38]

Nylon with fiberglass would be probably the best option. Also consider ASA, it prints like PLA and has the toughtness off ABS.