20 hours ago, GregValiant said:You might want to print some parts in PLA just to see how it goes. It's the cheapest and you can check how parts fit together before committing to print them with anything more exotic.
That's probably what I'm going to do. I was surprised at all the builds and blogs for this print/model I could find but none remarked what print settings were used.
This should be interesting.
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GregValiant 1,354
PLA is easy to print, very brittle, and doesn't hold up to hot environments very well (or at all).
PETG, ABS, or a couple of more exotic choices up to carbon-fiber filled nylon are possibilities. Some are very difficult to print without a heated build chamber and a filament drier.
Let the physical size of the parts determine nozzle size and layer height. The small parts should be fine with a 0.4 nozzle while the larger ones will print faster with a 0.6 or even a 0.8. The grain of the print will be coarser.
You might want to print some parts in PLA just to see how it goes. It's the cheapest and you can check how parts fit together before committing to print them with anything more exotic.
You can get "heat set" push in inserts from Amazon or McMaster-Carr. They are handy-dandy little gizmos. I have a small electronics Weller soldering iron. I've made a couple of custom tips for it for pushing the inserts in. McMaster has drawings of the holes that each insert would require. Some are tapered holes. If the holes are too small the insert can push molten plastic in front of it during installation. That requires some cleanup. If the holes are too big then the inserts don't grip as well. They aren't really fussy, but you have to pay attention.
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