LayBrick - any advice

[nigel-johnson 1]

Hi guys,

Laybrick is tricky to get in the UK and is quite expensive being so new. It doen't come on a reel which also bugs me. I've done a fair bit of research and everyone I see seems to think it's great and really easy to use.

I'm using the following settings:

Temp: 180C

Heated Bed: 75C

Print speed: 30mm/s

Ambient temp: 20-25C

I started a print and all was going reasonably well until a snap in the filament at the extruder driver. After several retries and cleanouts (atomic method) and temperatures and print speeds I was still struggling.

At temps above 190 there was a bit of "popping" at the nozzle and the line skipped, so I've assumed the filament has absorbed some moisture - it has now been in a bag of silica gel for 3 days and I'm going to try again.

I've draped the filament over an old reel I have spare so I'm hoping there will be less tension and pulling.

so to my questions, what is the best way to feed laybrick? Should I put it on the floor and let it coil up? will that not twist and snap? Is putting it on a reel the best option?

As a 3D printer noob, Is there anything obvious I'm missing in using LayBrick?

Thanks all

Nigel

 

[gr5 962]

I simply put mine on the floor sideways on a turntable and checked that it wasn't tangling once every 30 minutes or so.

 

[nigel-johnson 1]

Thanks for commenting.

What's the longest print you've done?

I want to print about 100g and about 9 hours. I normally leave this overnight, but I'm not overly keen to keep checking back.

I think I may print a reel insert to increase the inner diameter of my spare reel and feed direct... hmm.

 

[gothampixel 10]

I tried printing with Laybrick for the first time today. It is so brittle it snaps every time I try to load it. I can't even get it to the point where the extruder grabs it! I'm loading it from underneath trying to position it to feed with out bending but it's not possible it snaps every time. I tried warming it in the sun, heating it up with a hair dryer with out any luck.