how thin can you make PLA fibers?

[mike3dprint 0]

Dear All,

I am interested in understanding how thin PLA fibers can be printed using the Ultimaker2. We have a makerbot, and it can print PLA fibers that are ~100 microns in thickness. My understanding is that 20 micron resolution can be achieved with the Ultimaker2, but it is unclear as to how thin of a fiber can be generated. For many of our application(s) we would benefit by being able to print fibers that are <50 microns in diameter. Is this realistic using the Ultimaker2?

Thanks in advance for comments.

Mike

 

[Labern 774]

Firstly it wont be 50micron in diameter. it more like a flat line. the width defined by the nozzle width which is normally 0.4mm (can vary a little) and the height is defined by our layer height. in your case 0.4mm wide and 0.05mm high.

I am currently printing at 20 micron layer height. I do a few prints at this but its not very common for people to go that low and depending on your model, most of the time it doesn't give the best quality.

you can get a aftermarket nozzle of 0.25mm which will mean your lines will be 0.25mm wide.