Let’s check out what makes versatile filaments simpler to print and how one can add versatile filament to your 3D printing materials toolbox.
Up to date on February 2, 2023
by
MatterHackers
When most individuals consider 3D printing supplies, plastics like PLA, ABS, or nylon are a number of the first supplies that come to thoughts. These supplies all have one factor in frequent: their rigidity. Generally you desire a half that’s ductile and capable of bend or compress as it’s careworn. Happily, there’s extra than simply inflexible 3D printing supplies; from TPU to PRO Collection Flex, versatile 3D printing filaments are broadly helpful supplies to have on the prepared. By design, these filaments are primarily printable rubber, permitting you to create complicated elastic designs in your particular form for any mission or product necessities. Versatile filaments are available in a wide range of colours, chemical make-ups, and hardness, supplying you with the pliability to use their varied properties in distinctive methods. Let’s speak about how one can efficiently 3D print versatile filaments.
What are Versatile 3D Printing Filaments?
Normally, most rubbers are thermoset by a course of referred to as “vulcanization”; you warmth them up, form them, allow them to cool, and that form is last. As soon as rubber is formed and molded, it will probably’t be melted again down and reformed into one thing new. To have the ability to soften rubber down into filament and re-melt it into the specified form when 3D printing, some cautious materials science was wanted to create a thermoplastic (reshapable) rubber. By combining plastic polymers with rubber polymers, you get a Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE). With this similar precept, you possibly can mix supplies to create Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU), Polyester Copolyamide Thermoplastic Elastomer (PCTPE), or Smooth PLA. Every of those supplies has completely different properties, like shore hardness or elasticity, relying on the formulation of the spool of 3D printing filament.
Flexibles are actually enjoyable to print and play with.
With a versatile materials like MatterHackers PRO Collection Flex, you possibly can drop it a thousand occasions over and never break it. It is necessary to do not forget that each materials has its place, and simply because flexibles do not break once you drop them doesn’t means they’re prepared to switch different supplies like PLA. Versatile filament is a superb alternative for gaskets or bumpers, however you would not wish to print a shelf bracket with it. Conversely, PLA would make for a horrible sole for a shoe. Contemplate the wants of the mission earlier than committing to anyone materials.
Keys to Success by When 3D Printing Versatile Filament:
Restricted retraction
The query of “how a lot retraction is sufficient” is solely depending on the type of extruder your 3D printer has. The newest extruders you should buy make it very clear that they’ve a “constrained filament path.” In older fashions of extruders, there was open house after the extruder gear for filament to maneuver into. This is not an issue for inflexible supplies as as soon as they’re directed to the bowden tube or the nozzle, they may preserve extruding with out situation, however versatile filaments will nearly instantly spit out the aspect of the extruder and coil across the extruder gear.
With a more moderen extruder, after first 3D printing some calibration prints, it’s best to be capable to print flexibles with retraction settings corresponding to your regular inflexible filament settings. The E3D Hemera has been proven to excel at 3D printing with versatile filaments, with the ability to preserve the filament tightly constrained and 3D print at excessive speeds with none kinks within the filament.
With an older extruder, you’ll have to disable retractions to attain a superb 3D print high quality. This does imply that you could be expertise some stringing because the nozzle strikes round over the 3D print, however it’ll stop you from having below extrusion brought on by the filament bunching up within the extruder from the fixed back-and-forth movement it will expertise with retracting.
Maintain it dry
Comply with the identical procedures described in this text to dry your versatile filaments: 135°F for six hours in a traditional oven, then flip it off and let the oven cool again to room temperature. It’s also possible to use a vacuum oven to dry your filament in a half hour to an hour, or use a PrintDry to simply dry your filament and preserve it dry. Most versatile filaments are hygroscopic to a point, and can pop and sizzle if you happen to strive extruding earlier than the fabric is dried. The scorching is brought on by pockets of water absorbed into the filament immediately turning to steam as they hit the nozzle, leaving voids in your print or inflicting extreme stringing alongside your components. Not solely is the visible high quality considerably worse, however the molecular chains inside the materials are damaged down, making a weaker half total. Utilizing the identical 3D printer, gcode, and spool of filament, the 2 3D prints beneath have been 3D printed. The important thing distinction: the one on the left had been left within the open air for some unknown period of time, and the one on the correct was printed straight from a PrintDry after letting it dry for a number of hours.
Moist versatile filament on the left, just lately dried filament on the correct.
Gradual it down
Prefer it was talked about with retraction settings, PLA or ABS, you possibly can print quick as they’re a tough materials, so it’s very easy to grip and push the filament by the nozzle. Printing flexibles is like attempting to information one finish of a rope by pushing the opposite. By slowing it down, you lower the stress inside the nozzle making the filament a lot much less more likely to bind up and even wrap round your extruder gear. Like every other filament, actual pace settings will differ from one printer to a different, so it’s possible you’ll must experiment to find out what pace is the higher restrict that your particular 3D printer is able to. For some which may imply 10mm/s, and different extra superior 3D printers won’t want any modifications in any respect and may print at 60mm/s with ease.
Dispelling Some Myths
This delusion actually is not as pervasive because it as soon as was, however there existed a time when it was frequent perception that bowden 3D printers have been unable to 3D print versatile supplies. Whether or not or not that was the case, it’s most undoubtedly not true now. There’s nothing that particularly precludes bowden 3D printers from with the ability to use flexibles. All of it comes again to constrained filament paths being the basis explanation for any issues. Whereas sure, most direct-drive 3D printers are extra responsive than bowden 3D printers when utilizing versatile 3D printing filaments, bowden 3D printers are absolutely able to creating stunning 3D prints with versatile filaments.
Getting the First Layer Proper
The primary layer is a very powerful a part of any print. There are some things it’s essential do to get the primary layer to stay properly.
- You want the print floor to be stage. In case you are unfamiliar with how one can stage your 3D printer’s mattress, you possibly can learn concerning the process right here.
- Have your Z-Offset set to the correct peak. This can rely on the fabric that your 3D printer’s mattress floor is made from, as some supplies will bond too properly to versatile filaments, completely attaching to them. For many surfaces, you want an honest “squish” to your first layer.
- You want a superb base materials in your versatile filament to stick to. Blue painter’s tape or a heated glass mattress with PVA glue stick or MatterHackers Stick Stick are very best surfaces in your print mattress.
3D Printing on Blue Painters Tape
Blue Tape, or Painter’s Tape, is likely one of the best and quickest methods to get a dependable mattress adhesion in your versatile filaments. Here’s a fast guidelines of belongings you wish to be sure you are doing.
- Make certain every bit of tape strains up edge to edge with none overlap or gaps.
- Maintain the mattress temperature pretty low when utilizing Blue Tape, as a temperature that’s too excessive could trigger the tape to stay too properly to your printed half. 55°C-65°C needs to be sufficient warmth to get the job performed with most flexibles.
- Substitute any tape strips that get broken when eradicating components.
- Substitute the tape after 5-10 prints, when components cease sticking, or when there’s a noticeable loss within the texture on the tape’s floor.
- In case your first layer shouldn’t be sticking – make certain the print head is shut sufficient to make a pleasant squished line of filament. If that does not maintain your drawback, you possibly can apply a skinny smear of PVA glue keep on with get a little bit extra adhesion.
Printed PRO Collection Flex on blue painters tape.
3D Printing On Glass With A Heated Mattress
When you will have a temperature managed mattress, printing straight on glass generally is a nice possibility. The advisable mattress temperature for versatile filaments range tremendously, from room temperature to 110°C, so comply with the advisable mattress settings as described in our Filament Comparability Information or within the Technical Specs for the filament. Normally, PVA glue stick is a superb adhesive to use to the glass when 3D printing with versatile filaments to make sure that they stick all through the whole thing of the 3D print job.
Printed PRO Collection Flex on a heated glass plate.
Getting The Temperature Proper
When working with a brand new roll of filament for the primary time, we usually like to begin printing at about 235°C after which adjusting the temperature up or down by 5°C increments till we get a top quality print.
Advisable printing temperatures for varied versatile filaments.
If the temperature is simply too excessive
If the spool of filament is already dry however your temperature is simply too excessive you’ll nonetheless see strings between the separate components of your print, like cobwebs. When this occurs it’s best to attempt to incrementally decrease the temperature by 5°C till the nozzle would not leak any materials. Generally that is not treating the underlying drawback, which may merely be retraction settings that are not fairly aggressive sufficient and want only a small bump to get every little thing in tune.
If the temperature is simply too low
A 3D print with an extruder temperature set too low for the fabric being printed could have layers that do not bond collectively very properly or in any respect and may be simply pulled aside. Make certain the filament is dry and take a look at once more, but when you already know that it is dry and you might be nonetheless experiencing issues, increase the temperature of the nozzle in 5°C increments till you obtain sturdy layer adhesion and may see that the edges and infill of the 3D prints aren’t sparse and are properly related to one another.
First Layer Troubleshooting
If you happen to adopted the steps to getting your first layer proper and your print isn’t sticking, listed here are some ideas to assist enhance your expertise:
- It takes extra torque for the extruder to push versatile filament out of the nozzle, so make certain the nozzle is sufficiently primed earlier than your half begins being printed. Use a skirt, prime blob, or purge line initially of the print to verify there’s sufficient filament within the scorching finish by the point it will get began in your half.
- Make certain the extruder temperature is scorching sufficient to correctly soften the filament. In any other case, the plastic could not circulation and go away you with sparse layers and infill disconnected from the edges. Steadily increase the printing temperature by 5°C to a most of round 255°C if filament is not flowing as properly as you want.
- Make certain the speeds in your printer aren’t too quick. Printing too quick may cause underextrusion and make infill appear to be a spider internet. With versatile filaments, printing quicker takes extra torque to get by the recent finish, so your choices are enhance the torque of your extruder by upgrading to a stronger extruder and motor, or decelerate to decrease the torque essential to extrude the filament.
- Flip up the extrusion multiplier a bit extra. When E-steps are calibrated for a 3D printer, it’s often performed utilizing a inflexible materials like PLA which suggests extruder actions are far more responsive. When utilizing a versatile materials, it’s possible you’ll must recalibrate to get the identical expertise. A good way to get this correct, is to do an E-step calibration in your versatile filament. The Extruder steps/mm that extrudes 100mm in PLA may solely get you 85mm with TPE, so comply with our E-step calibration article to get that arrange. Or, as soon as you discover the right E-steps for the versatile filament, calculate the % distinction from the unique E-steps (versatile E-Steps divided by inflexible E-steps multiplied by 100), and you’ve got your extrusion multiplier proportion you should use anytime you come again to this materials, fairly than modifying the firmware of your 3D printer to get the identical end result.
- For instance, your printer makes use of 400 E-steps for PLA, and after calibrating you discover TPE makes use of 500 E-steps. 500/400=1.25. Multiply by 100 to search out an extrusion multiplier for TPE at 125%. Now you possibly can print PLA with an extrusion multiplier of 100% and TPE at 125% and preserve these profiles at all times in sync with out modifying the opposite.
With the assistance of this information it is possible for you to to 3D print versatile supplies with ease or know what it’s essential do to get your 3D printer up and working.
When you’ve got any feedback or contributions, please drop us an e-mail or give us a name. We’re at all times searching for ideas, and finest practices – and would love to listen to from you. Be happy to succeed in out with any particular questions within the feedback down beneath.
Take a look at our Filament Comparability Information to get the inside track on all the most recent and best filaments.
Glad Printing!
