I am trying to print an AMS riser/ventilator that I designed, and I need to print pieces that BARELY fit the diagonal of the plate on my X1C (2 mm left available on one side of the plate).
If I print in PETG, even a generic brand one, the print goes perfect. BUT, when I print in ABS, which is a perfect material for the application, the frames I am printing warp badly. They print well until the piece reaches about 2 inches high, and then both ends lift about 2 mm, taking with them a 10mm brim on each side. The X1C keeps printing happily, so what I end up getting is somehow like a canoe: flat on top but with curved bottom face (exaggeration, but you get the idea).
I use out-of-the-box profiles (screwing around with profiles not my thing), .2mm, 100% speed, normal temps, doors and cover closed (no drafts inside the printer), the filaments are perfectly dry.
Any advice will be appreciated, thanks in advance!
I don’t have experience with ABS but I suspect it’s the same as described in Large ASA prints warping except that the temperature details will be a bit different.
Thx, @3dsurfr Dead-on find on your part (I did not think of searching for ASA), and very depressing one for me , because it looks like the warping stress is very hard to reduce, and also like the plate itself may contribute to the problem… this will be a lost battle even before I start it. BTW, ASA was my go-to if ABS failed.
I will try to apply the findings from the other thread, it may get me closer to a solution.
Also, @3dsurfr , it looks like I have printed something very similar to what you are printing, a couple years back. In my case, it was for my Torpedo motor on a Hobie AI sailing kayak. I printed it without problems in my MK3S (with enclosure), but I printed it as vertical sections that would latch into each other with latches that locked when I moved it from front to back. Then, holes aligned, I would insert the Torpedo shaft down the middle. It printed without problems. (Hey, if you can’t beat the problem, avoid it)
I guess I didn’t try printing it sideways because I needed something longer than the plate any way, not because I was smart about thermal stress.
Sounds like a cool project! I’m printing horizontal for strength, trying to avoid relying on the layer bonding performance… The last version I printed is actually fine. It’s not perfect but totally usable. I should post a photo…
VERY happy to hear. In my case, I have to say that the hydrofoil made an enormous contribution to the performance of my motor (small electric motor on a relatively large sailing kayak, increased my sailing envelope by about 10 miles). I hope yours works at least as well!
If you have not already done so, first pre-heat the entire inside of your printer (you can set the bed to 100C and let it sit that way for 30 minutes or so with the doors closed).
You should also consider doing the following:
Get a larger diameter print nozzle such as the 0.8mm
Perform some calibration prints with the ABS, finding the minimum melting temperature you can use, and also finding the max flow rate (you may need to balance these two).
Use bed adhesive.
Turn off all optional fans within the printer and let the print cool naturally without any fans.
Change the infill patterns so as to better distribute the shrinkage stress in more directions (use something like “adaptive cubic” or “lightning”).
The idea of most of the above is to print faster so that there is less of a temperature gradient from the top of the print to the bottom so that it can cool (and shrink) as a whole and not starting from the bottom edges first (which will cause them to pull upwards and warp). Printing at a lower temp is because the filament will not shrink as much, and maximizing the flow is to maximize your printing speed and cutting the time down.
ABS juice (ABS dissolved in acetone) is probably the best when you need it to stick. But eventually with long thin models, the warping can be so strong the edges will lift the plate off the bed.
@fallenkell and @RMB, thanks for the specific recommendation. Will try them all today and report back. I would have never thought of printing faster, I thought slower would be the way to go, (give more time to the dissipation of heat to even out the stress), but “getting ahead of the stress” makes sense as well. Making the brim stronger also. Thanks for sharing!
, because it looks like the warping stress is very hard to reduce, and also like the plate itself may contribute to the problem… this will be a lost battle even before I start it. BTW, ASA was my go-to if ABS failed.
(Hey, if you can’t beat the problem, avoid it)