Hello everyone.
I would like to know the settings for 3D printing PolyMide PA6-CF with Bambu Lab X1-Carbon, any good advice or reference websites?
PolyMide PA6-CF
I would start with the bambu paht-cf settings and go from there. Make sure you dry it correctly. Needs higher temps than normal.
Thank you so much.
I would try the bambu paht-cf settings.
Is 0.4mm nozzle OK?
BBL just announced a PA6 CF filament. Use those settings. 
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@RocketSled Nice catch. Cant wait to try it vs the pa12
great.Thankyou so much
0.6mm is more adequate.
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Thanks.I will try it.
Where can I find the information(PA6 CF settings)?
No idea. I’d expect it to show up in Studio as one of the predefined presets. But I just looked and I don’t see it in my presets. And I checked and this:
Is on, which should pull new presets over when BBL posts them. So maybe they haven’t posted them yet.
I’d start with PA12 settings if you have nothing better to go on. The magic is mostly in the Flow and PA settings and you might need to calibrate the filament for that anyway. Doesn’t take all that long to do.
Just keep in mind, PA6 absorbs moisture at 10x the rate of PA12. You’re going to want to be sure you dry it before you try it. And whatever you’d normally use for drying time, double it at least. PA6 has some better mechanical properties than PA12, especially at colder temperatures. But it’s much more hygroscopic and harder to print because of that.
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The BBL PA6 CF profile is on my Bambu Studio, but if you don’t see it, just use the Generic PA CF profile. Personally, I’d use the Generic PA CF profile either way. I’ve found more often than not, Polymaker filaments like the slower profile speeds than the BBL profiles. Considering PA CF likes to be printed slower than most filaments, keeping the speeds low makes sense.
I was unaware of the properties of PA6.
Thanks for telling me about it.
I was looking for a heat resistant filament and happened to find that, but Bambu PAHT-CF (PA12) with similar properties might work.
Thank you very much.
I see. It is very helpful.
I am looking for a heat resistant filament and am considering using Bambu PAHT-CF.
If I use Bambu PAHT-CF, should I use that profile?
I was very happy with the PAHT-CF prints I made using the BBL profile. I don’t think I tweaked anything. But I switched to Matterhacker Pro Nylon because I wanted colors and haven’t printed all that much with the PAHT-CF.
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The PAHT CF profile is one of the last good profiles I would use. The Generic PA CF profile appears to reference a PA6 blend (which is a specific type of Nylon), PA12 is a different blend of Nylon. So ideally, you’d want to use the filament that is closest. IMO, that is the Generic PA CF profile.
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The only differences between BL PA6 CF and PAHT-CF profiles are price, density and vitrification temperature.
One of my favourite PA filaments is Polylite PA6 but with GF (price/quality). Besides the typical flow and PA calibration, I only increased the layer to time to 5s from the generic PA profile. I’m unsure if it makes any difference, but I prefer low speed.
From experience, the Polylite PA new spools come dry; if not new or already open, the only advice is dry, dry, dry. I start drying in advance and weigh the filament in 12-hour periods. Usually, 24 to 48 hours are required to be at the ideal printable conditions.
If you look at long prints, it is better to print from a dry box. Depending on the environment is a matter of hours to start getting crappy layers.
Store in a vacuum bag with a dry silica bag to avoid further issues.
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How do you use or process the parts after printing so they don’t degrade by absorbing moisture?
After printing, the parts are still moisture lovers and affect mechanical properties.
You may find a comparison of the mechanical properties when dry and wet in the filament datasheet.
But don’t degrade; when they reach saturation (as in the datasheet), it stop absorbing water, and the mechanical properties remain.
Regarding coating, the home method relies on using some polymer liquid, e.g. acrylic paint, liquid silicone or polyurethane, epoxy, etc…
I read some scientific papers on the topic, and the results and techniques differ. In my opinion, any product that fills the porous will work. Still, it must also be adequate for the installation environment to last.
A more professional method is sintering with technical materials, such as ceramics. I don’t have access to this at home, so I never tried.
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I haven’t tried the PA6 CF yet, but PA12 (PAHT CF) is really good after printing. I’m sure it still absorbs some moisture, but I used it in my CNC as a spindle mount and the only complaint I had was the inability to torque down the heat set inserts. It stayed very stiff and useable in relatively high humidity (at least for a short time). I was amazed at how it printed and can’t recommend BBL’s PAHT enough. I’m trying to the new PA6 but don’t really have anything to the print with it, so can’t speak much to it.
@just4memike PA12’s behaviour in a wet environment is fantastic. I only tested Polymaker one, as the BL PAHT-CF use was held because of the ferrous properties.
Note that the PA6 does not require coating for general use but may benefit or be mandatory for specific environments. To my knowledge, typical industrial product design relies on mechanical design tables for different moisture levels.
Ammendment: I wrongly stated that I only changed the flow and PA for the Polymide PA-GF; I confused it with the Fiberthree PA-GF. For the Polymide, I also reduce the cooling fan to 30% and the bed temperature to 50ºC. This low temperature is recommended for all Polymides and works.
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