Originally shared by Joe Whiteside (The Modern da Vinci)
ABS filament: 12.90/pound!!!
I was searching the net and found a good supplier of ABS filament that can be used for 3D Printing. At 12.90 a pound, its at least 5 dollars cheaper than any other ABS filament I’ve seen.
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=22851&catid=881&clickid=searchresults
I think the tolerances on “welding rod” aren’t a strict as filament designed for 3D printing. You’ll find varying diameters, air bubbles, and even trapped solids. All of which can lead to extrusion problems and failed prints.
I say give it a shot, but don’t buy a truckload before you’ve tested a smaller quantity.
edit: changed “struck” to “strict”
@Mark_Oates I would disagree with that statement. The tolerances on abs do not have to be exact and dead on. You have a whole community of people making their own filament from recycled abs plastics and other plastics. They use this filament all day long without problems.
Lets say that there were air bubble and slight variances in diameter. The filament is still being fed into a heated head and extruded to the proper diameter so I do not see where diameter tolerance or even air bubbles would make a difference.
@Joe_Whiteside_The_Mo , it’s a problem because our printers are calibrated to feed a certain amount of filament into the extruder in response to a command. In turn, the software that slices objects uses that information along with the filament diameter to figure out how much plastic will come out of your nozzle. If you calculate with 2.98mm and the filament varies from 2.7mm to 3.1mm, your lines will under/overfill respectively. Similar thing with bubbles, they change the effective volume of plastic fed to the hot end per mm driven.
@Tony_Olivo Ok. Your numbers look good but we are also “assuming” that this product has air bubbles and variance of diameter. I would tend to believe that this product would would have neither and is probably the same exact material being used in machines now… with excessive markup. $20 a pound has become the norm but who set that price and how much is the markup. Many times as a manufacturer I thought I was getting a good deal on raw materials. I eventually found lower cost materials and also found out they were supplying who I was previously buying from. The company selling the abs welding rod has been a long time vendor of mine and they have very good quality product.
Also, I’ve seen really good results done with home extruded abs and it wasn’t rocket science to get a good extrusion minus air bubbles so I am sure the abs rod would be sufficient.
I will purchase some as soon as I get finished with my extruder attachment for my cnc.
I buy filament at $9.95/pound(shipped) from new image plastics. printed at least 40 pounds from them so far with no problems in terms of quality.
We’ve had issues with inexpensive filament – junk in it, that clogs the nozzle. We still get it, in the $10-12/lb range, but it’s not the right choice for sub-0.75mm nozzles for us because of clogs. We’re trying to build a filter in the nozzle that addresses this.
@Joe_Whiteside_The_Mo Joe, I wasn’t trying to say you’d definitely have those issues. Since the issues could be present and cause print failures, I wouldn’t buy a lot of their filament until you’d tested a small quantity first.
@Joe_Whiteside_The_Mo I’d suggest you probably read “A History of Reprap Development” found here: http://garyhodgson.com/reprap/reprap-developer-bookshelf/
Welding rod was used to begin with, and it was found to not be nearly the quality we require. Everything from contaminants, to varying diameters, to not being actually cylindrical (and instead being oval), and it really does affect the print quality.
I suggest not arguing with the people who have been doing this a lot longer than yourself.
Thanks to all!
None of this is to say that all filament you buy branded as 3D Printer stock is free from the defects Anthony mentions, or not simply welding rod to begin with (or even the plastic claimed). Skepticism is due for every new filament supplier.
I will be testing it and let you all know how it goes. My goal for my first 3D printer build is not to be the most detailed or fastest. I simply would like to print parts for a reprap style printer.
And on a side note: I was going to leave this alone but I literally woke up thinking about it… @ThantiK …your first “suggestion” was very welcomed. Your second suggestion you could have kept to yourself. I shouldn’t have to explain why because we are both adults here. Suggestions from you on how I should conduct myself is out of line. I was simply posting what I felt was helpful material to the community. There was a “discussion” about the topic! Whether it was an argument or not, doesn’t matter.
@Joe_Whiteside_The_Mo suck it up, like you said, we’re adults here. If you’re going to dish it out, using things like scare quotes, then be prepared to take it. My comment had nothing to do with your conduct. It was actually merely to point out that many people that have been doing this a lot longer than you have, and had already gone through the exact things you’re arguing against. In addition, it was to point out that there was good reason to read the article I mentioned.
That’s like the 3D printing community saying that over-constraining your Z rods on a prusa (by limiting their movement at both top and bottom) and then you saying that no…your way is right, and we’re just making “assumptions”. Quit being so touchy…jeez.
If you want to actually do some research, and provide a reason why your arguments might hold some water in the face of past research…fine. We work on facts and experience here. If you don’t have the experience, at least back it up with a bit of research first instead of first acting like everyone around you must be wrong, because your idea certainly can’t have any flaws.
Good, I’m glad to see both sides are actively instigating each other. Is there a way you guys can take it off this discussion if you want to continue?
