Time to play “Critique that ABS: Yeah, I couldn’t pick a harder color to photograph edition.”
I’m dialing in my #Bondtech extruder #e3dv6 hot end combo…PLA is nearly perfect, but my experiences with ABS are few enough that I need a little more experience looking at a print. I can’t tell if the layer variation is XY wobble (they’re tight, but not crazy tight), over/under extrusion.
This particular roll of ABS has been giving me fits, it’s like it was twisted going on the spool. I unwound a dozen meters or so, and fixed a twist in the bowden and the quality’s up…but I know I’ve seen better results from you guys.
This (and the other @Eclsnowman carriage parts) will be going though an Acetone Vapor bath, and it’s a do’er, not a show’er, but still…any chance to hone my craft.
Why will you be vapor smoothing a mechanical part, especially one for your print carriage? The process makes parts look really pretty sure, but it also rounds off any and all sharp edges which may adversely affect how mechanically sound the parts are.
Could you post a link to your settings profile. That would be the easiest way to troubleshoot. First I would say yes it looks over extruded, perhaps too hot, and looks like retract speed or distance could be bumped up. On my eustathios I run 5.5mm retract at 80mm/s. The bondtech extruder handles retracts like a boss since the idler also activly works to help the retract. So you can up the retracts speeds above the 40mm/s that many people use. Also in marlin up the extruder acceleration. I have yet to strip the filament using bondtech (knock on wood) because of retracts, and only once otherwise and that was due to a large chuck of debris in the nozzle which I have to assume was inside the low quality PLA I was using.
Alas, it’s going to be 10 hours or so before I can reply. Work being what it is and all. I started out with a post rattling out what I remember and realized it’d be missing some of the most important stuff and thus, gave up.
The part is really light and amazingly strong, which is a testament to just how bad my home-hobbed bolt Wade was operating. I’ll not rule out the filament and bowden either. The bowden is new 4mm PTFE, with a strong desire to stay to the curvature it was stored at. With the Nut at one end, the curvature and the retainer at the e3d, compounded with the ABS’s twist and drag coming off the spool, it was playing havoc with consistent flow.
Moisture probably isn’t a factor. It’s Colorado…in Winter.
And Acetone vapor to smooth out the surface appearance and learn how to acetone vapor. I was toying with masking off the parts that were dimensionally important (like the hot end retention grooves)
I would definitely recommend trying out vapor smoothing on something less important or something that is more for show. I am no stranger to acetone smoothing (I make props and costumes) and you get great results, but I would never trust a mechanical part that’s had it done.
@Michelle_Sleeper I have vapor smoothed tons of abs, and have zero issue with strength. In fact it tends to help outer layer adhesion by fusing the exterior more uniformly so layer separation failure is mitigated because there is no place for a layer crack to start (like scored glass). The majority of the strength in printed parts is a result of layer adhesion and shell thickness. The big problem with acetone smoothing is most people go overboard turning the parts into mushy globs. I instead build a large volume of highly saturated vapor, then introduce the part for 20 seconds or less.
I use a thrift store electric hotplate (make sure it runs well on very low heat) and a thrift store large stockpot with a loose fitting lid. The larger the chamber the better the results in my experience. You want a lot of vapor, but short times. Smaller vessels tend to allow the vapor to be condense more quickly as the vapor contacts the sides. Also pull the part out early rather than too late. The acetone keeps working after you pull it out. You can always put it back in for more. But to much is like cutting a board too short… There is no undo button
Also do it in a Well Ventilated area, like a garage or outside. Acetone vapor is heavier than air, it will tend to stay in the large vessel if the heat is right. But if you get to hot it will be rolling out through the loose lid and begin saturating the room.
No, but clean it well. Acetone if pure tends to evaporate pretty cleanly. But I got my huge stock pot and hot plate for like $10 total. I would try to find a similar deal If I were you.
I was toying with masking off the parts that were dimensionally important (like the hot end retention grooves)
