this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2023
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Yes, PLA creeps ridiculously fast in hot conditions it is unsuitable for use in any environment over 35C tbh.
PETG is better but will still warp/fade over time if it's exposed to the sun, and likely need replacing.
You need to be printing in ABS or ideally ASA if you want all-weather resistant cases. Which means now your printer needs an enclosure and ventilation...
Would love to print in ABS, but every time I tried the parts always warped. PETG is nicer and has very rarely warped on me.
Yeah ABS is super finicky to print, a temp controlled enclosure is mandatory and you often need perfectly prepped full adhesive plates with large print brims. But it's definitely the only true weather-tolerant plastic if you can get it to behave.
I think if I was ever at that point. I’d just use injection moulding
I just put a Amazon box over my printer, turned on brim, turned off part cooling and put glue stick over the print area! No warping from it! Did a lot of my voron parts like this before I built a proper enclosure!
It doesn't have to be anything super complicated, it just needs to keep the heat in
An Amazon box probably works really well as a free enclosure, but I'd worry about the fire risk. The enclosure I made I put a fire detector in just to be safe, making it out of paper would make me very paranoid.
I did the same when printing my Voron parts in ASA. I didn't use a glue stick and everything went pretty smoothly. I even put cardboard panels on my Voron while printing my magnetic panel clips, lol
ASA seems like an easier-to-print alternative to ABS, afaik only downsides are higher cost and fewer colours to choose from. Supposedly possible to print ASA without enclosure.
Yes, ASA is a more stable plastic overall. They both have issues with requiring ventilated enclosures tho.
Honestly this is a bit extreme in my opinion. I have been printing ABS for some years now. It is what i print in the most in fact. I am using a prusa MK3 (now S) without a enclosure. and it works just fine even rather large prints. Only thing to keep in mind is the fumes. In my case the printer is in a separate room which is well ventilated.
It depends heavily on your printing base. If you have a plate you can glue/put ABS slurry to, you'll have enough adhesion that peeling is very unlikely to happen without an enclosure. If you're trying to print directly onto a textured or PEI sheet without an enclosure, it's gonna probably mess up.
In my case i do not use any sort of glue. I just print straight on the texured or PEI sheet. Never really hat issues. If it does not stick welll, I clean it with dishsoap. Seems to work best after a wile of use.
Yes, if you're cleaning your build plate regularly you'll probably not need the glue. I've had to do it once for a very weird part that was wide but with a small cross section though, and if the environment is cool it can and still will want to peel away from the plate.