3D printing media

[Frederick Cobb]

Hi all,

 

I have someone wiling to print some parts for me. The question I have for the group is what is a quality material that will work for LP and MP Rockets. I know little about printing and have a few pieces from a long-term project made a few years ago from a real payload engineer out of California. What those parts taught me is I don’t want to sand a lot. I’ve seen plenty of videos on exposure to Acetone to smooth the surface, but that is too experimental to me. Ideas on all of this is most welcome.

 

Kindly,

 

Fred

 

 

[Ben Maitland]

Hey Fred,

I do a lot of printing for my rockets. The main material I use is PETG. It doesn't do details very well, but it's got relatively good temperature resistance (80°C) and toughness. PLA is good for details, but it's got relatively low temperature resistance (around 40°C) so it shouldn't be anywhere near the motor or ejection charge, or even left in your car when it's in the sun. For that reason, I don't use it very much unless I have some decorative detail. For higher performance, I want to try printing in CF-PC, which is incredibly stiff. I'll get around to it some day. Long story short, PETG is probably your best bet. 

Ben

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[fredman67]

Hi Ben,

What about "PLA"?  Not knowing a thing about this stuff, I think SOME of my previous parts may have been printed in PLA? 

Thanks,

Fred

Sent via the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 5G, an AT&T 5G smartphone

[David Frey]

Hey Fred, 

I'll chime in here with Ben and say, that if given a choice, PETG is the way to go.  It prints as easy as PLA and the temp tolerances are much higher. 

Last year, I printed a nosecone in PLA+ and it warped from the heat of the epoxy kicking off when I added some nose weight.  My experience is that PETG more durable and will bend a little more than PLA.  I made the switch from PLA+ to PETG and never looked back.  Something else to consider is that your rocket may sit on the pad on a busy launch day, and I can confirm that it will start to get gooey after just a few minutes in direct sunlight.  

Best regards, 

Dave

[fredman67]

Thanks Dave. Aby more advice from you all is very welcome. 

Thanks,

Fred

Sent via the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 5G, an AT&T 5G smartphone

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