Hey guys. I just got an Ender 3 a couple of weeks ago and it has been a lot of fun. I ultimately want to use it to make parts for my boats, but I want to make sure I use the correct material. I want to make parts for both the insides of the ship and the superstructure. What are you guys using? Is ABS the way to go, or can you get away with PETG? I am also going on the assumption that PLA is right out. Any advice would be awesome. Thanks!
I use PETG extensively for most structures. If an area is going to see a lot of incoming fire (casemates, etc.) I like to use TPU as it is completely damage resistant.
PETG is really good. TPU is useful for higher-impact stuff, I haven't used it personally, but I know a person who like to do drone racing, and he uses TPU for areas that could be damaged in a crash to make the damage less severe
I have had lots of issues swapping between different filaments, so I print exclusively in ABS. I know how to work with the stuff, I know its strengths and limitations, and it works fantastically for the sort of general-purpose hardware I make. Servo mounts, rudders, cannons and cannon parts, propellers, etc. I have used the stuff in superstructures and it can hold up if done right, but other materials like PETG and TPU may be more suitable. PLA of any sort is obviously right out.
I print only in bulk 10kg spools of white/non-colored ABS. Seems to work best for me in basically all model warship combat related areas. Yes it can break/shatter sometimes if it's hit by a hot cannon at close range. If you are worried, make the lower levels of your super thicker and/or cover them in a layer of glass + epoxy.
I like carbon infused PETG from Atomic. I get clean prints with less ooze than other brands and types. It also seems to hold up well, though you will see BB imprints. Using less infill also seems to make it very tough.
Im going against the grain as I do and say it depends on what you are printing. PETG and ABS for anything structural. PLA for anything replaceable. EH GHADS WHY PLA? It gets soft and deforms! It is brittle! It has... DRAWBACKS! Because if I am going to print something as large as a superstructure, knowing it is going to be damaged, knowing it is going to be shot to hell, I would much MUCH rather print it out of something that every single printer can print with zero special requirements. I say that as someone who bought his first (of a dozen now) 3d printer back in 2013 and prints quite regularly with ABS, PETG, and PLA. ABS and PETG really should be relegated to small parts that are quick to print. Not saying that large parts cant be done, but your odds of successfully printing a 12+hr part with them is exponentially decreasing the larger the part. The likelihood of failure with a large part is considerable with plastics that will readily curl unless your settings and bed prep are exact every time and even then it isn't a guarantee. I have a heated and sealed enclosure and 1/5 of my ABS parts will still curl or split. I print PETG on a clean PEI sheet (Ive broken too many glass beds to print straight to them any more) and if the part is just too big, at least one edge will lift. It is just the nature of the plastic. Again, doing something structural like a hull? ABS would be best because it can be chemically fused together but PETG will suffice though it is more flexible. A magazine? ABS or PETG. A motor mount? ABS or PETG. A turret cap? PETG or ABS or PLA. A superstructure? PLA all day. I dont enjoy wasting 18hrs on a print that lifted a corner overnight at hour 12 and rapidly curled like PETG does or randomly split a layer like ABS can do. When I start printing hull structures for my next Bis or Scharnhorst class, it will be 100% ABS because the sections will be small so the internal forces will not be as great, and quick to print. If one fails, it is easy enough to reprint. Spending 18+ hours on the superstructure only to see it fail in the final hours? Im going to go with the higher success rate of PLA. A few notes: I also dont mean the cheap dollar store 190* PLA stuff. Most of the PLA I print with (save for the wood filled actually) is 220+ print temp PLA+ or High Temp PLA from eSun or ProtoPasta. My Bis has sat outside in the warm sun on an average-heat (mid 80's) Pennsylvania day, all day with no ill effect on any of the PLA parts.
The issue isn't mid 80's PA day, the issue is back of a pickup / SUV when its 110* in the shade in North Carolina for Nationals. I have used PLA myself just fine, but my Dunkerque superstructure did go slightly modern art after a while. Just a fair warning.
And I fully appreciate and understand that issue (and have experienced it with other printed objects left in a car). As I said, replaceable parts. Knowing that I am going to replace it eventually anyway from damage, I would rather know that I am going to spend 25hrs on a successful print and not 25 hours on the first failed print of however many hours and spools until one succeeds. I say this too as someone who an hour ago watched a very successful 20hr PETG print go from 'perfect' to trash as one corner let go and curled in the final 2hrs of the print job.
PETG can be solvent welded with SciGrip Weld-On 3 (very thin/watery); there is also a thicker version (I forget the number). I also want to second the thumbs-up regarding Atomic Filament CF-PETG (I just got a spool of their dark cherry - awesome color!).
