3d printing

I know I asked about 3D printers before but have a specific requirement for one now.

I’m booking to do smaller items. I guess around 12 inches by 12 inches and xx tall but I need a high temperature filament. It would be for threads maybe as fine to fit some small 2-3mm size metric bolts.

I know printers have different tolerances and they are for an automotive interior so it needs to be around 200 Fahrenheit to withstand.

Any recommendations on a printer that can do this? I’m kind of lost because there’s so many options out there.

How many parts are you looking to do? Might make more sense to have them done on a nylon sls machine. Good to around 350°F super accurate. Also surprisingly affordable

Maybe 10 or so? I really kind of just want one to mess around with though haha.

Someone else mentioned something to me today saying you can’t find a 3D printer that doesn’t need baby sitting and won’t break for less then 2k or so. I find that hard to believe but he does have a lot more experience then I do with them considering I just watch YouTube…

Got just messing around there are plenty of options in the FDM world. One that is reasonably cheap, has been getting good reviews is the creality cr-10. A good starting point at around $400 with minimal work to get it going.

For your 10 or so parts I would still go with SLS nylon from one of the point services. Out will be more accurate handle the heat no problem.

I’m so new what’s fdm mean. And whats sls nylon? Haha sorry for the questions.

And any websites you recommend that will do small run parts?

are you saying that you want to 3D print parts that can hold screws in 3D printed threads? If so, there is more than just the temp resistance and resolution to think about…

I would worry about the ability of any plastic to hold screws with any strength without metal inserts. I would be twice as worried about the strength and reliability of 3D printed screw threads made on a consumer desktop device.

Most of the 3D printed parts I have seen from small consumer devices have a texture finish that requires sanding or surfacing products. Maybe it would be better to drill and tap the parts manually after printing instead of printing screw threads.

There are some consumer desktop devices that can 3D print with a carbon fiber filament. Perhaps this will give you the strength and temp resistance you need.

Have you considered a subtractive process instead? Low cost desktop CNC routers capable of making 12" x 12" parts with a quality finish and out of strong materials are more readily available than 3D printers with the same capability. Just a thought.

A CNC router would give you a lot more options for high temp resistant materials. Parts could be milled from wood, tooling board, resin blocks or even aluminum. The cheap 4-axis devices on eBay are not the best but if 3D print quality was good enough, then the quality from a cheap CNC router should be more than sufficient.

I don’t know what your budget is but for me, if given the choice between a sub $1,000 CNC router or a sub-$1,000 3D printer, the router wins every time.

There are many many printers to choose from… It can be a bit daunting for sure.

I have a kit printer that I bought that is like 12x12x12 or so in build volume. Was $500. and a cubic foot isn’t considered small by the way. I’d say that’s on the larger side for a bench type machine.

As for filament, you can get high temp PLA that will withstand up to about 225 degrees. I’d imagine a car interior could probably get over 150 degrees but I’m not sure.

If you’re looking for enough detail to print threads, then you need to rethink your process most likely. You can use inserts for threads rather than print them. I mean it could be done, but it’s not the easiest thing to get great consistency from.

Your using this for prototyping? Or where you going to use carbon at some point?

Yeah my plan was to use it for printing tricky mounting points and attaching them to my parts