3d Printing

Check out Caltech's TechLab for more 3D-Printing options.


Jim Hall Lab 3D-Printers


Bambu Labs Carbon x1

Bambu Labs Wiki-site


CraftBot & CarftWare


Prusa i3 MK3S+ & PrusaSlicer


PrusaSlicer Software Help


For more material selection information please click here.

How to Succeed when Printing with ABS

Recommended ABS 3D Print Settings:

How To Succeed When Printing With Flexible Filament, PTE, PTU, PCTPE, and Soft PLA

FlexTemps.png
  • Printing Speed: 20-40mm/s
  • Make sure to turn off retraction…
  • If your first layer is not sticking - make sure the print head is close enough to make a nice squished line of filament. If that doesn't take care of your problem, you may want to increase the 'first layer temperature' 5 to 10 degrees (start with 5 and increase if necessary).
  • Please click here to find out more on printing with flexible filaments.

How to Succeed when Printing with Nylon

Recommended Nylon 3D Print Settings:

  • Extruder Temp.: 240°C - 260°C
    • Start printing at 250°C and adjust in increments of 5°C until you find the right temperature that produces a strong, durable print with a beautiful finishing surface.
    • The right temperature may vary between nylon and nylon-based filaments.
    • The right temperature may vary between brands of nylon and nylon-based filaments.
  • Bed Temp.: 55-65°C
    • This temperature range is for garolite surfaces with PVA based glue.
  • Bed Temp.: 70-80°C
    • This temperature range is for glass and other surfaces with PVA based glue.
  • Speed: 30-60 mm/s
  • 0.2 mm - 0.4 mm layer heights
  • 0% Layer Cooling Fan
  • You can find more information about this subject by clicking here.

How to Succeed when Printing with NylonX

Recommended NylonX 3D Print Settings:

  • Extruder Temp.: 250°C - 265°C
    • Nylon X, like other nylons, will extrude at lower temperatures, but parts easily delaminate and break when not printed hot enough. An all-metal hotend is recommended for these printing temperatures, read more here.
  • Bed Temp.: 60-70°C, use PVA based glue stick
    • Elmer's Washable disappearing purple glue stick. Nylon doesn't stick well to BuildTak, PEI, or other similar bed surfaces. Heated glass with glue, or a sheet of Garolite LE with no heat are the best options.
  • Dry Filament Before Printing: To dry filament, place it in an oven at 180°F - 200°F for 6 to 8 hours. After drying, store in an airtight container, preferably with desiccant, learn more here.
  • Nozzles: A stainless steel or hardened nozzle is required. Carbon fiber is very hard and abrasive and will quickly abrade and ruin brass or other soft metal nozzles.Larger nozzles (0.6mm and larger) produce incredibly strong parts. This is because interlayer adhesion is directly proportional to trace width. For the highest strength parts, try printing with the largest nozzle you can use on your hot end.
  • You can find more information about this subject by clicking here.

How to Succeed when Printing with PETG

Recommended PETG 3D Print Settings:

  • Printing Temperature: 245±10 °C
  • Print Speed: 50mm/s
  • Heated Bed: 60±10°C (A heated bed is not necessary to print PETG, but if your 3D Printer has a heated bed, MatterHackers recommends using it)
  • You can find more information about this subject by clicking here.

How to Succeed when Printing with PLA

Recommended PLA 3D Print Settings:

  • Printing Temperature: 200°C - 210°C
    • Start with 210°C.
  • Print Speed: 30-90mm/s
    • Start with 60mm/s.
  • Bed Temperature: Room Temperature - 70°C (Do NOT heat bed when printing on blue tabe! A heated bed is not necessary for printing with PLA…)
    • Start with 60°C and no tape.
  • To find out more about printing with PLA, please chick here.



What to Look for if you are having trouble getting your PLA filament temperature right:
  • If the temperature is too high:
    • You will see more strings between the separate parts of your print and you may notice that the extruder leaks out a little bit of plastic while moving between separate areas of the print. If this happens you should try to incrementally lower the temperature by 5 degrees until the stringing is brought under control without compromising strength. If you just can't seem to get the stringing to stop, you might want to consider adjusting your retraction settings to increase retraction in increments of 0.5mm or so.
  • If the temperature is too cold:
    • You will either see that the filament is not sticking to the previous layer and you are getting a rough surface (like the picture below), or you will get a part that is not strong and can be pulled apart easily. In either case, you should increase the temperature by 5 degrees and try again until you get good line segments on every layer and have a strong part when done printing.
PLA_Temp_toLow.jpg


How to Succeed when Printing with Carbon Fiber PLA

Recommended Carbon Fiber PLA 3D Print Settings:

  • Printing Temperature: 200°C - 230°C
  • Print Speed: 50mm/s
  • Bed Temperature: 23°C - 60°C
  • Bed Prep: Blue painters tape, PVA-based glue, Hairspray on glass.

How to Succeed when Printing with NinjaTek/NinjaFlex

Recommended NinjaTek/NinjaFlex 3D Print Settings:

  • Printing Temperature: 210 - 225°C
  • Printing Speed: 30 mm/s, adjust the speed up or down until you achieve a perfect print.
  • Heated Bed: 20 - 50°C

How to Make ABS Juice, Glue, and Slurry

  • Please click here to find out how to make ABS Juice, Glue, and Slurry.

How to Smooth PLA to a Mirror Finish

  • Please click here to find out how to smooth PLA prints.

How To Tips…

  • Please click here for MatterHackers How To tips…

How to Vapor Polish ABS 3D-Prints

  • Please click here to find out how to vapor polish ABS prints.

How to Vapor Polish PLA 3D-Prints

WARNING: Ethyl Acetate is a Harmful Chemical

  • Please click here to find out how to vapor polish PLA prints.

Troubleshooting & Unplugging Printer Nozzles



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