how transparent is 'natural' filament?
I'm making a 7-segment LED display, in a moderately large format, which will have 3mm LEDs inserted from the back side to illuminate the segments.
I did a small trial with white PLA, but not much light is able to pass through.
What about 'natural' (un-colored) PLA? Is it translucent enough for this type of application?
The PLA is currently about 1mm thick at the thinnest point, right in front of the LED. I could certainly make it thinner, but then I fear the LED's light will be just a spot. I really want the light to 'diffuse' somewhat through the plastic.
Thanks for any comments!
Pete
RE: how transparent is 'natural' filament?
I forgot to mention: I'm aware of "clear" filaments, but I'm guessing they would be "too clear" - not diffusing the light enough.
Pete
https://blog.prusa3d.com/3d-printed-lens-and-other-transparent-objects_31231/
But I generally print LED windows face down with two or three solid bottom layers of transparent filament - more layers trade brightness for diffusion.
Cheerio,
RE: how transparent is 'natural' filament?
Thanks! I'll try "clear PETG" instead of "natural PLA". It will be easier to add diffusion to clear, than to try and make natural more transparent.
Pete