Ongoing Issues with Conductive Filament
Ongoing Issues with Conductive Filament
I am currently performing tests using conductive filament, specifically Protopasta Conductive PLA, but I am having trouble achieving the same results as before 22.11.24. My last successful print was a temperature tower ranging from 215°C to 235°C. The new temperature tower was designed to test limits from 235°C to 275°C.
Problem: The new tower's conductivity at 235°C was significantly worse than the one before 22.11.24, even though the same settings at 235°C had previously yielded consistent results in the same range.
Solutions: None at the moment, so guidance and suggestions are welcome!
Below is the summary of the timeline:
1. Last Known Good Print
- The last successful print occurred before 22.11.24.
2. Initial Test
- A new temperature tower was made for testing with updated settings. The temperature was set to range from 235°C to 275°C.
- However, the printing temperature only reached 255°C instead of the intended 275°C.
- Error Encountered:
- Error: "Extruder Preheat Error" appeared after the first layer at a temperature of 255°C.
- Date: 25.11.24.
3. Additional Testing
- Continued issues persisted on 30.11.24.
- On 28.11.24, someone else attempted to print a large part using the Prusa XL. The print consistently failed with the error "filament is stuck."
- Repeated filament reloads were required, but the error reappeared within 10 minutes of resuming the print.
4. Renewed Testing
- On 02.12.24, another temperature tower was tested with updated settings, ranging from 235°C to 275°C.
- The print itself completed successfully, but the conductivity was worse than before 22.11.24.
5. Numerous Tests
- Numerous additional prints were tested, many using the exact same G-code as before 22.11.24.
- However, all of these prints exhibited worse conductivity and poorer quality compared to previous results.
6. Troubleshooting Efforts
- I followed suggestions from the Prusa support documentation (Extruder Preheat Error Troubleshooting).
- Measured the resistance of the wires to identify potential causes of the "Extruder Preheat Error."
- Conducted new calibrations and cleaned buildup in the extruder.
- Despite these efforts, the problem remains unresolved.
7. Observations
- Print Quality: Significantly worse than before 22.11.24.
- Under-Extrusion: Parts exhibit clear signs of under-extrusion.
- Conductivity: The conductivity of prints and filament appears to have degraded since 22.11.24.
8. Summary
- Print quality and conductivity are significantly impaired.
- Persistent extruder errors and degraded performance continue to affect the Prusa XL.
- Further investigation and support are needed to identify and resolve the root cause of these issues.
It's a few years since I last tested conductive filaments, long pre XL, I used a Mk3, and I cannot remember which was which except that none of them were going to replace a PCB.
At least one was extremely rough-surfaced and I have found that rough surfaced filaments do not do well with the PTFE tubes on the XL, it's best to mount the spool above and feed direct to the nextruder.
One, it might have been the same one, was moisture sensitive and had to be dried before every print.
None were conductive as a length of hookup wire would be. The best for conductivity was a sample of graphene filled PLA but it was very brittle and horrible to print with. I don't believe it was ever put on sale. I made an LED flasher with it but resistive losses were high.
At the time I concluded that conductive filaments might be of use for, say, touch sensors but not for circuits. Even the LED flasher needed fat traces to carry enough current, it would have been almost impossible to hook up an IC as it would mean single extrusion width traces.
Cheerio,