Printing with PA-CF
I'm trying to print with a Carbon Fibre Polyamide (eSun ePA-CF), using a Prusa XL with an enclosure. Initially I couldn't get good enough adhesion to the bed to stop it lifting, but I've now solved that by putting down a layer of Flex (with brim) first. However, I'm getting horrible stands hanging off of my part. One side has a really nice finish the other side is covered with spaghetti! What can I try to avoid this? Is it over extruding? Is there something in retraction settings to try? I'm using a Fiberlogy Nylon PA12+CF15 preset, which doesn't have any retraction options at all checked.
RE: Printing with PA-CF
I'm having excellent results with Fiberon PA6-CF on my CoreOne. The key is to create a profile that is better suited to the exact filament you are using rather than using an existing profile which most likely won't match. Start with the filament data sheet and create your own profile. You'll need to tweak it before you get a perfect print. It gets the best adhesion with either a Nylon specific glue or a PA power coated sheet (which is what I use).
Specially though the stringing in this case is probably due to over-extrusion. Try setting the extrusion multiplier to 0.95
RE: Printing with PA-CF
Apart from getting all the printing parameters tuned to your specific filament, consider that all nylons need to be free from moisture or you'll run into many problems - stringing, blobs, poor overhangs, bad adhesion., etc.
It's almost compulsory to dry the filament before printing, even if you keep it in a sealed bag with desiccant. Of course, some filaments are worse than others in this matter. Prusament PA11-CF isn't that bad but other nylons I tried were impossible to get a decent print from them without a previous intensive drying session.
If you intend to print nylon filaments on a regular basis, you need a good food dehydrator or a dedicated filament drier that reaches at least 75-80C
BTW I don't think it's a good idea to print PA filament on a layer of flex. These filaments require very different nozzle and bed temperatures. To have a good bed adhesion, follow hyiger's advice : use a glue for nylon or, better still, a dedicated printing plate like Prusa's PA nylon powder coated.
RE: Printing with PA-CF
Apart from getting all the printing parameters tuned to your specific filament, consider that all nylons need to be free from moisture or you'll run into many problems - stringing, blobs, poor overhangs, bad adhesion., etc.
It's almost compulsory to dry the filament before printing, even if you keep it in a sealed bag with desiccant. Of course, some filaments are worse than others in this matter. Prusament PA11-CF isn't that bad but other nylons I tried were impossible to get a decent print from them without a previous intensive drying session.
If you intend to print nylon filaments on a regular basis, you need a good food dehydrator or a dedicated filament drier that reaches at least 75-80C
BTW I don't think it's a good idea to print PA filament on a layer of flex. These filaments require very different nozzle and bed temperatures. To have a good bed adhesion, follow hyiger's advice : use a glue for nylon or, better still, a dedicated printing plate like Prusa's PA nylon powder coated.
Excellent point which I forgot to mention. Before running a nylon print I dry the filament, store it in a dry box and print directly from the dry box. I also anneal my prints in a 100C dry air oven for 10hrs. Once I do that, the prints are pretty much indestructible (within reason)
RE: Printing with PA-CF
Thank you for your replies, I'll try some of these.
Tim