Prusament PLA, summer storage in box in car viable?
 
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mikael.p2
(@mikael-p2)
Active Member
Prusament PLA, summer storage in box in car viable?

I'm curious, what would happen if I printed miniatures using Prusament PLA, which has low-temperature resistance and loses it's mechanical strength at temperatures of 60 degrees celsius, are stored in the a plastic box, in the trunk of an car, while parked under the sun in a parking lot during the day before the gaming evening...

I'm speculating that it'll be a melted mess by the end of the day. And dragging the boxes to the office would make me look like a lunatic. 😆

Is this issue realistic?

What'd you do?

Posted : 08/01/2019 12:31 pm
bobstro
(@bobstro)
Illustrious Member
Re: Prusament PLA, summer storage in box in car viable?

Where geographically? Parking with metal figures in the trunk can be a problem in the Phoenix sun. If the storage case is insulated, you might be OK.

My notes and disclaimers on 3D printing

and miscellaneous other tech projects
He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan

Posted : 08/01/2019 2:05 pm
mikael.p2
(@mikael-p2)
Active Member
Topic starter answered:
Re: Prusament PLA, summer storage in box in car viable?

Oh, I live in Finland.

Basically in summer we can have up to around 30 degrees celsius. Typically around 24 I guess.

But sun shining.. it'll be very warm in the car. You can't leave animals in the car here.

Posted : 08/01/2019 2:41 pm
mikael.p2
(@mikael-p2)
Active Member
Topic starter answered:
Re: Prusament PLA, summer storage in box in car viable?

But now I'm talking about miniature figures 3D printed with Prusament PLA. Not metal figures. 😉

Posted : 08/01/2019 2:41 pm
Mustrum Ridcully
(@mustrum-ridcully-2)
Honorable Member
Re: Prusament PLA, summer storage in box in car viable?

use a disposable styrofoam cooler to store them or park in the shade

Posted : 08/01/2019 6:13 pm
bobstro
(@bobstro)
Illustrious Member
Re: Prusament PLA, summer storage in box in car viable?


[...] But sun shining.. it'll be very warm in the car. You can't leave animals in the car here.
There are too many variables with your car, your parking space, your filament and the weather for anybody to give you anything close to a definitive answer. Try tossing a thermometer in your trunk or minis bag and see if it gets near 55C. If not, then the only thing we can say is that you're probably OK. If you want to be sure you're OK, invest some time and effort into insulating the storage area so it doesn't get so warm.

When I lived it Phoenix, it was common for people to melt expensive sunglasses and other stuff, so I'd definitely expect generic PLA to fare poorly.

My notes and disclaimers on 3D printing

and miscellaneous other tech projects
He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan

Posted : 08/01/2019 7:40 pm
mikael.p2
(@mikael-p2)
Active Member
Topic starter answered:
Re: Prusament PLA, summer storage in box in car viable?

Thanks for the thermometer idea. Guess I'll throw some printed thing into the oven and with an oven thermometer try to figure out the temperature when it starts to lose it's form.

Posted : 08/01/2019 11:03 pm
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