Printing PA11-CF with Core One
Hi,
Sorry for the newbie question. Have a Core One and quite new in 3D printing. Printing PLA and PETG with HF Nozzle, standard, 0.4, all perfect no problem.
Then I wanted to use some PA11-CF for small parts. Using Prusa Obxsidian 0.4, and just the standard print settings provided in Prusaslider. No modification.
Works sort of OK but lot of strong stringing, especially in empty but narrow areas, and some "strings" that pop out of plain surfaces. I have not played with retraction or anything (I thought that would be adjusted to the filament but it seems to be the same settings whatever filament I select). I just selected the filament in the list and went with that. This was the very first print from a PA11 CF stock that I just open 10 min before. Was it necessary to dry it nevertheless, even if it is just out of the film and dessicant bag ? Do I need a Drybox ? If someone car share print settings for this material, including retraction and Co. that would be awesone...
Thanks !
RE: Printing PA11-CF with Core One
Hi,
>>quite new in 3D printing
I can tell this much (and I hope I'm not misquoting hyiger), never assume filament is at a print-ready humidity level out of the bag.
"Stringing" does sounds like a dead ringer, but let's wait for someone who has used the material.
Pa11 non CF is extremely hygroscopic, dry it before and after printing and store it with dessicant. I have no reason to expect CF to make any difference in this respect. If you don't have a drybox expect it to be stringing badly two or three hours into a longer print. I did experiment with plastic bag as emergency drybox substitute with some success - on a core one you could tape a cover over the spool-holder recess and so greatly reduce the rate of air-exchange which should extend printable time a little.
Cheerio,
RE: Printing PA11-CF with Core One
Thank you ! I have a drybox on the way. I will dry the spool a lot in an oven and then put it in the drybox for the printing.
RE: Printing PA11-CF with Core One
Drying filament in an oven could do more harm than good if you don't know very well what you're doing. That means an accurate and stable control of the temperature and an optimal air recirculation to get the heat spread evenly inside the oven. Too much heat for too many hours and the spool is ruined. Ordinary cooking ovens aren't designed with this purpose in mind. If you intend to print this kind of filaments on a regular basis, get a good dedicated filament drier or at least a food dehydrator device, although I recommend the former. At the steep price that Prusa is selling the PA11-CF nowadays, I wouldn't dare to dry in an oven the whole spool. At least, test before with a few coils of filament and check the results printing a small part.
RE: Printing PA11-CF with Core One
Thanks for the tip. Do you have any recommendation for a filament drier ? Is the Prusa Drybox sufficient ? Thanks