How To Succeed When 3D Printing With Nylon

Unlock the complete potential of your 3D printing tasks with Nylon – the sturdy, versatile materials that outperforms conventional PLA and ABS in energy and sturdiness. Very best for creating purposeful components, instruments, and high-wear objects, Nylon’s distinctive properties make it a best choice for hobbyists and professionals alike. Embark in your Nylon printing journey geared up with our knowledgeable ideas and tips, and watch your creations come to life with unmatched high quality.

Nylon filament is an extremely robust, sturdy and versatile 3D printing materials. Versatile when skinny, however with very excessive inter-layer adhesion, nylon lends itself properly to issues like residing hinges and different purposeful components. Its low friction coefficient and excessive melting temperature make it a superb alternative for quite a lot of on a regular basis gadgets similar to 3D printed instruments, gears, RC vehicles and extra.

Try our ideas beneath on efficiently 3D print with nylon filament.

Improve to the Proper Hotend

Earlier than diving into Nylon printing, guarantee your printer is provided with a hotend able to reaching no less than 250°C. Normal PEEK and PTFE hotends will not lower it, as they degrade at excessive temperatures. For a seamless expertise, take into account upgrading to an all-metal hotend just like the E3D V6, which may safely deal with the warmth required for Nylon. When you’re not sure about compatibility, attain out to us or seek the advice of your printer’s producer.

Discover Hotend Upgrades HERE. 

Select the Very best Mattress Floor

Like with another kind of filament, the mattress floor you select to print nylon on could be the make or break between warping and profitable 3D printing. For nylon, garolite sheets and glass plates are two construct surfaces we have seen produce probably the most constant profitable outcomes. With the addition of a PVA glue stick, each surfaces present the mattress adhesion essential to bind prints to the construct floor for a clean 3D printing expertise.

Our private favourite floor to make use of with nylon filament is LayerLock Garolite Construct Floor. Made out of fiberglass linen material laminated with epoxy resin, this floor has excessive stability over temperature so it simply withstands the 60°C advisable for profitable nylon mattress adhesion on a heated mattress. One other perk of utilizing a garolite floor is its robust adhesion high quality that lasts for hundreds of prints with sandpaper. Utilizing a sheet of 220 grit sandpaper, frivolously sand down the highest of the garolite to take away any blemishes and reveal a extra textured, even floor. This permits nylon to attain a greater grip on the mattress for a profitable flat first layer, resulting in a profitable nylon 3D print general for years to come back.

We belief within the success of garolite a lot that we provide it because the inventory mattress floor for our Pulse XE, the 3D printer designed to succeed with 3D printing nylon and nylon-based filaments (on high of ordinary filaments). For optimum success, PVA glue and sandpaper are additionally included with LayerLock Garolite Construct Surfaces for extra adhesion and minimal upkeep for longevity. To be taught extra about printing on garolite, try our “How To: 3D Print Nylon on Garolite Print Beds” article.

Nylon Filament Should Be Dried Earlier than Printing

Nylon filament is extremely hygroscopic, that means it readily absorbs water from the air. Nylon can take up greater than 10% of its weight in water in lower than 24 hours which is why it’s best to not go away hygroscopic filaments sitting out within the open.  While you 3D print with nylon filament that isn’t dry, the water within the filament explodes inflicting air bubbles throughout printing that forestalls good layer adhesion, significantly weakens the half and ruins the floor end. Little doubt about it; profitable 3D printing with nylon and nylon-based supplies require dry filament.

Dry nylon, alternatively, prints buttery clean and has a shiny end.

Desiccant helps maintain filaments dry, however packets of desiccant are nowhere close to sufficient to really extract the moisture out of your 3D printing supplies. MatterHackers’ most well-liked device for drying Nylon is the PrintDry system.  Simply place the spools within the PrintDry chamber, set the system to 75c, and go away to dry for 8-12 hours.  

One other solution to dry nylon filament is by putting it in an oven at 160°F – 180°F for six to eight hours. Needless to say most all convection and family ovens don’t regulate their temperature properly at these decrease temperatures and might simply warp your spool or soften the plastic inflicting it to deform and even adhere the filament stands collectively.

After drying, both instantly print with it in a room that is not chilly or drafty or retailer it in an hermetic container with desiccant to make use of for later. If utilizing a system just like the PrintDry, you possibly can go away the spool within the unit and print instantly from it, protecting moisture at bay whereas on these lengthy prints. To be taught extra about desiccant in addition to some helpful 3D printing instruments, click on right here.

Dry 3D printed nylon on the left, moist 3D printed nylon on the best

Whereas kitchen ovens are able to drying filament, we extremely suggest utilizing a PrintDry PRO Filament Drying System as an alternative. PrintDry is a protected, desktop-friendly machine engineered particularly for eradicating moisture from filaments. With its compact, transportable design, you possibly can merely place the PrintDry PRO subsequent to your 3D printer and feed dry filament into it whereas it is printing. In case you are unable to feed the filament within the PrintDry PRO instantly into your printer, this filament drying system nonetheless works very properly for merely drying filament after which storing it in an air-tight container for later. To get the very best quality prints potential, filament drying programs just like the PrintDry are a 3D printing accent we extremely suggest for constant success.

To be taught extra about the advantages of drying filaments, try our article right here.

Nylon Can Warp

We have discovered 3D printing nylon can warp about as a lot as ABS.

When printing on glass or garolite, a heated mattress is required with nylon filament. A PVA based mostly glue stick utilized to the mattress is the very best technique of mattress adhesion. Elmer’s or Scotch everlasting glue sticks are cheap and simply discovered at an affordable worth.

We have discovered {that a} mattress heated to 75°C with a skinny layer of glue utilized in a cross-hatch sample works finest for glass plates.

When printing on a garolite floor, a construct plate is required with nylon filament. Whether or not it is instantly on a heated mattress, a sheet of glass, PEI glass or a FlexPlate System, we suggest the garolite sheet be connected to some sort of construct plate that is ready to switch warmth to this construct floor. Like printing on glass, a PVA based mostly glue stick utilized to the mattress could be useful with mattress adhesion for garolite construct surfaces. We suggest Elmer’s glue sticks for this floor. If extra adhesion is required, use 220g sandpaper to frivolously sand all throughout the garolite for a textured, even floor that the print can seize onto.

For mattress temperature, we suggest wherever between 55°C – 65°C relying on what kind of brand name and nylon or nylon-based filament you are printing with. If it is NylonX, we suggest 60°C. If it is NylonG, we suggest 65°C.

Don’t use layer cooling followers and keep away from drafty or cool rooms for finest outcomes. If you cannot keep away from putting your printer in drafty or chilly rooms, take into account both make shifting your personal printer enclosure or buying one of many 3D printer enclosure kits offered right here.

3D Printed Nylon Surfboard Fins Strengthened with Carbon Fiber utilizing the MarkForged 3D Printer

Beneficial Nylon 3D Print Settings:

• Extruder Temp.: 240°C – 260°C
  • Begin printing at 250°C and alter in increments of 5°C till you discover the best temperature that produces a powerful, sturdy print with a stupendous ending floor
  • The suitable temperature could fluctuate between nylon and nylon-based filaments
  • The suitable temperature could fluctuate between manufacturers of nylon and nylon-based filaments
• Mattress Temp.: 55-65°C
  • That is for garolite surfaces with PVA based mostly glue
• Mattress Temp.: 70-80°C
  • That is for glass and different surfaces with PVA based mostly glue
• Velocity: 30-60 mm/s
• 0.2 mm – 0.4 mm layer heights
• 0% Layer Cooling Fan