Filament question.
I did some searching on the net. Is it worth it to get carbon fiber filament. Is there any fiberglass filament…
Looking for material to make strong parts
For drones & RC parts it is a killer imho. I played a lot with CFPLA (bought 6Kgs!): extremely rigid, breaks suddenly without flexion. Not necessarily “stronger” compared, e.g. to XT or Nylon.
The only drawback imho is that it melts at low temperatures. The CF-XT from Colorfabb is certainly better in this regard, but slightly trickier to print and a bit softer I guess.
You may want to check this post https://plus.google.com/115065176676738755459/posts/KP6WsRgLPoL
Realize that carbon fiber is a composite, just like fiber glass, and they draw their strength from the tensile strength of many long threads laying perpendicular to each other. The carbon fiber filament is just plastic with tiny pieces of carbon fiber in it.
Printing carbon fiber does have some small gains in layer adhesion, but don’t expect weight cuts and strength adds like you would from engineered fiberglass and carbon fiber.
@Camerin_hahn I was also quite suspicious of the added qualities in the first place until I tried.
Now, I should have told first: true, beware as it has NOTHING to do with the sturdiness of real CF composite…
Still, CF-printed parts are significantly more rigid + lighter than their regular thermoplastic counterparts. I did extensive testing with CFPLA for a 2Kg professional drone, and the only drawback was its low melting point for the motor holders (we eventually went safe and printed them with some black XT as CF-XT was now ready at the time).
One added bonus: it is one of the easiest material to print imho. But it is expensive…
Speaking of mass, HIPS is the lightest I tried, but it is also fragile to a point it is mostly useless
Look at Taulmans nylons and other materials. Tritan and 645 come to mind and a new one called 910. @Tom_Martz
Can you define “strong” ? What sort of forces are you looking at.
These parts will be used as gears and 90 degree shelves support for 50 pound parts
@jeremie_laflamme Regarding strength it is not just the filament but how you print it. Check E3D Blog about “Volcano”. Explains large [thick layers]. and demonstrates differences with same part with thin layers. @Sanjay_Mortimer … Also check @Richard_Horne s blog about optimizing extrusion width. Both of these areas will determine 'strength more than material alone.
I handled a sample CF ABS quadcopter part this weekend. It’s incredibly impressive on stiffness. You do want a stainless steel nozzle. ABS with 30% CF will ruin a nozzle in one spool. 15% CF will ruin a nozzle in 2-3 spools. Run it hot enough, and I think the CF bits between layers blend together well.