Originally shared by Jeff Keegan Here's my next RepRap blog post..

3D Printing
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Originally shared by Jeff Keegan

Here’s my next RepRap blog post… Still a year behind, but at least I’m not falling further behind. In this one we see the danger of printing x-carriages out of PLA. This was work on the RepRap that I gave to the Museum of Science Boston last year.
http://www.keegan.org/reprapblog/archives/4236

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I have been printed with a PLA cold end and carriage for almost two years, no problem as long as you always have a fan blowing at the hot end, does not have to be a lot, just to break up convection.

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Yeah but you shouldn’t have to do that… Yes to a fan on the parts, and maybe to a fan on an all-steel hotend that you want to heat up to crazy temperatures, but a fan just to keep a carriage cool? At that point you’re better off printing a carriage out of ABS, and using fans just where needed.

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I had carriage in ABS originally on my Mendel kit and it was also 3 bearing one, it bend a little on weight of extruder (Wade’s geared). Reason for it was, no fan blowing and also carriage was mounted other way so most of extruder weight was on part without bearing under it.
Reprinted PLA carriage with 4 bearings and no issues since then (also added a fan).
If I plan on printing ABS/Nylon - other than PLA, then I will replace carriage or make sure about fan blowing at join spot.