What’s the best way to glue 3D printed ABS? I’m guessing the solvent is the most important component for a strong bond?
Background: Belt holder on X carriage cracked loose. A dozen rubber bands seem to almost hold things together well enough to print a replacement part. Unfortunately, stripped filament stopped the print halfway through. I’ll try to glue things up and let dry over night.
I think most people use acetone or a previously prepared mix of ABS waste and acetone in a slurry which is slightly thicker and easier to apply.
acetone. if there are some kind of joints, that come together you can just drop some acetone to get through little spaces between and it will glue parts like a concrete. if just faces, just put some scetone on faces, you can even dip them in acetone bath for a second and then get them together
MEK solvent pipe cement works better than acetone. It is used to weld ABS pipes.
Be careful with MEK it is allot more harsh then acetone
Try acetone with dissolved Abs, just add some material to fill gaps and dissolve both faces so they stick toguether really well
Have you ever though of use ABS itself with 3DDoodler with ABS stick ? http://www.the3doodler.com/
Have you tried the plastics glue you find in hobby and wargaming stores? It works on ABS, I think.
I’ve started to use epoxy on printed parts with lots of infill. I figure there is a lot of surface area for the epoxy to grab a hold of.
PVC plumbers glue from a hardware store also works well, but I tend to use acetone for stuff that has a large surface area.
Depends on the type of join you’re attempting. Try two part super epoxy, be sure to key the surface before bonding.
Cyanoacrylate works in a pinch.
I agree with using ABS/Acetone slurry to Bond ABS Parts together,
Dissolve some ABS filament in Acetone to get a slurry with a syrupy consistency.
The slurry allows more time to set and align the parts than just pure acetone alone. Pure acetone flashes off very rapidly.
Glue joints bonded this way are as strong as one piece parts.
More and more I’m designing complex parts with self aligning bonds into them as opposed as trying to print them in one piece with part orientation design tradeoffs.
Super glue bonds ABS very well
Methylene chloride might be an option however it is very dangerous and the fumes can give you chemical pneumonia.
It’s mainly used for acrylic bonding.
Since ABS contains acrylic (it’s the A) it might do the job.
ABS = acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
Thanks for all your input, it’s most valuable!
I’ve used a glue based on methyl acetate and acetone on other parts, but the X carriage just didn’t hold up. More rubber bands and some tightly wound tape seems to be just enough to print a new X carriage, luckily.
Glad you got the new part printed. Is amazing that these things work bubble gumed back together, isn’t it?
@Mike_Creuzer MacGyver would have been proud!
