final finishing of PLA

[BrokenBiker]

so, more towards model making than anything useful...but im printing test pieces for a chess set for my father (again) out of PLA straight from the dryer, but im noticing on the fine detailed areas, especially any pointy bits like crowns, there are little whisps of filament floating about. is there a 'chemical' approach to removing these? something it can be dipped in then dried with the air line are am i in for a half day of snipping?

i would post a pic, but it doesnt show on the camera, probably becasue its pink filament (was printing stuff for my daughter and decided to throw the test piece in)

 

[My Old Landy]

I use a heat gun or flame. Removes them quickly and without fuss.
Just be careful and don't linger in one place.

 

[BrokenBiker]

I use a heat gun or flame. Removes them quickly and without fuss.
Just be careful and don't linger in one place.

wow, i hadnt even considered heat. my father has an electric heat gun that would be perfect. thanks

 

[MattF]

I do the same as @My Old Landy, & just give pieces a brief run over with a heat gun.

 

[BrokenBiker]

I do the same as @My Old Landy, & just give pieces a brief run over with a heat gun.

ive got one printing in ivory at the moment,s caled up a bit as the first was way too small so once thats done i will see how it goes

 

[hotponyshoes]

Acetone vapour works as well, gives a nice smooth surface finish.
Bit of a faff to setup, you need an enclosure (upside-down tub/bucket) a stand for the print, tray of Acetone and a fan to blow the vapour around.

 

[PhillipM]

Acetone vapour works as well, gives a nice smooth surface finish.
Bit of a faff to setup, you need an enclosure (upside-down tub/bucket) a stand for the print, tray of Acetone and a fan to blow the vapour around.

For ABS or ASA sure, doesn't work for PLA.

Quick pass with a cooking torch is fast and easy.

 

[hotponyshoes]

For ABS or ASA sure, doesn't work for PLA.

Quick pass with a cooking torch is fast and easy.

Some sort of vapour works fine with pla, I'll have a look at the bottle later..

 

[PhillipM]

Some sort of vapour works fine with pla, I'll have a look at the bottle later..

Dichloromethane, but it's not a great chemical to be working with., doesn't smooth PLA all that well either without elevated temps. THF is the other option but again, not great to be handling, especially heated fumes.

 

[dave h 2]

That or a Turkish barber waving a burning piece of cotton wool held with a bit of twisted wire

 

[Kram]

PLA straight from the dryer, but im noticing on the fine detailed areas, especially any pointy bits like crowns, there are little whisps of filament floating about.

Sounds like its not quite dry, how are you drying it?

 

[BrokenBiker]

Sounds like its not quite dry, how are you drying it?

in a filament dryer, with a relative humidity of 17% at the time of printing...

 

[Kram]

Not very dry then..

If you have sillica gel/dessicant in your drier, remove it before drying just the filament. 1 hour at 60c works well. While its drying, do the dessicant in kitchen oven/combi microwave.
Molecular sieves work better for very low humidities, or use lots of silica gel.

That gets mine down to 0% RH and over a month or two it will creep up to just a few percent.

 

[m_c]

PLA stringing is more likely due to print temps/retraction settings than moisture.
I've got rolls of PLA I use occasionally that have been sat on the shelf for quite some time and never been dried, and stringing isn't noticeable when I use them.

 

[BrokenBiker]

Not very dry then..

If you have sillica gel/dessicant in your drier, remove it before drying just the filament. 1 hour at 60c works well. While its drying, do the dessicant in kitchen oven/combi microwave.
Molecular sieves work better for very low humidities, or use lots of silica gel.

That gets mine down to 0% RH and over a month or two it will creep up to just a few percent.

Everything I have found regarding the matter states and ideal relative humidity of 10-20%...

 

[My Old Landy]

Everything I have found regarding the matter states and ideal relative humidity of 10-20%...

Me too. My AMS reports anything over 20% as getting a bit high. I do have a dryer but rarely use it as the silica in the AMS seems to keep it at 20% .
A quick blast with heat sorts anything out, no need to over complicate things.

 

[BrokenBiker]

Me too. My AMS reports anything over 20% as getting a bit high. I do have a dryer but rarely use it as the silica in the AMS seems to keep it at 20% .
A quick blast with heat sorts anything out, no need to over complicate things.

So just done a bit of googling and it seems more likely that my retraction setting may need tweaking, however the larger model I printed in bone ivory PLA hasn't suffered at all, and that had a relative humidity of 23%>

They are different brands of filament and I have slightly different print temp settings for them both based if the recommendations and tried runs when I got the printer first, think I might run a few calibration prints again and see what's what. the larger prints I did in the pink for my daughter's tablet holder came out fine so moisture doesn't seem an issue on that one

 

[Kram]

no need to over complicate things.

Doing it properly is very quick and simple and lasts about 2 months.
Dry filament for an hour, dry silica seperately and use a larger amount, that is all.

PLA stringing is more likely due to print temps/retraction settings than moisture.
I've got rolls of PLA I use occasionally that have been sat on the shelf for quite some time and never been dried, and stringing isn't noticeable when I use them.

Esun pla can get quite stringy from moisture, it noticably improves when properly dry.

 

[MattF]

When it comes to filament quality/quirks by manufacturer, things are highly variable there. What works for one won't necessarily work for all.

I have one roll of filament here which I just cannot find good settings for. Different printers don't fare differently with it either. That roll is going in the bin. I'm fed up of trying with that roll, now.

 

[My Old Landy]

Doing it properly is very quick and simple and lasts about 2 months.
Dry filament for an hour, dry silica seperately and use a larger amount, that is all.


Esun pla can get quite stringy from moisture, it noticably improves when properly dry.

My comment was more about using chemicals but I don't dry it either
As Matt says, it's different for everyone. I've run the Bambu without drying for two years now, but if it works for you then that's your best option.
All I can comment on is what works for me.
Yes I get whisps on occasion and I blow them off with heat. I do get through around 8KG a month as I print stuff for work.