IVI: The Closed-Loop 3D Printer

[Testing] IVI prints with Nylon 😎
almost 5 years ago – Sat, May 11, 2019 at 12:20:33 AM

Dear all, 

Today, we printed the octopus model with Nylon.

Used by many manufacturers worldwide, Nylon (polyamide, PA) is well-known for its impressive durability, high strength-to-weight ratio, flexibility, low friction, and corrosion resistance. With its ability to withstand significant mechanical stress, Nylon is a great choice for 3D printing tools, functional prototypes, and end-use parts. 

It is also prone to warping and moisture absorption. To solve these problems, you can follow these practices. 

• Store the spools in an air-tight container along with some desiccants to remove the moisture from within
• Use an enclosure to prevent warping. Keeping the air around your part at a temperature of about 45 ºC will help eliminate warping by reducing this temperature variation.
• Add a brim or raft to create a larger surface area to hold down the edges of the print.

 The PLA octopus is the one was tested with hot water ( Check update #25 ).

Below are the printing parameters for this test. 

Nozzle diameter: 0.3 mm

Printing temperature: 280℃

Build plate temperature: 100℃

Chamber temperature: 50℃

Layer height: 0.15 mm

Printing speed: 30 mm/s

Wall thickness: 0.9 mm

Retraction speed: 60 mm/s

Retraction distance: 6.5 mm

Infill distance: 4 mm

Cooling system: Disabled

L*W*H of the Octopus: 58 x 57 x 40 mm

Printing time: about 2 hours 45 minutes

Have friends want to print Nylon? Share IVI with them.

(Just a few clicks will help IVI a lot, thanks in advance.)

[Testing] IVI prints with PETG
almost 5 years ago – Fri, May 10, 2019 at 12:19:12 AM

Dear all, 

Today, we tested the octopus model with H-PETG filament. 

Below are the extracts from 3D Printing with PETG Filament – All You Need to Know in 2019.

"PETG is a good all-around material but truly stands out from many other filaments due to its flexibility, strength, and temperature and impact resistance. This makes it an ideal 3D printer filament to use for objects which might experience sustained or sudden stress, like mechanical parts, 3D printer parts, and protective components. Additionally, this filament is likely the perfect option for objects that will encounter food or drink.

The unique benefits of PETG filament for FDM 3D printing:

• PETG filament has the reputation of combining the functionality of ABS (stronger, temperature resistant, more durable) and reliability of PLA (easy to print) in one material.
• The layer adhesion is usually excellent.
• Reduced potential of warping or shrinking of your prints."

Temperature test of PETG & PLA prints

Below are the printing parameters for this test. 

Nozzle diameter: 0.3 mm

Printing temperature: 240℃

Build plate temperature: 110℃

Layer height: 0.15 mm

Printing speed: 30 mm/s

Wall thickness: 0.9 mm

Retraction speed: 60 mm/s

Retraction distance: 6.5 mm

Infill distance: 4 mm

Enclosed chamber: No

Cooling system: Disabled

L*W*H of the Octopus: 58 x 57 x 40 mm

Printing time: about 2 hours 45 minutes

Share with your friends:

[Testing] IVI prints with Polycarbonate (PC)
almost 5 years ago – Thu, May 09, 2019 at 12:14:35 AM

Dear all,

Today, we printed the octopus model with PC.

Because the PC is hard to stick to anything. In this test, we also used the punched carbon fiber bed to help the filament stick to it.

“PC is a strong, durable, and tough material. It's a naturally transparent thermoplastic with high impact resistance and excellent heat resistance. As a 3D printing filament, it's heat resistance is both a benefit and a problematic characteristic, as it is even more prone to warping and splitting than ABS filament. As such, this material needs high temperatures in order to extrude and have proper layer adhesion. Once it's all said and done though, successfully printing PC filament can enable you to print some stellar and almost indestructible RC cars, drones, or anything else you can imagine.”-- Scott Cahoon (How to Succeed when Printing with Polycarbonate Filament)

What we can conclude from Scott Cahoon’s article is that for a printer to be able to print PC, it must meet all the following requirements: 

1. The print head needs to be able to reach 290℃~310℃;
2. There must a heated bed and it can reach over 120℃;
3. The printer must be able to be enclosed and the chamber temperature needs to be kept at around 40℃~60℃;
4. The cooling system can be disabled. 

Thanks to its ceramic tubing, enclosed chamber, and heated bed, IVI is capable of printing good quality PC models. 

Below are the printing parameters for this test. 

Nozzle diameter: 0.3 mm

Printing temperature: 300℃

Build plate temperature: 130℃

Chamber temperature: around 50℃

Layer height: 0.15 mm

Printing speed: 30 mm/s

Wall thickness: 1.2 mm

Retraction speed: 60 mm/s

Retraction distance: 6.5 mm

Infill distance: 4 mm

L*W*H of the Octopus: 58 x 57 x 40 mm

Printing time: about 2 hours 45 minutes

[Testing] IVI prints with POM or Acetal or Delrin
almost 5 years ago – Wed, May 08, 2019 at 12:37:08 AM

Dear all, 

Today, we printed the octopus model with POM filament.

POM, aka polyoxymethylene or Acetal or Delrin, is strong, wear-resistant, flexible and slippery (low friction). It's very similar to Nylon but keeps it's shape better and doesn't have a problem with humidity. 

Properties of the POM: 

Density: around 1.420 g/cm3.

Specific strength: up to 50.5 MPa

Specific stiffness: up to 2650 MPa (very close to the metal)

Fatigue strength: up to 35 MPa after 10 alternating loads

Molding shrinkage rate: 1.2-3.0%

Molding temperature: 170-200°C

Wear resistance: POM > PA66 > PA6 > ABS > HPVC > PS > PC

Dielectric strength: 82.7 kV/mm when the thickness is 0.127 mm and 23.6 kV/mm when the thickness is 1.88 mm.

POM is frequently used in engineering precision parts (gears, bearings, sliding and guiding elements, etc.) that require high stiffness, low friction, and dimensional stability.

The difficulty with POM is to get it to stick to the bed. Suitable printing temperatures range between 210-270 °C. In this test, we used the punched carbon fiber bed to help the POM stick to it.  

Below are the printing parameters for this test. 

Nozzle diameter: 0.3 mm

Printing temperature: 240℃

Build plate temperature: 120℃

Chamber temperature: 50~60℃ (When it's not enclosed, there might be cracking.)

Layer height: 0.15 mm

Printing speed: 30 mm/s

Wall thickness: 1.2 mm

Retraction speed: 60 mm/s

Retraction distance: 6.5 mm

Infill distance: 4 mm

L*W*H of the Octopus: 58 x 57 x 40 mm

Printing time: about 2 hours 45 minutes

[Outsourcing] IVI’s cooperation with XIVODESIGN
almost 5 years ago – Tue, May 07, 2019 at 12:54:18 AM

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