3D Printing Countdown to Christmas with 25 Days of Materials

Here at Airwolf 3D, we love experimenting with different materials and creating awesome 3D printed parts. Since the Holidays are around the corner, the Wolfpack decided to print an Advent Calendar designed by pleppik that contains a box for each of the 25 days of Materials in December through Christmas, and a small ”gift” for each box. The boxes fit together to form the shape of a Christmas Tree. Tis the season to be jolly,
join us in a fun 3D printing countdown to Christmas while learning about 25 different materials and their unique properties that we will be working on with the 3D printed Christmas Tree. Our 3D printing countdown to Christmas begins with ABS and Nylon.

 

ABS filament

Our Christmas Tree/Advent Calendar was printed in ABS. The most important properties of ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) are toughness and impact resistance. ABS is very durable, strong, somewhat flexible and fairly resistant to heat which  makes it often a preferred plastic for engineers and professional applications. ABS has to be extruded at a higher temperature, print at 235 – 255ºC with a heated bed at 115-130º C. It’s suitable for a vast assortment of purposes and can be easily sanded to smooth parts and remove rough edges.  Perfect for the Wolfpack’s 25 Days of Materials Christmas Tree!!

Some interesting facts about ABS:

• Most commonly used thermoplastic due to its impact resistance and “toughness”
• Used for Lego, automotive trim components, automotive bumper bars, enclosures for electrical and electronic assemblies
• Stronger, more stable (long term), and less brittle than PLA, handles higher temperatures
• General rule/design consideration – printed parts have 30% the strength of injection molding
• Available in all colors

Here are some tips and trick for 3D printing with ABS:

• Original Wolfbite is a premium solution specifically engineered to ABS and PETG parts to a glass 3D printer build plate without lifting—also known in the industry as “warpage,”—and to enable smooth release of objects after printing. This new solution works well with heated and non-heated beds on all types and brands of the 3D printers utilizing glass printing surfaces.
• Coat ABS Parts with EnviroTex Lite epoxy to toughen and help protect your part from the sun and other elements.
• Use this penetrating 2 Part Epoxy Coating to achieve a stronger ABS part.
• Follow  these 7 Steps to a shiny porcelain finish on ABS parts with acetone!

 

Day 1: Wrapped Present Printed in Nylon

Kicking off the Wolfpack’s 25 Days of Materials 3D printing countdown is a wrapped present printed in Airwolf Nylon. This filament works with standard ABS temperatures, and also is compatible with PLA for dual extruder support material printing. Print at 240°C  with a heated bed at 70-80°C. It provides excellent layer-to-layer bonding, less warping, and a nice finish. The natural white color can be dyed with clothing dye for different results.

An excellent use of Nylon is in mechanical parts such as machine screws, gears and other low- to medium-stress components previously cast in metal.

Did you know?

Nylon was intended to be a synthetic replacement for silk and substitute for many products after silk became scarce during World War II?  It replaced silk in military applications such as parachutes and flak vests, and was used in many types of vehicle tires.

To learn more about Nylon filament, read this article 3D PRINTED NYLON GOGGLE STRAP LOOPS.

 

 

Click here to buy some Airwolf Nylon filament.

 

More Materials to Follow!

Below is a chart to list a few of the 3D printing filaments that we will be discussing over the next 25 days.

Day 1: Nylon.
Day 2: HIPS.
Day 3: Stainless Steel PLA.
Day 4: PC-ABS.
Day 5: PETG.
Day 6: PLA.
Day 7: IGUS Iglidur.
Day 8: Coffee PLA.
Day 9: LAYBRICK.
Day 10: Bridge Nylon.
Day 11: LayWOO-D3.
Day 12: ALLOY 910.
Day 13: NinjaFlex TPE.

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