Materials

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Materials

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Description
Current or candidate materials for use in the construction of a RepRap
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Here is a list of parts and the materials used (or not used) on a RepRap Mendel. The goal here is to brainstorm new materials that are better, cheaper, easier to work, or easier to acquire, as well as to explain why particular materials succeed or fail. This page can also be used to judge the most successful materials used by the community. eventually maybe we can add some code so that we can vote for particular materials. In the meantime, just edit this page to add info or examples for both failures and successes

Goals for this page

a)List all materials used and the reason for use
b) List failed materials with reason/theory of failure
c)List untested but promising materials and explain their potential.

Metals

Steel

Used to form the frame of Mendel and Eiffel, as well as for Bearings and Fasteners (bolts/nuts/washers)

Galvanized

cheaper than stainless

Stainless

No corrosion

Carbon Steel

Copper

Aluminum

Low mass: when used in moving parts smaller motors can possibly be used. not as strong as steel though, so may flex if not sized properly

Brass

Used for the nozzle of extruders. Not sure why brass is used; maybe it doesn't expand much when heated?,
quote from Team Open Air[1]:

The reason that people started off with copper and brass is because they are EXCELLENT conductors of heat, and we want the heat from the nichrome wire wrapped around the nozzle to be conducted inside to the plastic to melt it. However, with a thin, long cylinder it is very easy for the heat to move inward, even with an insulating material for the nozzle. But the copper and brass also carry it sideways a LONG ways, requiring a long rod of PTFE or other high temp plastic to isolate the heat of the nozzle from the Stepper Motor and any Electronics.

Plastics

Thermoset

PEEK

High temperature plastic, easily machined, less thermal creep than PTFE.

PTFE

PTFE, also known as Teflon, is used in Extruder Nozzles and Bowen Extruders for its low friction.

Caution PTFE gives of very toxic fumes when over heated.

BakeLite

High temperature plastic found in most kitchen saucepan, frying pan handles. First tried by Grogyan on his JunkStruder, material suggested by friend. Machineable, low thermal creep. Available everywhere.

Thermoplastics

Thermoplastics are extrudeable. (Unlike Thermoset plastics.)

ABS

ABS: User:Nophead had some problems [2] with his Mendel X Axis carriage degrading from the heat coming off his extruder nozzle. suggests that low temp exposure will shorten the lifetime of extruded parts. reflective heat shield or fan might mitigate this issue, or a carriage design change that moves extruded parts away from the hot end.

PET

PLA

PLA

Wood

Plywood

Glass

Glass/Ceramic

When used as a bed parts come off very flat, but a Heated Bed might be required. User:Mike Bushroe has successfully made Glass Nozzles. [3].

Kapton

High temp tape used mainly to attach heater element to the extruder. perhaps could be replaced with PTFE heat shrink wire rap?

Caution Kapton gives off noxious fumes from the adhesieve, adhesieve does drip onto barrel and nozzle, making it very icky. Avaialble mostly everywhere.


Nichrome

Primary source for the heating mechanism of the extruder. Comes in two varieties, uninsulated (available mostly everywhere), insulated (fibreglass coated, difficult to aqquire, if not impossible, locally).

Materieals by Part

Frame Materials