1 Topic by Ski52

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Topic: How to tell the difference between PLA & ABS

Got my SD2 for Christmas, and also got 2 1Kilo rolls of filament.  At the time, my son said the ABS was noticably more expensive, so he bought 2 rolls of PLA off EBay. 

Been having some luck with small parts, but NO luck with larger or bigger footprint parts.  Tall parts - near the end (or top) the nozzle will touch the part and literally break it off! (6 hour print of that brown dragon on Thingiverse... 305 out of 350 layers)  The warping on a larger footprint is totally unacceptable, and any & all will fail before completion - being uprooted by the extruder.  I have glass & hairspray.  Have used Elmers & water wash with some good results (have to 'wash' the print off).  I have even used acetone & filament strings as a slurry.  That leads to the question. 

As I read more on this forum, PLA is not readily dissolvable is acetone, but ABS is.  My 'PLA' dissolves almost immediately in acetone.  I have all my settings geared to PLA.  How do I tell the difference?

Learning lots, but evidently not enough.   

TIA

Ski

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2 Reply by wardjr

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Re: How to tell the difference between PLA & ABS

My advice would be throw the filament out and order some good stuff.  You could try and dehydrate it in the oven and see if that helps but if your questioning if it is PLA or ABS.  You will pull out a lot less hair if you just buy some good (Known) filament.
I personally have had good luck with Octave ABS.

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3 Reply by Serin

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Re: How to tell the difference between PLA & ABS

I second wardjr's advice.
Nothing worse than dealing with shitty filament when trying to get the printer running smoothly.

This is a crowd funding thing that I'm running: http://www.gofundme.com/bvi140 It's for pretty selfish reasons tongue

4 Reply by ronsii

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Re: How to tell the difference between PLA & ABS

Sounds like you do not have PLA... are your prints stringy between places the extruder moves without extruding? another way to tell is what does it smell like while extruding/printing?

Like Ward and Serin said, it's a lot easier when you don't have unknowns smile

5 Reply by Ski52

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Re: How to tell the difference between PLA & ABS

My next step obviously, will be to get some brand name known ABS stuff.  During the interim tho, I'm gonna try to print one of the same prints using the stock ABS settings, who knows, I may be trying to use ABS with PLA settings.
As far as printing, it is kinda stringy between  moves, and there is little or no odor from the hot filament.  It doesn't really stick together either, you can separate almost every layer, kinda like unwinding a sweater with one thread.....

Will try a couple more things this evening, after work....

Ski

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6 Reply by wardjr

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Re: How to tell the difference between PLA & ABS

Ski52 wrote:

My next step obviously, will be to get some brand name known ABS stuff.  During the interim tho, I'm gonna try to print one of the same prints using the stock ABS settings, who knows, I may be trying to use ABS with PLA settings.
As far as printing, it is kinda stringy between  moves, and there is little or no odor from the hot filament.  It doesn't really stick together either, you can separate almost every layer, kinda like unwinding a sweater with one thread.....

Will try a couple more things this evening, after work....

Ski

Just be careful not to clog your hot end.

Printit Industries Model 8.10 fully enclosed CoreXY, Chamber heat
3-SD3's & a Workbench all fully enclosed, RH-Slic3r Win7pro, E3D V6, Volcano & Cyclops Hot End
SSR/500W AC Heated Glass Bed, Linear bearings on SS rods. Direct Drive Y-axis, BulldogXL
Thanks to all for your contributions

wardjr's Website

7 Reply by Ski52

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Re: How to tell the difference between PLA & ABS

Just be careful not to clog your hot end.

Already been there - done that.... left the extruder at temp, ended up replacing the nozzle & the feed tube..   

Ski

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8 Reply by Ski52

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Re: How to tell the difference between PLA & ABS

Well... I hate to put a whammy on an unfinished print, BUT.....   I came home, re-leveled the print bed after pulling off the Kapton layer (I'm using glass), set the parameters for all stock 1.75 ABS, little spritz of Aqua-Net,  and I'm about 26 layers into a print that curled off the bed last nite at ~10 layers. 
Stock settings on my software is extruder 215C, bed 105C and whatever 0.4mm on the slicer is.  Amongst all the motor fans & PCB fans, I'm still using the nozzle cooling fan. 

We'll see what happens if I make it to 250 layers, it's now @ 30.......

Ski

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9 Reply by wardjr

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Re: How to tell the difference between PLA & ABS

fingers crossed smile

Printit Industries Model 8.10 fully enclosed CoreXY, Chamber heat
3-SD3's & a Workbench all fully enclosed, RH-Slic3r Win7pro, E3D V6, Volcano & Cyclops Hot End
SSR/500W AC Heated Glass Bed, Linear bearings on SS rods. Direct Drive Y-axis, BulldogXL
Thanks to all for your contributions

wardjr's Website

10 Reply by Ski52

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Re: How to tell the difference between PLA & ABS

SUCCESS!! or kinda.  Got this 4" tall dragon with a lot of spaces between parts, and it really came out good, at least I think so.  Lotta raft trimming to do, but nothing like the last bunch. 

The dragon was in white, trying some stuff in black, set at the same ABS specs...  Seems to be OK.

Will try the bigger dragon this weekend, it's 6 1/2 hour print...  My 39 y.o. son is into dragons.  His older brother is a different story (to be told another time!) 

Thanx for the help!

Ski

Ender 3 Pro