Hi all. I am designing an animated under-the-tree Christmas gizmo, and it needs a few smallish (1-4 inch diameter, 1/4 inch or so thick) working gears. I am totally new to 3D printing, and just bought a TAZ-5 to make parts. I've thoroughly researched the differences between ABS and PLA, but I'd still love some opinions. My fear is that PLA might be too brittle to serve for gears, even though the load is very light. Also, I guess its low softening point means that my gizmo could not be stored in a hot attic, right? But ABS is supposed to be smellier and harder to work with, so that scares me a bit. I've seen info on a new composite material sold (at higher price!) under the ColorFab brand name. Has anyone worked with this? Thanks for any opinions on my best choice for gear material! Tim

I would start with PLA, because it is so much easier to work with, and probably will do fine Jon On 12/4/2015 8:40 AM, Timothy Masters wrote: > Hi all. I am designing an animated under-the-tree Christmas gizmo, > and it needs a few smallish (1-4 inch diameter, 1/4 inch or so thick) > working gears. > > I am totally new to 3D printing, and just bought a TAZ-5 to make parts. > > I've thoroughly researched the differences between ABS and PLA, but > I'd still love some opinions. > My fear is that PLA might be too brittle to serve for gears, even > though the load is very light. > Also, I guess its low softening point means that my gizmo could not be > stored in a hot attic, right? > > But ABS is supposed to be smellier and harder to work with, so that > scares me a bit. > > I've seen info on a new composite material sold (at higher price!) > under the ColorFab brand name. > Has anyone worked with this? > > Thanks for any opinions on my best choice for gear material! > > Tim > > > _______________________________________________ > OpenSCAD mailing list > Discuss@lists.openscad.org > http://lists.openscad.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.openscad.org > > > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com <http://www.avg.com> > Version: 2016.0.7227 / Virus Database: 4477/11110 - Release Date: 12/04/15 >

Well, the PLA I use, melts at 212 C, so unless you live in AZ (funny, cause I live there!), it should be just fine. I mean it does get a little hot in the summer time - 118 or so for a while. I don't think even in an attic it would be more than about 160 or so - even in AZ. As for brittle, it should be ok too, if you there isn't a lot of torque on them. Just make them thick enough - say 5 mm or so. I have made a set of gears for myself. And they worked well. -- Extra Ham Operator: K7AZJ Registered Linux User: 275424 Raspberry Pi and Arduino developer *The most exciting phrase to hear in science - the one that heralds new discoveries - is not "Eureka!" but "That's funny...".*- Isaac. Asimov *I* *f you give someone a program, you will frustrate them for a day; if you teach them how to program, you will frustrate them for a lifetime. *- Anonymous *If writing good code requires very little comments, then writing really excellent code requires no comments at all!*- Ken Thompson On Fri, Dec 4, 2015 at 7:20 AM, jon <jon@jonbondy.com> wrote: > I would start with PLA, because it is so much easier to work with, and > probably will do fine > > Jon > > > On 12/4/2015 8:40 AM, Timothy Masters wrote: > > Hi all. I am designing an animated under-the-tree Christmas gizmo, and it > needs a few smallish (1-4 inch diameter, 1/4 inch or so thick) working > gears. > > I am totally new to 3D printing, and just bought a TAZ-5 to make parts. > > I've thoroughly researched the differences between ABS and PLA, but I'd > still love some opinions. > My fear is that PLA might be too brittle to serve for gears, even though > the load is very light. > Also, I guess its low softening point means that my gizmo could not be > stored in a hot attic, right? > > But ABS is supposed to be smellier and harder to work with, so that scares > me a bit. > > I've seen info on a new composite material sold (at higher price!) under > the ColorFab brand name. > Has anyone worked with this? > > Thanks for any opinions on my best choice for gear material! > > Tim > > > _______________________________________________ > OpenSCAD mailing listDiscuss@lists.openscad.orghttp://lists.openscad.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.openscad.org > > > > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 2016.0.7227 / Virus Database: 4477/11110 - Release Date: 12/04/15 > > > > _______________________________________________ > OpenSCAD mailing list > Discuss@lists.openscad.org > http://lists.openscad.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.openscad.org > >

Von: "Jerry Davis" <jdawgaz@gmail.com> > Well, the PLA I use, melts at 212 C, so unless you live in AZ > (funny, cause I live there!), it should be just fine. > Yes, it melts at a relatively high temperature, but the glass transition temperature is somewhere above 60°C which is easily reached in direct sunlight, especially with black PLA. It will not melt, but get very soft and deform. I could observe that live with a black iPad stand which just collapsed on a not even extremely hot day in summer :-). ciao, Torsten.

well, true that. I have plastic on my house, you know water pipes (above ground, of course), and other plastic stuff like housing around air conditioning stuff. It doesn't melt, but after 8 years it is pretty brownish looking (when the house was new, it was off-white). This, of course is due to the extreme UV, we have in AZ. Heck, windshield wipers only last a year, here. And batteries? If you get 3 years from any battery (no matter how expensive), you are doing mighty good. But that's AZ. One thing though, I don't have to shovel sunshine! -- Extra Ham Operator: K7AZJ Registered Linux User: 275424 Raspberry Pi and Arduino developer *The most exciting phrase to hear in science - the one that heralds new discoveries - is not "Eureka!" but "That's funny...".*- Isaac. Asimov *I* *f you give someone a program, you will frustrate them for a day; if you teach them how to program, you will frustrate them for a lifetime. *- Anonymous *If writing good code requires very little comments, then writing really excellent code requires no comments at all!*- Ken Thompson On Fri, Dec 4, 2015 at 8:36 AM, Torsten Paul <Torsten.Paul@gmx.de> wrote: > Von: "Jerry Davis" <jdawgaz@gmail.com> > > Well, the PLA I use, melts at 212 C, so unless you live in AZ > > (funny, cause I live there!), it should be just fine. > > > Yes, it melts at a relatively high temperature, but the glass > transition temperature is somewhere above 60°C which is easily > reached in direct sunlight, especially with black PLA. It will > not melt, but get very soft and deform. > I could observe that live with a black iPad stand which just > collapsed on a not even extremely hot day in summer :-). > > ciao, > Torsten. > > _______________________________________________ > OpenSCAD mailing list > Discuss@lists.openscad.org > http://lists.openscad.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.openscad.org >

PLA has a glass transition at ~55C, so it will turn to rubber above that. On 4 December 2015 at 15:00, Jerry Davis <jdawgaz@gmail.com> wrote: > Well, the PLA I use, melts at 212 C, so unless you live in AZ (funny, > cause I live there!), it should be just fine. > I mean it does get a little hot in the summer time - 118 or so for a > while. I don't think even in an attic it would be more than about 160 or so > - even in AZ. > > As for brittle, it should be ok too, if you there isn't a lot of torque on > them. Just make them thick enough - say 5 mm or so. > I have made a set of gears for myself. And they worked well. > > > > > > -- > Extra Ham Operator: K7AZJ > Registered Linux User: 275424 > Raspberry Pi and Arduino developer > > > *The most exciting phrase to hear in science - the one that heralds new > discoveries - is not "Eureka!" but "That's funny...".*- Isaac. Asimov > > *I* > *f you give someone a program, you will frustrate them for a day; if you > teach them how to program, you will frustrate them for a lifetime. *- > Anonymous > > > *If writing good code requires very little comments, then writing really > excellent code requires no comments at all!*- Ken Thompson > > On Fri, Dec 4, 2015 at 7:20 AM, jon <jon@jonbondy.com> wrote: > >> I would start with PLA, because it is so much easier to work with, and >> probably will do fine >> >> Jon >> >> >> On 12/4/2015 8:40 AM, Timothy Masters wrote: >> >> Hi all. I am designing an animated under-the-tree Christmas gizmo, and >> it needs a few smallish (1-4 inch diameter, 1/4 inch or so thick) working >> gears. >> >> I am totally new to 3D printing, and just bought a TAZ-5 to make parts. >> >> I've thoroughly researched the differences between ABS and PLA, but I'd >> still love some opinions. >> My fear is that PLA might be too brittle to serve for gears, even though >> the load is very light. >> Also, I guess its low softening point means that my gizmo could not be >> stored in a hot attic, right? >> >> But ABS is supposed to be smellier and harder to work with, so that >> scares me a bit. >> >> I've seen info on a new composite material sold (at higher price!) under >> the ColorFab brand name. >> Has anyone worked with this? >> >> Thanks for any opinions on my best choice for gear material! >> >> Tim >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> OpenSCAD mailing listDiscuss@lists.openscad.orghttp://lists.openscad.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.openscad.org >> >> >> >> No virus found in this message. >> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >> Version: 2016.0.7227 / Virus Database: 4477/11110 - Release Date: 12/04/15 >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> OpenSCAD mailing list >> Discuss@lists.openscad.org >> http://lists.openscad.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.openscad.org >> >> > > _______________________________________________ > OpenSCAD mailing list > Discuss@lists.openscad.org > http://lists.openscad.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.openscad.org > >

PLA for an "under the tree Xmas gizmo".  

Sure, my entire printer didn't "melt" a couple years ago when I left it in the car for an afternoon. It just softened a bit... http://i.imgur.com/nDbFRGu.jpg The fact is PLA parts are a complete failure under any moderate heat. I would make gears out of PETG, it has heat resistance comparable to ABS with none of the warping/shrinking hell. Its really a dream to print with, but it may require printing at a bit lower speed to get good results. You can find "Inland" or "eSun" brands of PETG on Amazon for roughly the same cost as ABS or PLA filaments. Also it has no odor and as far as I can tell the wear resistance is quite good. Hans On Fri, Dec 4, 2015 at 9:00 AM, Jerry Davis <jdawgaz@gmail.com> wrote: > Well, the PLA I use, melts at 212 C, so unless you live in AZ (funny, > cause I live there!), it should be just fine. > I mean it does get a little hot in the summer time - 118 or so for a > while. I don't think even in an attic it would be more than about 160 or so > - even in AZ. > > As for brittle, it should be ok too, if you there isn't a lot of torque on > them. Just make them thick enough - say 5 mm or so. > I have made a set of gears for myself. And they worked well. > > > > > > -- > Extra Ham Operator: K7AZJ > Registered Linux User: 275424 > Raspberry Pi and Arduino developer > > > *The most exciting phrase to hear in science - the one that heralds new > discoveries - is not "Eureka!" but "That's funny...".*- Isaac. Asimov > > *I* > *f you give someone a program, you will frustrate them for a day; if you > teach them how to program, you will frustrate them for a lifetime. *- > Anonymous > > > *If writing good code requires very little comments, then writing really > excellent code requires no comments at all!*- Ken Thompson > > On Fri, Dec 4, 2015 at 7:20 AM, jon <jon@jonbondy.com> wrote: > >> I would start with PLA, because it is so much easier to work with, and >> probably will do fine >> >> Jon >> >> >> On 12/4/2015 8:40 AM, Timothy Masters wrote: >> >> Hi all. I am designing an animated under-the-tree Christmas gizmo, and >> it needs a few smallish (1-4 inch diameter, 1/4 inch or so thick) working >> gears. >> >> I am totally new to 3D printing, and just bought a TAZ-5 to make parts. >> >> I've thoroughly researched the differences between ABS and PLA, but I'd >> still love some opinions. >> My fear is that PLA might be too brittle to serve for gears, even though >> the load is very light. >> Also, I guess its low softening point means that my gizmo could not be >> stored in a hot attic, right? >> >> But ABS is supposed to be smellier and harder to work with, so that >> scares me a bit. >> >> I've seen info on a new composite material sold (at higher price!) under >> the ColorFab brand name. >> Has anyone worked with this? >> >> Thanks for any opinions on my best choice for gear material! >> >> Tim >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> OpenSCAD mailing listDiscuss@lists.openscad.orghttp://lists.openscad.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.openscad.org >> >> >> >> No virus found in this message. >> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >> Version: 2016.0.7227 / Virus Database: 4477/11110 - Release Date: 12/04/15 >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> OpenSCAD mailing list >> Discuss@lists.openscad.org >> http://lists.openscad.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.openscad.org >> >> > > _______________________________________________ > OpenSCAD mailing list > Discuss@lists.openscad.org > http://lists.openscad.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.openscad.org > >

Hans - Thank you for the heads-up on PETG! It looks fantastic, the very material I'm looking for. I wonder why only PLA and ABS are discussed. I never heard of PETG or saw it mentioned anywhere until your post. Any idea what the glass transition temperature is? I could not find that in any specs anywhere. Thanks! Tim -- View this message in context: http://forum.openscad.org/Best-material-for-small-animated-gadget-gears-tp14935p15009.html Sent from the OpenSCAD mailing list archive at Nabble.com.

M/b start w/ matweb at http://www.matweb.com/search/datasheet.aspx?matguid=0ae8a31119d6490cb52259ccbdf15664&ckck=1 Kent On 12/07/2015 08:47 AM, TimM wrote: > Hans - Thank you for the heads-up on PETG! It looks fantastic, the very > material I'm looking for. I wonder why only PLA and ABS are discussed. I > never heard of PETG or saw it mentioned anywhere until your post. > > Any idea what the glass transition temperature is? I could not find that in > any specs anywhere. > > Thanks! > > Tim > > > > -- > View this message in context: http://forum.openscad.org/Best-material-for-small-animated-gadget-gears-tp14935p15009.html > Sent from the OpenSCAD mailing list archive at Nabble.com. > > _______________________________________________ > OpenSCAD mailing list > Discuss@lists.openscad.org > http://lists.openscad.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.openscad.org >