Filament Choice

Bill Arnold

1974
Staff member
Messages
8,621
Location
Thomasville, GA
I drew a range hood light cover (see drawing below) to replace one that's falling apart. I printed it in PLA natural and it turned out to be a great match. However, when I flexed it a small amount as needed to put the tabs into their respective slots, one side snapped at the top of the curve. I'm looking at ordering some nylon or PETG filament to have more flexibility. Do you guys have any experience with either or have another suggestion?

Thanks!

LightCover.jpg
 
I've tried both PLA and PETG At this point. I've not had great luck with the petg, but I'm not sure why. I've only attempted to use one batch of it, so maybe it's just that batch, or maybe its me.

They say that it has great layer adhesion and more flexibility than PLA, but I've not had luck with it yet. I was printing up some plumbing fittings and my attempts have been porous and not all that strong.

Again, it's probably just me. It's supposed to be a great material, so I'm going to print some heat towers with it when I get a little time as well as try a different batch of material to see whats what.
 
From what I've read, PETG might be flexible enough for my application. In researching flexible filaments, I learned there is some nylon that is flexible enough for belts and purses - don't need that much flex! The more I read about different filaments, the more confusing it gets! I'm looking for feedback elsewhere also.
 
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