How to choose a 3D printer, or why you need a heating table and a closed chamber
Different models of 3D printers differ in the maximum heating temperature of the table on which they are printed. In this article I will talk about the different categories of printers for this very important parameter. After all, the range of materials that the printer can print depends on the heating of the table. I will also touch upon the question of why a closed camera is needed.
Able to print only one type of plastic - PLA. This material is suitable for prototypes, souvenirs, and when heated to 60 ° C, it becomes soft and the product loses its shape. With great effort on such printers you can try to print with other materials, but the result will not please you. Typically, these are printers like Prusa with a movable table, but there are also "cubes".
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Problems occur due to shrinkage (size reduction) of the plastic product after cooling. If the plastic with shrinkage (and this is almost all plastics, except for PLA), then the edges of the product begin to tear off from the printing table, the product geometry is irreparably damaged or it completely comes off the table, risking damage to the print head, which continues to move.
Plus (or minus?) Of such printers is that manufacturers in them save not only on the table heater, but also on everything else. Therefore, they are cheap printers.
At the same time, in the description of such printers, the lack of table heating may not be indicated in any way (be careful!), But the possibility of printing with other plastics other than PLA, which misleads the buyer, is indicated. And with printing problems you will encounter after the acquisition of such a printer.
The most famous of the printers without heating the table - Makerbot Replicator 2
From Chinese models - TEVO Michelangelo
Further, the story goes about more interesting printers with heated tables from 100 ° C to 170 ° C, which are designed for printing plastics with shrinkage - from classic ABS to Polycarbonate. The higher the maximum temperature of the table, the more plastics you can print, because heating the table prevents damage to the part due to shrinkage during printing. In this case, the higher the melting point of the plastic, the stronger the table should be heated.
Suitable for printing many plastics, except for technical. At the same time, printing large items with popular ABS plastic at such a low temperature will be problematic. In reality, the ABS requires from 110 ° C to 130 ° C on the table, especially with regard to cheap brands with large shrinkage, which are very widely available for sale. Print the same more interesting technical plastics - nylon, polypropylene, polycarbonate, such printers do not work.
From Chinese printers it is Anycubic, various models of Flashforge.
Excellent for printing ABS plastic. But, if you want to print large products from the ABS, then a closed camera is needed for such a printer. It is necessary to maintain a high air temperature around the printed product, which reduces shrinkage in the printing process over the entire height of the product. The higher the temperature in the chamber, the better for printing!
And here begins an interesting. Those manufacturers who have the usual models with an "open camera", cover them with a plastic transparent "aquarium" on top, and the sellers offer them in the guise of printers with a closed camera! Of course, such a solution is cheap, but the larger the volume of the chamber, the more difficult it is to maintain a high temperature, and in this case the volume increases significantly. This means that in such printers the temperature in the chamber will be lower than is necessary for high-quality printing.
More interesting is the situation when the printer is closed at the sides, but completely open at the top and has no cover at all. At the same time sellers give them for printers with a closed camera (be careful!).
The question is, why not close any printer on top completely, without increasing the volume of the "aquarium"? Yes, because all simple models are designed so that from the extruder (print head) vertically raises the bundle of wires, as well as the tube through which the plastic thread is fed (look carefully at the photo of the printer from all sides). All this sticks out from the top of the printer and does not normally close it. This is especially true for Bowden-fed printers with plastic feed, where a motor pushing plastic thread is placed on the body of the printer.
It would seem, and so what? Well, turn the wires to the side of the extruder, so that they do not stick up and do not interfere ... However, for this you need to apply design solutions with a horizontal arrangement of wires and tubes suitable for the extruder, and design the printer initially taking into account the closed chamber.
What is interesting, even some expensive closed imported printers have a greater height and increased clearance inside the chamber between the extruder and the top cover, because in them, the designers could not (did not want to) turn the plastic supply tube horizontally. And that means that the volume of the camera in them is more than necessary.
Most of both imported and domestic printers fall into this category.
These printers are already quite well developed by designers. Most of these printers really have a well-heated closed chamber with a lateral arrangement of wires and tubes of the extruder. They can be printed as large products made of ABS plastic, and small products from technical plastics - nylon, polypropylene, polycarbonate.
From domestic printers in this category, we note Picaso3D and PrintBox3D.
Here we come to closed printers with very high table temperatures. These printers are designed by designers taking into account the trends in 3D printing to increase operating temperatures, and therefore, to the possibility of printing more and more durable, heat-resistant plastics. There are few such printers, they are expensive, with rare exceptions.
Why warm the table so much? The fact is that the higher the melting temperature of the plastic, the stronger the table and the surrounding air in the chamber must be heated, otherwise the product will peel off from the table when printed and the printing will be interrupted. Thus, in polycarbonate, the extruder print temperature can reach 310 ° C. If small parts can be printed at a table temperature of 130 ° C, then the average is already from 150 ° C, and the large ones will remain on the table only at 170 ° C.
In addition, such printers have the potential for printing and other refractory plastics. For example, at an extruder temperature of 400 ° C, PEEK (polyetheretherketone) can be printed. This refractory and durable plastic is used in aviation, space technology.
In this high-temperature category, we note the Chinese printer company Intamsys FUNMAT HT with an extruder temperature of up to 450 ° C, a table - up to 160 ° C.
From domestic we can not fail to mention the 3D-printer Faberant Cube
with extruder temperature up to 340 ° C, table up to 170 ° C.
If you want to print with different plastics, and not just with one PLA, then the 3D printer should have a heated table. If you intend to print large products from the ABS, then you need a real closed chamber, without the "aquarium" on top. The higher the maximum temperature of the table, the greater the range of materials that you can use in your printer. In printers with a heated table up to 170 ° C, this spectrum is very large, up to polycarbonate and PEEK, if the extruder allows for heating.
In the following articles, the story will go into more detail about the maximum extruder temperature, kinematics, and other things.
Printers without under table heating
Able to print only one type of plastic - PLA. This material is suitable for prototypes, souvenirs, and when heated to 60 ° C, it becomes soft and the product loses its shape. With great effort on such printers you can try to print with other materials, but the result will not please you. Typically, these are printers like Prusa with a movable table, but there are also "cubes".
')
Problems occur due to shrinkage (size reduction) of the plastic product after cooling. If the plastic with shrinkage (and this is almost all plastics, except for PLA), then the edges of the product begin to tear off from the printing table, the product geometry is irreparably damaged or it completely comes off the table, risking damage to the print head, which continues to move.
Plus (or minus?) Of such printers is that manufacturers in them save not only on the table heater, but also on everything else. Therefore, they are cheap printers.
At the same time, in the description of such printers, the lack of table heating may not be indicated in any way (be careful!), But the possibility of printing with other plastics other than PLA, which misleads the buyer, is indicated. And with printing problems you will encounter after the acquisition of such a printer.
The most famous of the printers without heating the table - Makerbot Replicator 2
From Chinese models - TEVO Michelangelo
Further, the story goes about more interesting printers with heated tables from 100 ° C to 170 ° C, which are designed for printing plastics with shrinkage - from classic ABS to Polycarbonate. The higher the maximum temperature of the table, the more plastics you can print, because heating the table prevents damage to the part due to shrinkage during printing. In this case, the higher the melting point of the plastic, the stronger the table should be heated.
Printers with heated table up to 100 ° C
Suitable for printing many plastics, except for technical. At the same time, printing large items with popular ABS plastic at such a low temperature will be problematic. In reality, the ABS requires from 110 ° C to 130 ° C on the table, especially with regard to cheap brands with large shrinkage, which are very widely available for sale. Print the same more interesting technical plastics - nylon, polypropylene, polycarbonate, such printers do not work.
From Chinese printers it is Anycubic, various models of Flashforge.
Printers with heated desk up to 120 ° C
Excellent for printing ABS plastic. But, if you want to print large products from the ABS, then a closed camera is needed for such a printer. It is necessary to maintain a high air temperature around the printed product, which reduces shrinkage in the printing process over the entire height of the product. The higher the temperature in the chamber, the better for printing!
And here begins an interesting. Those manufacturers who have the usual models with an "open camera", cover them with a plastic transparent "aquarium" on top, and the sellers offer them in the guise of printers with a closed camera! Of course, such a solution is cheap, but the larger the volume of the chamber, the more difficult it is to maintain a high temperature, and in this case the volume increases significantly. This means that in such printers the temperature in the chamber will be lower than is necessary for high-quality printing.
More interesting is the situation when the printer is closed at the sides, but completely open at the top and has no cover at all. At the same time sellers give them for printers with a closed camera (be careful!).
The question is, why not close any printer on top completely, without increasing the volume of the "aquarium"? Yes, because all simple models are designed so that from the extruder (print head) vertically raises the bundle of wires, as well as the tube through which the plastic thread is fed (look carefully at the photo of the printer from all sides). All this sticks out from the top of the printer and does not normally close it. This is especially true for Bowden-fed printers with plastic feed, where a motor pushing plastic thread is placed on the body of the printer.
It would seem, and so what? Well, turn the wires to the side of the extruder, so that they do not stick up and do not interfere ... However, for this you need to apply design solutions with a horizontal arrangement of wires and tubes suitable for the extruder, and design the printer initially taking into account the closed chamber.
What is interesting, even some expensive closed imported printers have a greater height and increased clearance inside the chamber between the extruder and the top cover, because in them, the designers could not (did not want to) turn the plastic supply tube horizontally. And that means that the volume of the camera in them is more than necessary.
Most of both imported and domestic printers fall into this category.
Printers with heated table from 130 ° C to 150 ° C
These printers are already quite well developed by designers. Most of these printers really have a well-heated closed chamber with a lateral arrangement of wires and tubes of the extruder. They can be printed as large products made of ABS plastic, and small products from technical plastics - nylon, polypropylene, polycarbonate.
From domestic printers in this category, we note Picaso3D and PrintBox3D.
Printers with heated desk up to 170 ° C
Here we come to closed printers with very high table temperatures. These printers are designed by designers taking into account the trends in 3D printing to increase operating temperatures, and therefore, to the possibility of printing more and more durable, heat-resistant plastics. There are few such printers, they are expensive, with rare exceptions.
Why warm the table so much? The fact is that the higher the melting temperature of the plastic, the stronger the table and the surrounding air in the chamber must be heated, otherwise the product will peel off from the table when printed and the printing will be interrupted. Thus, in polycarbonate, the extruder print temperature can reach 310 ° C. If small parts can be printed at a table temperature of 130 ° C, then the average is already from 150 ° C, and the large ones will remain on the table only at 170 ° C.
In addition, such printers have the potential for printing and other refractory plastics. For example, at an extruder temperature of 400 ° C, PEEK (polyetheretherketone) can be printed. This refractory and durable plastic is used in aviation, space technology.
In this high-temperature category, we note the Chinese printer company Intamsys FUNMAT HT with an extruder temperature of up to 450 ° C, a table - up to 160 ° C.
From domestic we can not fail to mention the 3D-printer Faberant Cube
with extruder temperature up to 340 ° C, table up to 170 ° C.
findings
If you want to print with different plastics, and not just with one PLA, then the 3D printer should have a heated table. If you intend to print large products from the ABS, then you need a real closed chamber, without the "aquarium" on top. The higher the maximum temperature of the table, the greater the range of materials that you can use in your printer. In printers with a heated table up to 170 ° C, this spectrum is very large, up to polycarbonate and PEEK, if the extruder allows for heating.
In the following articles, the story will go into more detail about the maximum extruder temperature, kinematics, and other things.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/446630/
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