Printing POM/Delrin...it sticks!

[Randall28]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum, and fairly new to 3D printing too.
I've been experimenting with printing using POM (1.75mm in Black, from Hobbyking) and have looked around various forums to see how other people managed to get it to stick to anything (it is really slippery stuff).

Anyway I thought I'd share the method I'm using having had some success.

I have found that it sticks very well to cotton. So I got a piece of board (tufnol in this case, but you could use anything) and glued a sheet of cotton (an old pair of boxer shorts, washed of course!) to it using Impact adhesive.
It seems to work really well.

The heat settings I'm using are; 215 C for the extruder, and 105 C for the bed.

A large brim seems to reduce the amount of warping too.


I'd be really interested to hear how other people are getting on with printing POM, and if anyone has any further tips/comments....

[jfkansas]

You really need a hot build plate for this stuff. Like 130+. Then Extruder temps should be around 195 or 200. I haven't tried it but evidently a thick ABS slurry on Glass works.

[curious aardvark]

what is pom ?

[jfkansas]

Dellrin...

[Mjolinor]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyoxymethylene

[jfkansas]

https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=...E/t_614319WWcJ

There is a pretty good discussion about it here. I started this thread originally and some very good advice is given about properties and use of this filament.

[Ama-fessional Molder]

Actels are fun. Running some of it right now (injection molding).

For what it's worth, for most of our molding applications with this material we run mold temperatures of around 80c tops. Now, this is to *encourage* release from the mold, if I had to guess to get it to stick to the tool I would suggest in excess of... *converting* 120c. At that temperature an acetel resin should stick to damn near anything and then pop right off once it cools down. I know when I have a hot tool in my hand and I get molten delrin on it, the stuff stays firmly put until the whole assembly is cooled down.

Though I am sure you have noticed the smell when processing it, just in case, I would strongly suggest good ventilation. Formaldehyde gas is volatilized from these plastics, and that stuff wreaks havoc on mucus membranes.

Additional information I can supply:

Acetel is a highly crystalline polymer. Since the Tg is below 0, any cure temperature (chamber temp in the case of printing) will encourage strong crystal formation. The higher you can comfortably manage chamber temperature, the larger, stronger, and more dense the crystals will be. This makes for excellent mechanical properties. Of course, you will also reduce warping this way. Double bonus. Thing is though that most likely the differences won't matter for 99.9% of you guys. Just something to keep in mind.

Cautionary note:

Many acetels are also pretty flammable, so be wary of this if you plan to use an open flame to heat a clogged extruder with the stuff in it. I have lit the entire back side of an 30x1000mm extruder on fire before. Some brands have flame retardants in them, but even still the stuff will ignite.

[curious aardvark]

looks like across between pla and nylon.

so be wary of this if you plan to use an open flame to heat a clogged extruder with the stuff in it. I have lit the entire back side of an 30x1000mm extruder on fire before. Some brands have flame retardants in them, but even still the stuff will ignite.

lol cos setting fire to the extruder would be my first recourse.

You're mad. :-)

[Ama-fessional Molder]

POM isn't a cross between anything.

But it isn't uncommon to use an open flame to clear glob formed due to a leak in the assembly. I would imagine that's probably the last thing you would try with a hotend that isn't all metal though lol.

And what am I mad about?

[Mjolinor]

And what am I mad about?

Plastic?

minchars