Can ABS withstand being submerged underwater 24/7?

[worldcreator]

With gas I guess you mean petrol and not an actual gas like methane?

Yes, petrol.

[worldcreator]

Are you trying to simply submerge the part ?( = it's inside the tank) -- or-- are you trying to use the part to stop water flow? (= it's a stopper or gasket).

They are parts that normally stay underwater in the tank. It won't be used as a gasket (which will remain rubber), or I might consider a flexible filament for that.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

The biggest issue you are likely to run into is that the plastics we use in filaments all will "age" quickly in water. The dimensions will change and that likely will impact your part.

Bob

[curious aardvark]

Hi

The biggest issue you are likely to run into is that the plastics we use in filaments all will "age" quickly in water. The dimensions will change and that likely will impact your part.

Bob

what's your evidence for that ?
Commercial parts in cisterns also age - why should 3d printed parts 'age' any quicker ?

It just seems like water will seep through the lines and break down over time.

neither abs or pla are water soluble.
Pla can be digested but you ned a 'hot' compost heat and the right bacteria to do it. For any purpose that isn't inside a hot compost heap - it's pretty bomb proof.

[uncle_bob]

what's your evidence for that ?
Commercial parts in cisterns also age - why should 3d printed parts 'age' any quicker ?

.

Hi

Most parts that go into plumbing are made from PVC rather than ABS. The parts I printed from ABS that a few years back ... not so nice anymore. Nylon and moisture, same issue on a *lot* of parts. Gears, screws, all sorts of stuff change size over the years. The reason is moisture.

Bob

[worldcreator]

One last thing: for TEMPORARY liquid exposure to liquid solvents/chemicals, is nylon a safe bet? (e.g. the funnel example I mentioned)
According to various charts I've seen- ABS doesn't withstand solvents well at all, not even for a moment. But I don't have direct experience with this yet.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Nylon gears in a drive train will ultimately distort and lock up simply due to moisture in the atmosphere. Will they all do it? Of course not. It depends enormously on the tolerances, the humidity, and the way they were cast.

Nylon will not instantly self destruct the first time water gets near it. Neither will ABS or PLA. Each of them has a set of solvents that you need to avoid for pretty much instant destruction. Water is not on that list for any of them.

If you want a funnel that will hold up to normal use and a wide range of solvents, don't use any of them. Funnels are a "dime a dozen" sort of item around here.

Bob

[curious aardvark]

lol one of the things I print quite a lot of are funnels.
Being able to make them exactly the size you want is really useful. Plus they print pretty quickly and are a really short openscad script.

Even the ones I made 2.5 years ago that are in regular use, are absolutely fine.

Got a pla one in my car I use to fill my windscreen washer bottle. been using it for a couple of years. No signs of wear or degradation. It just gets shaken and put back in car - I don't dry it.

Hell I even made a special nozzle for piping bags to make filling profiteroles much easier.
Funnels are great things to make :-)

But I don't tend to use then for solvents. water, not an issue.

[Mjolinor]

lol one of the things I print quite a lot of are funnels.
Being able to make them exactly the size you want is really useful. Plus they print pretty quickly and are a really short openscad script.

Even the ones I made 2.5 years ago that are in regular use, are absolutely fine.

Got a pla one in my car I use to fill my windscreen washer bottle. been using it for a couple of years. No signs of wear or degradation. It just gets shaken and put back in car - I don't dry it.

Hell I even made a special nozzle for piping bags to make filling profiteroles much easier.
Funnels are great things to make :-)

But I don't tend to use then for solvents. water, not an issue.

Post the script, save me the work.

[Ama-fessional Molder]

If you want excellent chemical resistance use this:


https://www.amazon.com/Gizmo-Dorks-P...ylene+filament


You're probably not going to have a very good time with it though, if my experience with the material holds true.


I don't understand the cost though, probably a supply and demand issue. PP is a commodity resin.