Amazing Idea, Using Hot Glue (HMA) as 3D Print Infill

[Larry]

So some of us take days to print objects out because we need the infill to be as high as 100% so that the objects are strong and solid. What if instead we could save hours or even days by turning the infill to 0% and just printing out the outer layers of an object with any needed structural supports inside then filling it with hot glue. It may sound like a bad idea, but tests have show it's actually an amazingly simple idea which can save tons of time and money. Makezine.com has done an entire article about the process.

Considering the amount of money saved on purchasing Hot Melt Adhesive (Hot glue) over ABS or PLA filament, you would think this would be a no brainer. The Typical spool of filament costs about $30-$50 per kg, while HMA will only run you $5-$7.50 per KG. The impressive thing is that the HMA infill actually outperforms the filament infill. Check out the video below. Further graphs and charts outlining the tests done on various prints are located at the website here: http://makezine.com/2014/04/24/stres...eap-3d-prints/


Here is an image of one of the tests. ABS on the left, PLA on the right. 0%, 50% HMA and 100% infills are shown from bottom to top:

[corim123]

This is actually a fantastic idea. Nice way to add structure without cost.

[greatestalive]

I haven't even considered this. Definitely a cheap method. I wonder if it will hold up in the long run. I know I always have issues with Hot glue. After about a month it is ready to be reglued again. I guess this wouldn't be an issue with Infill though, would it?