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  1. #1

    Hack/build small tensile tester for your printer settings & materials. Any interest?

    I am planning on hacking together a small tensile tester so I can measure the actual strength... Of my printer materials and settings...ect. Would like to know if people would be interested in participating... Thinking open source design via Onshape, software dev, using a trailer jack with a metler balance I already have ... Once built would want a website where we could all post results to help each other out. This could be really cool. Let me know if your interested with this thread.

  2. #2
    Quote Originally Posted by EngineerFree View Post
    I am planning on hacking together a small tensile tester so I can measure the actual strength... Of my printer materials and settings...ect. Would like to know if people would be interested in participating... Thinking open source design via Onshape, software dev, using a trailer jack with a metler balance I already have ... Once built would want a website where we could all post results to help each other out. This could be really cool. Let me know if your interested with this thread.
    I've found any Easy way to determine strength of filament, before printing,
    is just bend it slowly to 90 degree bend and see if it breaks.
    (less than a Inch of filament is used per test )

    I use a bench-vice to hold the free-end of filament, so bend angle will always be the same.
    If it survives to 90 deg then it's Good filament !

    Note: some spots in same spool break sooner and easier than others,
    so need to do this test several times to get good indication of Overall strength

    And ABS usually breaks easier than PLA
    Last edited by EagleSeven; 02-25-2016 at 09:17 AM.

  3. #3
    Very cool quick test. Interesting as I would have thought ABS would be a be more flexible. Variation in the spool bummer. Practical tests definitly should be the 1st line of defense but my engineering background wants to know the best process settings as well. Stress and strain calculations, curve, and all that. I've seen alot of the test prints to check layer adhesion...ect but I was going to see the affect of processes directly on a small test bar printout. ASTM style.

  4. #4
    Engineer-in-Training Hugues's Avatar
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    definitely interested into this too,
    just received the new polycarbonate filament from polymaker and was thinking about printing test parts to compare against other filaments,
    i definitely need a procedure to test printed parts, testing filament can only give rough estimation IMHO,

  5. #5
    Engineer-in-Training ServiceXp's Avatar
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    Not sure if you interesting in a whole production 'thing' but this is the kind of thing that would make great video in my opinion. From the settings (details), to a time laps, to the stress tests. I geek out over this kind of stuff..

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by ServiceXp View Post
    Not sure if you interesting in a whole production 'thing' but this is the kind of thing that would make great video in my opinion. From the settings (details), to a time laps, to the stress tests. I geek out over this kind of stuff..
    Doesn't seem like there is too much interest but I geek out on this stuff too. Found a Black & Decker Lid remover at Goodwill that has awesome torque and just over 8 RPM $7. Bought a trailer jack at Walmart $25 that requires 8 turns / inch of travel. Any ideas on mounting test bars? Cheap vise grips? Load cells on ebay may be the best way to go as my metler scale only goes to 150lbs.. Chime in guys

  7. #7
    Engineer-in-Training ServiceXp's Avatar
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    I think you need a solution that is accurate. Not sure Ebay is the solution in that arena If you do get one used or cheap you need to send it off to confirm calibration.

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