Thursday, February 18, 2016

Ultimaker 2 and PLA versus ABS

I guess I do have a complaint about my Ultimaker 2.  I love them to death right up until I decide to print ABS again.  It took me a while to even get good print adhesion but I have that working but now it is all about details.  The following images illustrate my frustration.

ABS
 Note the details on the top of the engine compartment.   Not to mention the separation of the outlines from the infill.  Should be able to tune that out though have tried twice already!

PLA
Same details are sharp on PLA.  There is a minor issue on the top of the fuel tank that I think I can get rid of with a sacrificial object on the build platform.

ABS on a Wanhao Duplicator 4S
I simply can not get the fine details from a ABS print that I can from PLA on the Ultimaker.  I know that ABS is capable...just not on the Ultimaker?  I feel like I am missing something but I have tried everything that I know how to do and still have not succeeded.

In my mind it is all about cooling.  I had a custom cooling fan on the Wanhao that directed a tiny but powerful airflow onto the part that was being extruded right under the nozzle.  I need this for the Ultimaker but have not found one out there in the wild.  I may actually have to design one.

You might ask why it is important to print ABS?  Namely that I find it to be a lot easier to clean an ABS print of the support material from the printing process!

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