Hello, I’ve been lurking for awhile and have finally begun the process of building an MPCNC.
As per: https://www.v1engineering.com/specifications/ I began printing parts in a roll of leftover inland PLA that I had, but that roll has run out and it’s time to me to figure out what else to use.
I had ordered up a roll of “20% carbon fiber PLA” from amazon for around $22 and since I was already using a hardened nozzle I figured, why not try it out. Obviously at that pricepoint, and from a brand I had never heard about I was skeptical, but I printed up a C-RollerMount and the results seem pretty promising. It definitely feels different than other PLA I have printed with. The layer adhesion and overall strength and rigidity seem really great, and I love the matte/glossy look.
My question is, if this is the real deal and is indeed 20% carbon fiber, is it a good idea to use it for the MPCNC parts? What benefits or negatives can I expect over normal PLA?
That’s a great article, and even though it’s about petg and carbon fiber I am sure pla + carbon fiber has similar results – increased rigidity and brittleness. To me, and I don’t claim to possess any knowledge in the subject, the increased rigidity seems desirable for this application. I guess my questions then become, is it a good thing? Will it be too brittle?
Since it will only take a little time and a bit of cheap PLA to find out I am willing to go down this route. But, there are many people reading this, I am sure, who are much more knowledgeable than myself and was hoping they could provide a basic sanity check before I go forward.
Although I have only a little familiarity with 3D printing, I do have a fair amount of knowledge about carbon fiber (CF). CF is one of the most stiffest materials by volume surpassed only by stainless steel, but by weight CF is stiffer. The longer a material is, the stiffer it needs to be. Rails need to be stiff for this reason, the LR2 uses stainless steel tubes.
My assumption would be that none of the parts are long enough or experience enough bending stress to need any more stiffness. My guess is that you will find little to no improvement performance using the CF filament.
That’s kind of what I was thinking too. Nonetheless it’s reasonably priced and I like the aesthetic so as long as the added brittleness won’t be an issue I’m going to move forward with it.
