It’s likely that you’re familiar with PLA or ABS filaments, but you might have setbacks when using glass nylon filaments. Worrying that you might mess up your project while using glass fibers is normal, but they’re not impossible to work with. You must use the best tips and tricks when printing with glass nylon filaments.
Tip: Buy the Right Bed Surface
Before creating a project on the 3D printer, you need a hotbed for the extraction process. Unfortunately, nylon doesn’t stick to every surface, so you’ll need a suitable bed surface before printing with this filament.
The Trick
The best way to produce stellar results is to use garolite sheets and glass plates—these items have great hold, ensuring your 3D print doesn’t get ruined in the creation process. If you want your creation to have more of a hold on the glass plate or garolite sheet, use a PVA glue stick. Simply smear it across the sheet or plate before starting; this adds extra grip so the filament doesn’t pop off the surface.
Tip: Avoid Warping With Nylon
Nylon can warp. The warping happens when you don’t use a heated bed, don’t set the settings correctly, or aren’t using a glue stick for a better connection. The best way to fix these mistakes before they happen is to set the right temperature and layer a thin coat of glue onto the glass sheet or plate.
The Trick
Warping happens to nylon because of its flexibility—even though it expands out, it warps from the air’s moisture, making this a hygroscopic filament. So how do you stop the warping? The best trick is to avoid using a cooling fan. It is tempting to douse the heat with a fan, but this causes the filament to cool down too fast.
Instead of a fan, use an enclosure. You can DIY this or buy one for whenever you use nylon filaments. Your options for DIY enclosures include photography tents, a wooden glass panel enclosure, and a rolling cart.
Tip: Set the Right Print Settings
The other thing to consider most is your print settings. The settings differ between 3D printer filaments, including nylon. It is wise to look at your user manual before adjusting the printer settings.
The Trick
The trick to accurately putting in print settings is to focus on areas like bed temp, extrusion temp, and the speed and layer heights. When using PVA glue on garolite sheets, keep the bed temperature between 55 and 65 degrees Celsius; for glass sheets, maintain a heat of 70 to 80 degrees Celsius. Your extrusion temperature varies between the type of nylon filament you use, so make sure to read product descriptions before buying.
Learning how to print with glass nylon filaments might seem difficult at first, but once you get the hang of using these tricks, you shouldn’t have problems. If you need a restock on glass nylon filaments, you can find them here at Filamatrix. We carry various types of 3D print filaments to use on your printer.