Planning a bearing experiment with IGUS filament

Created on Thursday, September 28, 2017.
 
 

I didn’t even know IGUS filament was a thing :o

 

I released my Small Contact-Area Bushing on Thingiverse to get some feedback on it, and someone commented that IGUS filament totally exists, and can be used to print custom bushings. So this is a thing that I want to work towards.

The IGUS website filters me down to three filament types, depending mostly on operating temperature:

Filament I150-PF I170-PF I180-PF C210-PF
Max. long-term application temperature 65 °C 75 °C 80 °C 100 °C
Max. short-term application temperature 75 °C 85 °C 90 °C 180 °C
Lower application temperature -30 °C -40 °C -40 °C -30 °C
Nozzle temperature (min.) 240 °C 240 °C 250 °C 260 °C
Nozzle temperature (max.) 250 °C 260 °C 260 °C 270 °C
Bed temperature (min.) 20 °C 90 °C 90 °C 80 °C
Bed temperature (max.) 60 °C 110 °C 110 °C 90 °C

Since I operate my printer in an enclosure that has so far been able to maintain the same temperature as my heated bed (tested up to 55 &plusminus; 5 °C), it’s pretty important to keep the operating temperatures in mind.

The catch when it comes to the filaments with better heat resistance is that you need higher nozzle temps, and the Wanhao’s stock extruder has a PTFE liner that melts at 260 °C. I150-PF seems like the only one that’s accessible to me right now, because Wanhao rates the heated bed at 30–70 °C and the extruder at 170–240 °C (260 °C hard max). Even then, it might be a good idea to upgrade to an all-metal nozzle just to be safe.

So I guess that’s the plan:

  1. All-metal hotend upgrade (Micro Swiss like all the other kids get, probably)
  2. Buy IGUS I150-PF filament (ask for sample?)
  3. Design and print tons of bushings
  4. Compare them with vibration analysis.
That's all there is, there isn't any more.
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