if you could get both materials for the same ($15/kg) price and have both working equally well on your printer what material would you recommend for armor and props?
PLA or PETG?
What have most people used for full armors and why?
PETG. No doubt about it. PETG boasts superior strength and durability to PLA making it ideal for use in armor/props application where impact resistance is a must. Only downside to PETG is the steep learning curve in the beginning as well as it's higher print temperature.
I second the use of PETG over PLA. With PLA I'd worry about the part getting too hot and distorting. Like Nicholas, great name, Scarpa said the strength and durability as well as impact resistance is a must. I'm currently working on an MK85 suit and I'd worry about the parts distorting if they got too hot if I left them in a car in the summer, too close to a heater, or while sanding prior to painting. Gluing the pieces together is a downside though. I use cyanoacrylate glue to join the parts and it has been difficult. I apply a tiny bit of medium density glue to a face of the part then hold the two pieces together very tightly. Then I brush activator to both sides of the joint. I do this in a few more spots around the part to ensure alignment. Finally I use thin density glue, it runs like water, to the unglued portion and hold that tightly together while applying activator. The problem with gluing PETG is that your are relying on the bond of the glue to the material to hold it together. I've dropped or flexed a part and had it break at the joint. This has made me rethink how I cut parts to fit on my printer. For example the cod piece is a little tight at hips and I've broke the glued joint putting it on. I'm going to reprint the piece so the glue joint will be in front or back rather than at the sides. I've been applying more glue on the inside of the parts and plan to epoxy and fiberglass, or something, the inside of the parts to strengthen it. I just hope that after final painting that the glue joints don't flex and cause the paint to pop or crack when I drop, cause I know I will, or put on the suit.
Hope that was clear enough and helps. Each material has it's positives and negatives. I love printing with PETG but gluing parts together sucks.
Does anyone else out there have ideas or opinions?
You should start friction welding your pieces together. I've been doing it on all my pieces with PETG and its insanely strong. You are essentially fusing your parts together into one piece of plastic. I've had parts break with accidental drops but never at the weld line.
You need a dremel for it, I'd recommend the 3000 version if you don't already own one. I bought a 2.85mm roll of PETG just for welding purposes. You can do it with 1.75mm but you have to reload your dremel a LOT more often using that.
It's very easy to do as well, you just put a piece of filament in the dremel and lock it in. Then you have to make sure it's as straight as possible. Just turn it on and gently press it on the gap where you want the two pieces to align. I usually duct tape a part of them together with openings in between, weld in the openings, remove duct tape, weld the rest.
The pros far outway the cons (it takes a little bit longer that glueing I guess).
It's super strong
You can easily adjust the alignment if you just weld small strategic places first
You NEVER have to worry about parts failing/breaking at a con
It's super easy to sand and clean up
I've seen people do it with a soldering iron as well but I prefer friction welding.
Good stuff. I have attempted friction welding with my 200 series Dremel as well as a cordless drill with 1.75mm filament but couldn't get anything to stick. I gave up after a while of trying. First the filament was too thin to fit into the chuck and when I did get it to spin it was too long and just whipped around. Once I got it spinning at a good length the filament would just disintegrate and not weld when I touched the parts. The cordless drill was just to big and clunky to use. I'll have to give it another shot. A keyless chuck for the Dremel and thicker filament may be the trick. Thanks for re-inspiring me to try it again.
@MakerNick I've had that problem as well at the start. It's a matter of finding the right angle and speed for your filament. Also, as I mentioned, definitely try out a roll of 2.85mm because it is infinitely easier than 1.75mm. I am even using it to patch up entire holes when necessary instead of using bondo nowadays. You can slowly build up plastic from the sides of the hole/gap until it's closed if you do it carefully. Works like a charm!
For me shit flying around usually meant having too high a speed or not having the right angle of the dremel on the part you want to solder. I'd try to go at a 90 degree angle straight into the plastic, that seems to work best for me most of the time. I am using speed setting 7 or 8 out of 10 on the dremel 3000.
PETG IMO. Even though PLA and PLA+ are 100% fine as the clear coat will help protect from the sun as well (Just don't leave it in your car :P).
If the price is the same though, PETG is the superior material in terms of durability, temp resistance and strength. The downside to PETG is that it takes a little bit longer to dial in than PLA and you have to print it a lot slower (30 - 50 mm/s for PETG compared to 50-100mm/s for PLA). I started the MK85 build in PLA and started over with PETG after printing about 1/3rd of the suit. Been loving it so far and am now in the process of printing the last leg pieces, especially the sanding is way easier with power tools on PETG due to the higher temperature resistance.
PETG. No doubt about it. PETG boasts superior strength and durability to PLA making it ideal for use in armor/props application where impact resistance is a must. Only downside to PETG is the steep learning curve in the beginning as well as it's higher print temperature.
Gluing the pieces together is a bit more complicate, right? The common glues I’ve checked and used for PLA in the past do say not suitable for PE.
I second the use of PETG over PLA. With PLA I'd worry about the part getting too hot and distorting. Like Nicholas, great name, Scarpa said the strength and durability as well as impact resistance is a must. I'm currently working on an MK85 suit and I'd worry about the parts distorting if they got too hot if I left them in a car in the summer, too close to a heater, or while sanding prior to painting. Gluing the pieces together is a downside though. I use cyanoacrylate glue to join the parts and it has been difficult. I apply a tiny bit of medium density glue to a face of the part then hold the two pieces together very tightly. Then I brush activator to both sides of the joint. I do this in a few more spots around the part to ensure alignment. Finally I use thin density glue, it runs like water, to the unglued portion and hold that tightly together while applying activator. The problem with gluing PETG is that your are relying on the bond of the glue to the material to hold it together. I've dropped or flexed a part and had it break at the joint. This has made me rethink how I cut parts to fit on my printer. For example the cod piece is a little tight at hips and I've broke the glued joint putting it on. I'm going to reprint the piece so the glue joint will be in front or back rather than at the sides. I've been applying more glue on the inside of the parts and plan to epoxy and fiberglass, or something, the inside of the parts to strengthen it. I just hope that after final painting that the glue joints don't flex and cause the paint to pop or crack when I drop, cause I know I will, or put on the suit.
Hope that was clear enough and helps. Each material has it's positives and negatives. I love printing with PETG but gluing parts together sucks.
Does anyone else out there have ideas or opinions?
You should start friction welding your pieces together. I've been doing it on all my pieces with PETG and its insanely strong. You are essentially fusing your parts together into one piece of plastic. I've had parts break with accidental drops but never at the weld line.
You need a dremel for it, I'd recommend the 3000 version if you don't already own one. I bought a 2.85mm roll of PETG just for welding purposes. You can do it with 1.75mm but you have to reload your dremel a LOT more often using that.
It's very easy to do as well, you just put a piece of filament in the dremel and lock it in. Then you have to make sure it's as straight as possible. Just turn it on and gently press it on the gap where you want the two pieces to align. I usually duct tape a part of them together with openings in between, weld in the openings, remove duct tape, weld the rest.
The pros far outway the cons (it takes a little bit longer that glueing I guess).
It's super strong
You can easily adjust the alignment if you just weld small strategic places first
You NEVER have to worry about parts failing/breaking at a con
It's super easy to sand and clean up
I've seen people do it with a soldering iron as well but I prefer friction welding.
Good stuff. I have attempted friction welding with my 200 series Dremel as well as a cordless drill with 1.75mm filament but couldn't get anything to stick. I gave up after a while of trying. First the filament was too thin to fit into the chuck and when I did get it to spin it was too long and just whipped around. Once I got it spinning at a good length the filament would just disintegrate and not weld when I touched the parts. The cordless drill was just to big and clunky to use. I'll have to give it another shot. A keyless chuck for the Dremel and thicker filament may be the trick. Thanks for re-inspiring me to try it again.
@MakerNick I've had that problem as well at the start. It's a matter of finding the right angle and speed for your filament. Also, as I mentioned, definitely try out a roll of 2.85mm because it is infinitely easier than 1.75mm. I am even using it to patch up entire holes when necessary instead of using bondo nowadays. You can slowly build up plastic from the sides of the hole/gap until it's closed if you do it carefully. Works like a charm!
For me shit flying around usually meant having too high a speed or not having the right angle of the dremel on the part you want to solder. I'd try to go at a 90 degree angle straight into the plastic, that seems to work best for me most of the time. I am using speed setting 7 or 8 out of 10 on the dremel 3000.
Definitely post back how it worked out for you :)
PETG IMO. Even though PLA and PLA+ are 100% fine as the clear coat will help protect from the sun as well (Just don't leave it in your car :P).
If the price is the same though, PETG is the superior material in terms of durability, temp resistance and strength. The downside to PETG is that it takes a little bit longer to dial in than PLA and you have to print it a lot slower (30 - 50 mm/s for PETG compared to 50-100mm/s for PLA). I started the MK85 build in PLA and started over with PETG after printing about 1/3rd of the suit. Been loving it so far and am now in the process of printing the last leg pieces, especially the sanding is way easier with power tools on PETG due to the higher temperature resistance.