Hi Guys,
So I’ve had the printer for a few weeks now and I’ve been printing pretty regularly. I work in The prosthetics and Orthotics industry and long story short my preferred material for a number of reasons and going by the properties is Nylon 11.
That all said, Nylon 11 by all reports can be trickier to get lower refresh rates on without a nitrogen atmosphere in printing which I can look into in the form of a generator but I’d prefer to keep costs down if at all possible. I’ve printed a number of items, complex and simple, organic and mechanical in nature already and I have yet to have any failures (fingers crossed) but I was looking to push the refresh rates to a lower rate (25%-20%).
I haven’t yet had any issues at 30% but before I push my luck, I was wondering if anyone here had any experience with Nylon 11 specifically and could chip in. For example they recommend nitrogen atmo for printing Nylon 11 at 30% refresh but it seems fine so far in air so I’m not sure what to make of that. Any input from more experienced folks would be appreciated!
Hi CJay9109
I don’t use nylon 11, but from what I hear from you, you’ve had the printer for a very short time. The problem may arise after a longer period of time, when the used nylon will be burnt not once or twice, but for example 10 times. There is a difference in printing from nylon 70% used once+30% virgin or 70% used 10x+30% virgin. The nitrogen atmosphere should also help you to reduce the fragility of the parts and a better utilization ratio of the already used powder.
I didn’t understand from your text if you have a Nitrogen generator or not.
Thanks for the input Kostbone! Yes I am fairly fresh to SLS printing so I’m not super familiar with the long term complications that can arise but given what you’ve said I think I’ll be sticking to 50% refresh for now - I may have to dump materials a little sooner than not for now - I’ll monitor things and adjust accordingly. For many of the things I’ll be printing, having a fairly strong and light part is key so I’ll play it safe. I don’t have a nitrogen generator but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I had to invest a little. It’ll likely depend on cost vs benefit over the long run so time will tell I’m assuming.
May i ask where are you from?
I’m located in Ontario Canada. Originally from Scotland though and I’ve lived in a few different places over the years through Europe and Asia soooooooo…kind of everywhere lol.