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Pretty impressed how well that one turned out. Used SUNLU TPU in yellow with 200/50 degrees Celsius at 20mm/s speed on my Voxelab Aquila (upgraded PEI bed and DirectDrive, also used Filament drybox).
This filament to be exact:
Angebot: SUNLU TPU Filament, 1KG Flexibles 95A TPU 3D Drucker Filament 1.75mm Maßgenauigkeit +/- 0.03 mm, Hohe Liquidität und Elastizität, 1KG（2.2Lbs) Spule, TPU Filament für FDM 3D Drucker,TPU Gelb https://amzn.eu/d/7H5TLjr
Really, really nice results!
I've been spending too much time in testing with fiberlogy 30D material on an upgraded ender 3v2 (direct drive, pei etc.etc.)
Gave up after three dozen test prints and sub-par results. Back to petg with great results.
Thanks! Fiberology 30D?! Never heard of that, but I assume that’s very soft? I am pretty sure my Extruder would just eat that :D What were your problems?
Yes, this is really soft material. Got the printer to produce some results, but a lot of blobs between gaps. Never achieved nice gaps between edges.
Tried this but my result is nearly as good.
A friend of mine tried some softer material and managed to get better results printing really really slow. He also had blobs and gaps before that. Also he printed too hot. But I assume you already tried that. Maybe this community here can help? Have you considered making a post here asking for advice?
Holidays are coming, maybe I can find some time to give it another go. Last attempts was 20mm/sec, but maybe it needs even less speed.
If everything else fails, I'll reach out here. Thanks.
I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you :)
That's awesome! My partner is interested in doing something like that as well.
Thank you! To be honest it was a bit of work to get my printer ready for TPU, but it’s absolutely worth it. Being able to print this material gives so much additional usecases for 3D printing. Absolutely recommend this!
What did you need to do to get your printer ready? Anything you've learned to make it easier a second time?
I think that heavily depends on the used printer, parts and filament.
But one tricky thing that comes to mind instantly was e-Steps. I got a metal dual gear Extruder and didn’t realize that the gear was smaller than the original. Because of that I had to change the e-steps in the printers firmware-settings so it knows how much it needs to turn in order to get one mm of filament through. As I didn’t know that I had some crazy underxtrusion and warping problems. Took quite a while to figure out (not only a problem with TPU).
But generally if your partner wants to get into TPU printing, I would get at least a direct drive upgrade. TPU is a flexible material and it’s better to press it in the Hotend as directly as possible. Also print very slow to get better results.
Thanks for the advice! Fortunately, our Fokoos comes with a direct drive, so that's checked off already. I think our major hurdle right now will be to keep filament properly dry, as I read TPU can get quite finicky with that.
I hadn't thought of the printing speed yet, though - appreciate the help!
For keeping it dry I got myself this one (currently 10% discount):
eSUN Trockenbox für 3D Drucker Filament, eBOX Lite 3D Drucker Hält das Filament Trockenbox, Staubdicht und Feuchtigkeitsdicht, Kompatibel mit 1.75mm, 2.85mm, 3.00mm Filament https://amzn.eu/d/1zvqBJd
It works really good so far
What use cases for example? I can print TPU and have some lying around, but I have no idea what to use it for. The only useful thing I printed with it so far was new endcaps for a ladder.
That always depends on your needs. If I don’t need something right now, I don‘t print it. I had some months i didn’t print at all, because I just had no need for 3D printed parts.
If you want some ideas on what you might need, i suggest going to printables and simply type in TPU.
For me there right now are some small parts I already need to print:
https://www.printables.com/de/model/231981-soft-tpu-vise-jaws
https://www.printables.com/de/model/294397-flexible-tpu-work-mat
https://www.printables.com/de/model/207308-tpu-zippo-gasket
https://www.printables.com/de/model/124743-tpu-flex-cable-zip-tie
And some parts I am currently designing myself for inside an old iPod i am currently upgrading to micro so card
Looks great!
I made a TPU phone case a while back as well with some neat custom cutouts on the back. I really liked it, but the heavy use/touching made the case get off-color and dirty looking, especially on the edges, with no way to clean it off.
I know you can clean tpu with diluted bleach, did you try anything that harsh?
I'm guessing you could clear coat it to keep it cleaner for longer
Nice tip, I didn't try that. Just used regular soaps, elbow grease, and I think I tried some rubbing alcohol as well. Those didn't make much of a difference.
I'll be sure to try bleach in the future.
I assume that this will happen to this one too. Especially because of the bright yellow I used. The question is how long will the case be usable without looking disgusting. If that’s as long as some cheap silicone/TPU cases you can get from Amazon I am fine. How long did it take for you to get to the point of „uuuaahahhhrrggg… I need a new case…“?
I'd say it was maybe 6 months? Mine was a bright-ish teal color too so it started to look bad fairly quickly. Unfortunately the cheap silicone ones do last longer for me. But you really can't beat the level of customization you can do on your own print. I'd wager you can probably get a lot longer out of it if you did a black or darker color filament.
Hmm okay… I wanted to order a darker filament anyway. But I will see how long my wife’s holds up. I already ordered a transparent TPU with which I will print a case for my 13 mini (designed a case for it today that has some hexagon design and holes for a Paracord lanyard) and then I will try how long it will get me going. And yes, I am absolutely hyped about the fact that I can now design my very own case specifically how I like it at the moment. Really cool!
Nice and clean looking result, great job!
Thanks :)
Very nice. Did you model this yourself? If so, did you also have to model your phone or were you able to find a dimensionally accurate model somewhere else?
My iPhone 13 Mini case is now ready to be downloaded:
https://www.printables.com/de/model/542007-iphone-13-mini-case-with-lanyard-holes
Thanks for the follow up/link. I don't have an iPhone 13 mini, but I am going to have a bunch of spare TPU soon and you got me thinking. As you said, it can take a bunch of iterations to get a great fit. I was curious if you had a secret sauce, but hearing that we follow a similar process was comforting.
It’s not perfectly easy, but if you are a little used to 3D programs like fusion360 and have a caliper, it’s perfectly doable. Oh and this here helped me getting the curves right:
https://www.printables.com/de/model/280185-fillet-radius-finder-innerouter-design-reference-r
Excellent link, thanks! And yup, time with calipers, fusion360, and practice gets you there.
Not this one, but today I made one for my iPhone 13 Mini. I just measured the hell out of my phone, directly started with the case model and hope it will fit once I print it (probably tonight, as I am currently printing a new fan shroud I designed around a standard Satsana). For easier things I often manage to fit on the first try, but as it gets more complex, there are more prototypes.
Would it be possible to embed harder plastic bumpers/reinforcements from PETG or PLA inside the walls? I feel like that could make something like this even more useful
Probably. You would have to design a model like that before printing. I would leave some space in the corners and design some pieces that fit exactly in there. Then print these PETG pieces at first and the TPU case right after. When it reaches the point where the gaps would be closed the print needs to be paused and the cornerpieces inserted. Then resume the print until ready.
How drop resistant is it? I drop my phone multiple times daily, face first, on the side, on back, corners, etc.
If you drop I that often I probably wouldn’t use this model and since it came off the printer yesterday evening I unfortunately can’t tell you how resistant it will be. It’s for my wife’s phone, she doesn’t drop it much, it’s gonna be more to protect the phone against other things in her purse.
But maybe this model is something for you:
https://www.printables.com/de/model/378171-iphone-13-tpu-case-with-thick-sides
That is crazy looking good, got a spool form https://dwdev.se Whit filament is that? Love the yellow color but cant seem to find it anywhere.
WoW! Interested in selling ?
Actually no. That would mean too much work next to work and kids. And I have no interest in being self-employed.