whats your longest print?

[DavidF]

Thanks DavidF, I'd love to try something. How much shrinkage do I need to account for?

1.5% is good. No blind holes (like text), thru holes are ok if thier not very long. Do you have a picture of the piece you want done?

[DavidF]

LOL, I thought I was the only one doing the lost casting!
I love how the pla goes "poof" and I am left with a mold for metal.
Just a trainee here, nothing to go on but reading material and the few videos to watch 100 times on the web for pointers.
So far I have cast only small brass parts, ~ 1.5" diameter X 2" long it's just like tuning in a 3d printer figuring out all what works and what doesn't.

Now for a serious question................why are you guys on the EAST coast and I am here on the WEST coast?
It's warmer here and I have an entire shop with "play toys"
Complete machine shop and 1 computer kiln and 1 manual.
I can only handle ~ 8lbs of metal in the kiln.

Unfortunately work gets in the way of this "hobby" so casting has taken a back seat lately.

Oh and to answer the original question it was a 7 hour print for a mold and luckily I came back after dinner to shut the machine off.
Machine should have been done (yes the estimate complete time is way off) and it was still running long after it should have been done.
Good thing at the 3/4 way done point the 3d printer decided to make an Afro of the top of my part.


Enough about me, back to reading.

Im sure there are alot more people doing it than we know about. Have any pictures of your work? What investment have you been using? Vacuum assist or just gravity pour?

[jmpreuss]

My longest print was so long that I started it in 2014 and it didn't finish until 2015!

55hours, 45 minutes
Cells bowl, 10.5 inch diameter, 9 inches high
.2 mm layers
Toybuilders lab natural PLA
ED3V6 hot end (evidently not clogging on PLA for me)
Spiffy new Trick Trucks

[teoman]

Right now in the 5th hour of a 33 hour print.

Longest was 45 hours i think.

[DavidF]

ok here we are some 54 hours later, printed at 100 micron and 10mm/sec with supports touching build plate only so the cooling passages are open. Im not 100% happy with the print and might re do it with a different filament, something higher grade and not translucent. Bit it didnt come out bad. The real question is can I cast it? the walls are only .8 mm so it may be trickey. but would be really cool if I can pull it off.
[img]http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/g446/davidflowers1/Mobile%20Uploads/20150118_093029.jpg[/img]

[DavidF]

here is the stl. I printed it at 20% size
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:623532