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I just started my longest print ever. Repetier say it will take 73 hours (yea we know how exacting that can be) I really dont have any fears except for runnig out of filament. This is a 100 micron print thats just about taking up the whole bed, first layer of the brim is looking great!!! Im just curious as to your longest print time.

The longest print Ive done to date was a spiderman based mask for a customer in Nylon. I can't remember how long it took anymore, it was several months ago, but I think it was in the 17 hour range at .3mm layers. It had a bunch of support but it ended up turning out pretty well, I have it as one of my featured prints on MakeXYZ.

My longest print was 12.75".

mhackney wrote:My longest print was 12.75".

LOL thats my sense of humor!!!

Was that funny? I thought you asked how long our longest print was.

J/K

mhackney wrote:Was that funny? I thought you asked how long our longest print was.

J/K

Yea, you got me!

well that was short lived.....nozzle snagged and pulled up a bit of the first layer well think I may reduce the size of the print anyways, wont fit my flask as is...

Printing it right now actually....32 hours and is 10" tall (or long I guess). I'm 3% finished .

32 hours I believe, a few 25-27 hour prints in addition to that. I'm doing product design for a customer, making prototypes for cast parts.

JFettig wrote:32 hours I believe, a few 25-27 hour prints in addition to that. I'm doing product design for a customer, making prototypes for cast parts.

For cast parts??? do tell...

Speaking of cast parts, is that new profile pic of that skull done with lost PLA? I noticed your signature too. Thats pretty impressive if thats how you got that!

Nylocke wrote:Speaking of cast parts, is that new profile pic of that skull done with lost PLA? I noticed your signature too. Thats pretty impressive if thats how you got that!

Yes thats is lost pla cast in white bronze. You aint seen nothing yet!! I cut ties with the guy i was doing casting for and am going to be pushing myself to the limits persuing the process. I expect to have a good number of fails along the way, but success will be sweet when it comes...

Tell me about white bronze! I'm intrigued. I use nickel silver for my fly reels but I'm always on the hunt for interesting metals (and filaments).

DavidF wrote:

JFettig wrote:32 hours I believe, a few 25-27 hour prints in addition to that. I'm doing product design for a customer, making prototypes for cast parts.

For cast parts??? do tell...

Can't really say much right now, once the product is near release I'll have a time lapse video of the 3d print and more details. Its likely to get cast out of 310S. I'd love to do lost PLA casting - don't really have a place to do it at the moment. PM me if you're interested in casting some stuff(aluminum and brass)!

JFettig wrote:

DavidF wrote:

JFettig wrote:32 hours I believe, a few 25-27 hour prints in addition to that. I'm doing product design for a customer, making prototypes for cast parts.

For cast parts??? do tell...

Can't really say much right now, once the product is near release I'll have a time lapse video of the 3d print and more details. Its likely to get cast out of 310S. I'd love to do lost PLA casting - don't really have a place to do it at the moment. PM me if you're interested in casting some stuff(aluminum and brass)!

Ill shoot you a Pm to see what you need. But posting here to show limitations. Right now my largest vacuum assist flask is 4" dia by 8" deep and my largest gravity cast flask is 6" by 12" but im working to improve on this. I have 3 furnaces but for the most part my small one can hold up to 12 lbs brass/bronze per melt and the big one can can do 60 lbs. I am more comfortable working with the smaller flasks and melts and would prefer to stay in those boundrys for now. But if something interesting comes up as in a cast that I really want to do (because its something I like) then Ill bump it up. This is a fun hobby for me and I would like to keep it as such. I made the mistake of getting caught up in business and it took alot of the fun out of it for me, deadlines, taxes...not so much fun.
Honestly I enjoy helping others persue thier goals by lending advice and experience, but im not against pouring a few castings for them either. I love a chalenge. I see a couple other people persuing the lost pla casting and one "Bowman" doing a very detailed write up of the process. I have contacted him and he has pointed out to me ways to improve upon my castings. I am looking forward to seeing his progressions
The funny thing is everyone seems to think lost pla casting is something new. Well its not. Its been around for some time but has only really drawn interst since the advent of home based 3d printers and pla filament.
The biggest lessons I have learned is how to investment cast parts. the fact its PLA plastic is secondary.

mhackney wrote:Tell me about white bronze! I'm intrigued. I use nickel silver for my fly reels but I'm always on the hunt for interesting metals (and filaments).

White bronze, nickle silver,german silver, cupro... alot of mis understandings on these alloys. If your casting it well, chances are its a white bronze.
cupro is a higher melting temp and really succeptable to (damn dont know how to put it, but basically oxygen) Us nickels are cupro and more like german silver than a white bronze. Cupro is a PITA!! I would actually have to post the compositions to show thier differences, but man are they different!!!

Not casting, I'm machining and it is 18% nickel - expensive stuff! What is white bronze? no nickel?

mhackney wrote:Not casting, I'm machining and it is 18% nickel - expensive stuff! What is white bronze? no nickel?

Ugg, your going to make me pull my hair out trying to remember....Nickel is a whitener in copper alloys producing cupronickel or german silver, Not sure if white bronze contains any nickel (thinking it does a small percent) but would have too look it up...
White bronze is pretty brittle so im thinking you are machining german silver (cupro nickel)....

I am absolutely matching german silver (18% nickel). I'm just curious about white bronze! Never heard of it.

well not sure if its much help but it looks similar, casts easier, but is not as ductile. its alloyed with manganese and if its concentration is too high it becomes very brittle.
Thinking of casting something??

Yes, fly fishing reel feet and perhaps a frame (about 3" in D).

mhackney wrote:Yes, fly fishing reel feet and perhaps a frame (about 3" in D).

Well, I owe you one... send me a printed part or stl and ill take care of it for you. No worries....

Does it count if I've done the same 7 hour print well over 100 times in the last 6 weeks?

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.

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