Hi Karen,
Many people use Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) for 3D printing (Legos
are made from ABS). It is stronger/more flexible than PLA, but I dislike
the smell it gives off when heated. (Hobby 3D printers use thin lines of
melted plastic to build up an object layer by layer).
The plastic I use for my 3D printer is PLA - polyactic acid. It's a
bio-degradable polymer typically made from corn (at least in the U.S.). I
like to use PLA because it does not emit smelly fumes when heated. I use
Sharpies (permanent markers) to tint the translucent blue PLA to get the
color variations. The downside to PLA is that it can be brittle. One
bobbin falling will bounce and not break, but I knocked a tightly packed
container of printed bobbins off the table and several heads broke off -
ouch. I found that I can heat a pin and push it into the bobbin head and
down into the neck to provide additional strength. I can also change
print settings to make the neck area more solid (and hopefully stronger),
but this will change the weight of the entire bobbin. Colorants added to
the plastic filament during manufacture also can influence strength &
flexibility of the made object.
Sharon
They are lovely Sharon, and have only recently heard about 3D printing. But
I am still intrigued; what material are they made with?
Karen in Malta=
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