ColorFabb LW-PLA "The new balsa?"

[kilroy07]

I want to start this thread for all of us who are playing around with this material to share settings tips and tricks you've come across.

A link to the ColorFabb site.
https://colorfabb.com/lw-pla-natural
https://colorfabb.com/lw-pla-black

And a link to their printing suggestions or how to get some initial setting values for your printer.
https://learn.colorfabb.com/print-lw-pla/

Currently I am printing on my workhorse printer my Ender 3.
Simplify3D Setting I use (YMMV);
Extrusion Multiplier .45 (That's right only 45%)
Retraction (I've given up on that...)
Temp 240
Bed 60
Layer Height .2

I'll leave this as the starting point and post specific findings/thoughts as separate posts.

 

[LitterBug]

I've seen this material mostly because of the Eclipson Model-V I'm working on. Been hesitant to pull the plug on a spool because it's a bit pricey. Will be interested to see your results and opinion.

Cheers!
LitterBug

 

[Zetoyoc]

I want to start this thread for all of us who are playing around with this material to share settings tips and tricks you've come across.

A link to the ColorFabb site.
https://colorfabb.com/lw-pla-natural
https://colorfabb.com/lw-pla-black

And a link to their printing suggestions or how to get some initial setting values for your printer.
https://learn.colorfabb.com/print-lw-pla/

Currently I am printing on my workhorse printer my Ender 3.
Simplify3D Setting I use (YMMV);
Extrusion Multiplier .45 (That's right only 45%)
Retraction (I've given up on that...)
Temp 240
Bed 60
Layer Height .2

I'll leave this as the starting point and post specific findings/thoughts as separate posts.

Certainly interested in your findings. I haven't strayed much from normal pla. But just got some pla + to try. If the LW stuff works out I may have to try it as well. Unless it is $50 a spool or something then it would have to be REALLY good

Edit -ha ha. I just looked it up. It costs more than that! Hmm. Still watching but that plane better fly itself when you are done

 

[kilroy07]

Last year I started with the Free plane offer by Eclipson on Thingiverse
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3302937#
I have it printed out in PLA, but it seems really heavy... and haven't finished the electronics or maidened it...

Then Flite Test did that video on the EBW-160 (blackwing) and I bought the files for that...
They promptly went on sale the next week...
I also have that printed out in PLA. This time however I had my new Ender 3 online and I really started playing with the settings to get a good light weight print. All the parts are in a box, so I'm not sure of the weight but it actually feels lighter than the free version (probably end up tossing it...

Black friday and the LW-PLA goes on sale. I buy two spools (might as well with the shipping after all.) it isn't cheap, I'll give you that.

Just this past week I finally started playing around with it.
I used the guide from ColorFabb (listed above) and printed out about 30-40 of these little cubes.


Having things "close" I decided to go ahead and try reprinting the Wing with the LW stuff.
The final parts will print out tonight.


You can see I'm on track for the listed weights as everything you see here weighs in at just 7.4oz or around 210Grams!!!


So where I am currently at on the first spool (after th config run and a couple "extra" parts... did I print wing section 7L or 7R...)
So I think I've got enough to try the 3DLabPrint PT-17 as well!!!

 

[kilroy07]

The reason I put Balsa in the title was two fold.

First it just feels like balsa in the hand, same kind of woody texture (hard to explain unless you are holding some) and seems to weigh about what something out of balsa might.

The second is on the surface I've gotten quite a few "zits" I believe that's just due to the way this stuff works... The good news is this stuff SANDS! (Just like Balsa)... And layer lines are a thing of the past!


As the temp get around 220, it starts to "foam" and I think you would almost want to turn off all software acceleration (but I haven't tried that yet.) This property makes it "string" like crazy... My ender 3 has (currently ) a Bowden setup (and that works fine for PLA) but retraction is already at the edge with a Bowen and I just gave up and turned retraction off... The interior of the wings is UGLY, but luckly this stuff isn't transparent!

 

[FoamyDM]

Prandtl-D wings... I see them printed in the future

 

[Zetoyoc]

The reason I put Balsa in the title was two fold.

First it just feels like balsa in the hand, same kind of woody texture (hard to explain unless you are holding some) and seems to weigh about what something out of balsa might.

The second is on the surface I've gotten quite a few "zits" I believe that's just due to the way this stuff works... The good news is this stuff SANDS! (Just like Balsa)... And layer lines are a thing of the past!
View attachment 155445

As the temp get around 220, it starts to "foam" and I think you would almost want to turn off all software acceleration (but I haven't tried that yet.) This property makes it "string" like crazy... My ender 3 has (currently ) a Bowden setup (and that works fine for PLA) but retraction is already at the edge with a Bowen and I just gave up and turned retraction off... The interior of the wings is UGLY, but luckly this stuff isn't transparent!
View attachment 155447

That is really great info thank you. and very tempting to give it a try. it looks great

 

[localfiend]

Been working on an LW-PLA design. Here's my basic print settings:

Prusa i3 Mk2s

Nozzle: 0.4mm
Extrusion: 45%
Extrusion Width: .43

Retraction: 1.8mm
Extra Restart Distance: 0.08mm
Retraction Vertical Lift: 0.05mm
Retraction Speed 40.0mm/s
Coasting Distance: 0.20mm
Wipe Distance: 5.00mm
First Layer Speed: 40%
Speed: 60mm/s
Avoid Crossing Outline - 150mm

Bed Temp: 55
Nozzle Temp: 245
Cooling Fan: 100% Starting on layer 2

I've got 3 Prusas. They are all stock direct drive, though on one of them, I did a good bit of fiddling with stuff to make sure the filament pathway was perfectly clear. Really, really helps out with stringing. Probably because the retraction movement has almost zero friction.

Here's the plane:

And the maiden flight:

 

[Zetoyoc]

Been working on an LW-PLA design. Here's my basic print settings:

Prusa i3 Mk2s

Nozzle: 0.4mm
Extrusion: 45%
Extrusion Width: .43

Retraction: 1.8mm
Extra Restart Distance: 0.08mm
Retraction Vertical Lift: 0.05mm
Retraction Speed 40.0mm/s
Coasting Distance: 0.20mm
Wipe Distance: 5.00mm
First Layer Speed: 40%
Speed: 60mm/s
Avoid Crossing Outline - 150mm

Bed Temp: 55
Nozzle Temp: 245
Cooling Fan: 100% Starting on layer 2

I've got 3 Prusas. They are all stock direct drive, though on one of them, I did a good bit of fiddling with stuff to make sure the filament pathway was perfectly clear. Really, really helps out with stringing. Probably because the retraction movement has almost zero friction.

View attachment 156597

Here's the plane:

View attachment 156598

View attachment 156599

View attachment 156600

View attachment 156601

View attachment 156602

View attachment 156603

And the maiden flight:

Great info, thanks. and beautiful plane.

 

[Keno]

Working on printing the LabPrint Swift S-1 which has chosen to use Cura for slicing etc. I have tried to use the STL recommendation and was not very successful. I am now using their Gcode's for print which has produced very nice print with minimal oozing and stringing. sure would like to know what in those Gcodes. On my MK3s I found it better to set the speed to 55 and upped the nozzle temp to 235. I have my VL Pyörremyrsky ready to fly just waiting for weather to improve. Still on the learning curve here. Fly safe and "Keep it out there"

 

[kilroy07]

sure would like to know what in those Gcodes.

GCode is formatted as ASCII text... So you can open it up in Notepad.
Looking at the Labprint's PT-17 files, it looks like they are using Simplify3D, so if you have that slicer, you can read the gcode, get the config variables and make a separate profile.

Hope this helps!

 

[Keno]

GCode is formatted as ASCII text... So you can open it up in Notepad.
Looking at the Labprint's PT-17 files, it looks like they are using Simplify3D, so if you have that slicer, you can read the gcode, get the config variables and make a separate profile.

Hope this helps!

Thanks it does. I'll dig into this. Trying to print the Swift and the left wing using Gcodes printed great. Then went on to print the right and could not repeat to same quality. Waste a lot fil. on the learning thing I believe may have found settings that produces a good print. I increased the nozzle temp a small amount and reduced the print speed to 50 one the printer. Now if it stays stuck to print bed I might have something to work with.

 

[jmills0883]

I've had a roll of lw pla, and the stringing was just too bad for me, also the parts im printing which were apparently designed to use this have holes that go through that are supposed to have tubes and push rods run through them, but due to the expansion the holes are too small. not sure what to do

 

[kilroy07]

I've had a roll of lw pla, and the stringing was just too bad for me, also the parts im printing which were apparently designed to use this have holes that go through that are supposed to have tubes and push rods run through them, but due to the expansion the holes are too small. not sure what to do

Sounds like your extrusion is set a tad high...
I had similar issues with LW-PLA until I followed the calibration instructions here;
https://learn.colorfabb.com/print-lw-pla/

With 3D printed planes in general you really have to have your printer dialed in, LW-PLA just takes that to the "Nth" degree...
(And I don't think you can 100% eliminate stringing.)

 

[Ryan O.]

This video shows some of the interesting things of lightweight PLA

 

[Keno]

After with some time searching for printing settings form my LabPrint Swift S1 to give quality print and have used their Gcodes with on my Prusa MK3s .Nozzle temp to 245c, bed temp to 56c and print speed to 40 on printer settings. This has produced a wing section with little shrinkage and with reasonable smooth surface. Still learning we will see how all turns out, good night and happy flying. Work in progress...

 

[Keno]

This a wing section print of a LabPrint Swift S-1 using their Gcodes and adjusting on printer to print speed to 45%, bed temp 56C, nozzel 230C. This follows with Nein's post above info. I have noted that with increase in nozzle temp the product become more brttle, reduced temp produce a flexible product. Reduced print speed in this case provided a smoother print if too low line width becomes too fat. Too high and line adhering starts to fail. I did find LabPrint's Swift Gcodes offered minimized stringing and globing over their other products Gcodes.

 

[Keno]

These are the fuselage section of Labprint Bungee Prop print using setting from the above post. Pixs 371 and 370 were printed as Labprint instruction using STL's with "Spiral" (vase mode) method. Pixs 369 and 368 were printed without using "Spiral" print.

 

[kitefiter]

I struggle getting this stuff to stick to the bed. Tall thin wing pieces fall over before completion. The bottom warps away from the bed and sooner or later, it fails. I just failed with a MXS-R fuselage 1, a 9 hour print, when it let go of the bed again.
I am trying a 5 outline brim using an optimized setting of 255 d with 35% extrusion. Any suggestions will be well received and tested. Thanks!

 

[Keno]

I struggle getting this stuff to stick to the bed. Tall thin wing pieces fall over before completion. The bottom warps away from the bed and sooner or later, it fails. I just failed with a MXS-R fuselage 1, a 9 hour print, when it let go of the bed again.
I am trying a 5 outline brim using an optimized setting of 255 d with 35% extrusion. Any suggestions will be well received and tested. Thanks!

Use ladies hair spay (Aqua Net is good) and you need heavy coats. If you want it to really stick apply spay just before you lay down you first layer while it is still wet. When it is unneeded pour alcohol on bed plate, let it set for a few minutes and then rinse it off with hot water.