Great video and cant wait to try these myself! Quick thing for beginners here though, definitely cut your teeth on the cheap-but-quality stuff (be it PLA/PLA+), learn your printer, dial in your settings, design your own parts, then move onto the the more expensive stuff when everything is finalized and you are getting consistent successes. Nothing can hurt more than seeing an expensive roll of filament become spaghetti because it came off the bed!
Absolutely agree with you. I am now using PLA+, but a year ago I printed some nylon drums for a revolver and they were great. Sometimes luck is an option too, lol.
@@heavyion haha for sure, I just got a Prusa XL which is a major upgrade from my ender 3 max, and all I am using right now is PLA+ until I learn the printer. Maybe another week or 2 and then the nylon can begin!
I know this vid is older but my comment will show up in your studio just the same 😁 Def would love to see a update for 2023 and what you filament you recommend for pistol frames or even attempting a 1911 frame. Charlie Mike 🇺🇸
You are a breath of knowledge and your excellent context and explanations are always on point. Truly a great informational video and I plan to flow your journey as you continue to help shape this realm of craft. I’ll be printing my first lower this weekend and I’ll be using one of your designs surely.
For a temperature resistant PLA, you could try annealing something like the Volcano PLA. It warps less than 0.5% in any direction and can resist temps over 130 F after annealing
I guess it does depend on what PLA + and PETG you use. I'm still running both PETG and PLA+ lower for a year hasn't cracked. Last Triple digit summer, for the PLA+ and near the hose clamps, it does get soft and warp a little. PETG bends but it folded right back. I know PETG will get brittle over time and I will take a hammer to it in year 2 to see what it does. PolyCarbonate on the other hand is a beast. Hands down.
I purchased a storage/dryer/annealing box from China and it is exceptional. The price for what you get is way better than the junk storage dryer boxes sold across the internet. Was like $90 but it is all metal, digital, and can reach much higher temps than anything else out there. You have to wait 30+ days but it’s worth the wait I’m going to grab some of that push nylon. That is beautiful looking
Have you ever tried annealing your PLA+ prints? Temperature Resistence is told to go up as high as ~150°C and more by doing that. I am not sure though, how the mechanical properties might change. Also it might be hard to get it annealed without changing dimensions. Thx for the great content btw.! At this moment I am only using PETG and PCTG (which to me seems to perform about the same honestly). Didn't even consider PLA(+) before. I use it to build drones. So I have similar needs for the mechanical properties like you I think. Should be stiff enough, definetly needs high impact resistence, and also temperature resistence needs to be high enough to not get soft, when the electronics are getting hot.
I've only recently started 3d printing using Inland PLA+ (from Microcenter) and I've always suspected that I got lucky with this filament as I have been printing pistol frames left and right with excellent results and no idea what I am doing. Keep up the great content, sir!
how much adderal does this guy take? Hes one of those guys that has OCD as well as ADHD but at the same time is super smart but can only focus on the things that arent boring AF. and cant focus because they are hyper focused on something else. This guy is a machine, no ones can do this without a very strong stimulant.
Inland is actually really good. I once bought 100kg of ABS and PLA from them for only $3 each because I think they put a pricing error, but they honored the shipment. That's what I'm using even though I actually make my own filament, at $3 per kg thats almost cheaper than buying raw pellets! At the current price of $20 per kg though, I personally don't see it as worth it. IMO if you need higher performing filaments, people should make a filament extrusion machine and make your own. It's cheaper, and you can buy much higher quality pellets than what is used in making commercial filaments. You can also make really expensive filaments for cheap, including exotic plastics that are $100 per roll, but can be made for $5 per kg.
@@rileyneufeld7001 Yeah, and this was during covid in the middle of the plastic shortage. I am certain it was supposed to be $30. Props to Microcenter though, they honored the mistake and went through with the freight shipping to me and took the loss.
I think glass fiber nylon is a reasonable compromise in between PLA+ and CF Nylon, CF Nylon is around $100/kg, where GF Nylon is around $60/kg but still provides better mechanical properties
One thing PETG is good for - molds. If you need a mold for a holster. PETG is your go to. Easy to print. No need for enclosure. Easy to manage. Holds up to high heat when put hot kydex on it
The flexible filament I've been using is varioshore tpu, it's been pretty easy to print and you can change the hardness based on the temperature you print at.
That sounds pretty cool. I've been very interested in ninja flex because they have a fuel stable one that can handle temperatures enough to make it useful for engine components. Think printable gaskets or carb holders. I'm planning to test that latter one sometime relatively soon.
I've tried Atomic Filament's Ultra Impact PLA and CF PETG and it seems really strong. They've produced great quality stuff and you might want to give them a test if you get a chance.
For anyone wondering, the Ninjaflex is from NinjaTek. On PETG, it's worth noting that not all PETG is the same... Some manufacturers only put enough G in it to stop the filament from snapping while you're trying to print it, some use a ton. The impact resistance will depend a lot on brand... It's also incredibly susceptible to moisture, if it's even a little wet while printing it makes it way more brittle, as will using any active cooling during the print. That said I still wouldn't use it for anything that needs to take a direct impact unless you want to personally test whatever specific brand of PETG you have rigorously beforehand. In general it's good for things like rail covers on handguards or a remote switch mount for a light - things that you just want to have a bit of resistance to the heat radiating off the barrel.
In my limited experience printing black overture petg, I found pushing out plastic too quickly caused it to be very brittle. Im running it at 265c 5.5 mm3/s on my bambu p1s and my parts feel indestructible. Initially, after running flow rate tests I discovered I could print up to 20 mm3/s. While the prints came out looking nice, I wasn't happy with how brittle they were. It's hardly scientific, but when I twist and bend the petg with two sets of pliers the difference is pretty remarkable. Before it would snap like a twig but now it seems endlessly flexible.
This might be a dumb question but, do you know that KVP doesn't use 3D870 as their base in the Performance PLA? ETA: Great video, as always. And agreed 100% on PETG, the stuff is wildly oversold. It can come in some cool looking colors, and it can be useful in some applications, but I would never use it for a load-bearing firearm part.
I haven’t tried as many as you (I assume), but really like fuel pro pla+. I have excellent adhesion, so not sure what I’m doing different. That’s one thing I’ve never had an issue with any filament (layer adhesion). --also I just discovered PCTPE from poly maker. Stuff smells and is very toxic. To be fair it does say industrial use. However, The stuff seems exceptional. So strong. Even the thinnest parts can be hammered on without breaking. I’m sure it has its flaws and I haven’t actually printed anything large yet with it Btw I am using a sidewinder x1 w/ high temp thermistor and an all metal hot end. Plus some Hairspray to make pc stick
I know you have had issues with the prusa PC blend warping, but their PC blend CF is incredible. I have not had issues with warping at all and it comes out stiffer and lighter than PLA with great temperature resistance (100 C+) and they say it is quite impact resistant as well.
Just wanted to chime in and say I agree! I haven’t tried many alternatives but the Prrsament PC-CF blend is hands down the best shit I’ve used. It looks incredible. It never warps. It’s tough as nails. I love it. I’d LOVE to get Hoffman’s opinion on this stuff after testing it!
I saw or heard somewhere that you do not recommend Push Plastics CF nylon. Which CF Nylon do you recommend now? The best CF Nylon I have ever used was Novamid 1030-CF10 with PA6/66 nylon. It is very hard to come by nowadays. My next best CF Nylon is Polymaker PA6-CF which is a lot easier to find nowadays.
Great video! I'm sad you don't recommend ABS. If you have the chance, please test ASA or an ABS/PC blend on an enclosed printer. I've had good results with ASA on my Voron.
Totally agree about PETG, it's only advantage is better UV resistance and a bit higher temperature resistance than PLA. Otherwise I don't know why anyone would want it instead of PLA.
@Hoffman Tactical Apparently there is metal impregnated filament I’m curious have you seen it. It can be bought at virtual foundry apparently you print it just like a normal part in a 3D printer just like PLA. But after you print the part you melt off the plastic and your left with a 3D printed metal part.
It's a little more complicated than "melting the plastic off and you have a metal part".....after debinding the plastic, the metal has to go into a kiln to winter, or bind together, the metal. Sintered metals are not generally known for their strength and durability....
OK.. hear me out! I have been using regular pla for gear parts, like drive wheels for lawnmowers and stuff. They don't last as long but in a pinch.... Anyway I was just going through some old filament I don't use much and playing around and I was really effing surprised at textile strength of specifically the green overture brand. I don't really care much for a lot of their colors but for some reason green is surprising me at every turn. Think it's just the color or what they use to make it ?
Thank you for sharing your experience and the knowledge garnered from it. I have also been experimenting with filaments, what really bugs me is that when I find a filament that has certain properties I need it then fails sharply in other areas leaving me not much better off. Like you with the easy nylon, the Prilene cf-pc really intrigued me with its ease of print and beautiful finish. Still playing with that stuff. I totally agree with your opinion on PETG. Polymaker's PA12-CF is also an awesome nylon filament but the price is just stupid. Great stuff though.
Buddy didn't believe in the PETG having poor impact resistance. He shot his 6.5mm Grendel trying to sight in a new scope with transparent PETG. Third shot saw the stock was straight while the barrel crept to the right. Huge crack along where there was a small hole that for some reason didn't print right just in front of the hose clamp. Those previous two shots were acting like a battering ram. The plus side is that the third shot hit the bullseye.
Ive managed to shoot over 1200 rounds out of one your lower designs printed out of Duramic PETG on an Ender 3 Pro using YOUR Prusaslicer settings and I have never experienced any sort of catastrophic failure with it so PETG seems to be okay in my book.
So my understanding is that you use polycarbonate on the front takedown pin plates is for it's hardness and machinability? Was wondering why you used a different filament than what you used for the main body of the lower. And thanks for what you do; you're doing God's work. I assembled my first lower last week and it turned out perfectly. Thanks again.
Great question! It's because of cost and how easy it is to print small parts. PC is good for small parts, but too hard to print to use for lowers. A CF Nylon would probably be better for the plates, and I may move to it at some point. But it's harder to print small parts with, and is three times the cost.
Polymaker PA6-CF is very easy to print with an all-metal hotend. Haven't stress/strength tested anything but the results seem wonderful. Highly recommend a PrintDry dryer box for nylon.
@@phlontstu Nice, I've heard great things about that filament and a lot of people in this community seem to be starting to use it. Probably the first higher temp filament I'm gonna try out when I start printing in nylon, unless someone else tests a stronger filament with better results. I did hear zytel is making a comeback under another name supposedly.
@@_Livefreeordie_ I bought a 2kg spool, and had a dryer box where the spool sits on top of the rollers. It was too heavy... the filament is rather brittle on the spool and kept ripping above my direct drive print head. Bought a PrintDry (needed to by an expansion ring too bc of the size of the spool) which dehydrates and the spools mount on a rod that goes thru the middle hole instead of resting on top of rollers... less tension I guess because it fixed the issue of the filament snapping off. And the dehydrator function is a must for nylon.
I wasn’t that thrilled with my first run off PETG. I printed a fairly large part. Didn’t warp, it looked beautiful. But I printed it on a bare borosilicate bed. 😒 The part took massive chunks of the bed with it. I’ve toyed some with eSun ASA for printing under-hood parts for my truck. After learning to print at 0.12 layer height, 50% print speed (35-40mm/s max), and only solid parts (I’m having trouble with over extrusion of infill only)… it’s not bad, but a normal 12 hour print becomes 2.5 days real quick. I’m going to try out the Push Plastic CF-Nylon. At minimum, I think that will work well for printing the parts for my Voron on my Ender 3 Pro as O prepare for my next printer.
If you want prints to pop off easily, just spray the base with 90+% IPA. wait a while and due to osmotic effect it will creep under the print and you will hear an audible cracking noise. The print then lifts off as if you set it down on the bed yourself. This is like the best 3D printing trick I have ever found and no one talks about it. Also don't use borosilicate, use a tile cutter and cut a walmart mirror into square. Cheaper and it is actually flatter.
For the Esun ASA is it resistant to high temperatures and fuel? I've been punishing to print in new air box for my motorcycle for a while and I'm just getting into things so I'm trying to play catch up on materials.
@@GunFunZS ASA is basically just ABS. ASA is used a lot in automotive applications, but typically it is more for things that are already plastic injection molded parts, such as interior parts. It is more UV and temp resistant, but not by much. It's a weather resistant material not a high temp one. If nothing is pressing on the print, even at near melting temperatures it shouldn't deform much due to how much tension is in the layers so it may be useable. This concept is why the 3D printed silencers work. all the plastics available are pretty much oil resistant. Most will melt in gasoline though. However around anything that will involve heat, FDM is not the ideal method to use since naturally you need thermoplastics in order to print in the first place. SLA can work, as they often are pretty heat resistant (SLA prints can be used as injection molds with a limited cycle life), but they are brittle. SLA printers also tend to have a small build volume. Another alternative is to aluminum lost cast the print which I do a lot, however you need a lot of aluminum to get the pressure to fill a thin walled mold. Another alternative is to coat your print in fiberglass resin which is heat resistant but brittle, so the print plastic provides strength.
Ninjaflex is made by Ninjatek. They also make Cheetah, which is a little bit firmer but still very flexible. They also have armadillo which is very stiff for a TPU. As a very rough benchmark, I'll snap the smoke stack off of the benchy as a rough gauge for strength. I may look at building myself a universal diy tester like you and CNC kitchen use. Just from my snap test it seems that the armadillo has better layer adhesion than esun PLA+. I would assume the impact resistance would be better as well. It also prints at 230 degrees so maybe a bit better thermal resistance. I'd be very interested to see how it does on your testing.
hey i have been printing your frt for a few days and have been changing it a little in fusion 360 and found that if you make the surface that contacts the bolt a little wider it contacts more area and makes the trigger bit more crisp and the slot for the buffer pin won't cut into the plastic
I’m trying to find a good printer for this while it’s prime day so hoping you reply fast enough but if not, your still my hero! What is a good printer to buy? I don’t want to go cheap to just have to buy a better one later. Budget is maybe 500 or less. What do you think? Crealty ended 3 is a decent price.
Typically I would do research and figure this stuff out on my own as it would let me dig through all your videos and learn so much but, I found your channel today and 3d printing lowers being a thing and it happens to be prime day and I see that a lot of 3-D printers and 30 to 50% off so I’m asking rather than doing my own research by digging through all of your videos.
Ender 3 would work, though is very basic. I use the Prusa i3 MK3. The Anycubic viper is said to be good. When yo pay more you get better futures and quality. Look for things like auto bed leveling, and all metal hot end.
@@HoffmanTactical thank you so much for you quick reply’s. How the hell do you even have time to reply? Your busy being a patriot, engineer, inventor, RU-vidr, im sure more lol. I really admire your passion.
Also, if you buy 10+ rolls at a time from JMO technologies, you can average down to around $18 a roll for PLA+. They used to do free shipping which would bring it down to about $15
I dont know if you will see this but how does moisture affect your lowers? if you were to set out of a camping trip and its been raining will the carbon fiber nylon filament keep in all that moisture leaving the lower to break? i know PLA absorbs moisture pretty easily but just a curious thought.
I have actually been doing some testing in this area. Nylon is the only filament that is significantly effected by water. PLA is fine. Higher carbon content Nylons stay strong enough, but ones like the Taulman GF Nylon become to weak to be practical.
For anyone wondering in 2024 which carbon fiber nylon to buy, I just spent the past couple hours combing through data sheets and the Polymaker PA6-CF has the best thermal and mechanical properties for printing high impact and high temp firearm parts while also being one of the more affordable rolls at $45/ half a kilo. Hope this helps y'all.
Printing another lower right now first one I had to really work to get the pins in place it was a lil to big hehe I had to calibrate my printers x y steps both where .8 steps off , I went from 80 steps to 79.2 and got my 20mm cube within .02 margin of error so I printing another esun pla+ lower I done took the parts off the old one I guess I gonna cut it up and throw it away it’s shame I actually shot a couple hundred rounds with it it worked great hell I’m a 250 lb 6’2” guy and I did some those push ups on it just to see if I could snap it and the fucker held up great. I wonder if we wrapped the outside of the pla plus with fiber and resin a real thin layer just in a few areas where the largest chances of warping could harm it. The pla+ is such a great printing material it sucks that it gets soft under heat I wonder if there’s a way to aneal it slowly that wouldn’t change its size much ? Thanks for the videos brother take care and God bless
Just finished got it all together and it turned out great it’s definitely sized a little smaller than should be I had to use files and drill bits and make every hole right hehe took a little love but it’s very tight and slick feeling actually ordered a new upper tonight for it it turned out that good going to keep it as long as it will last. The brass bushings with the reinforcement kit were amazing although since my print was a little tight I had to file the bushings down width wise a half mil on each side so they would fit perfectly flush literally after filing the trigger pocket one time over all way around I could get the trigger in with zero clearance side to side but once I got the bushings in and all together man does this thing feel sweet . I had to file the mag well out on all dimensions but I took my time with a fine file and made it where all my mags had zero play but they all drop free . It was a lot of hand work fitting but this print or lower attempt really feels amazing cycling it it’s very tight and precise feeling . I noticed the front take down pin brackets or off the body of the lower and have about a 1.5 mill gap where I can see a sliver of the keeper pin on one side . So the next lower I do I’m gonna have to maybe adjust in between the two settings it’s amazing what .08 in steps on the x and y can do overall the last print I had to drill the rear take down pin over about a mil and half or so towards the front to get it to mount to the upper and this one it’s 1.5 mills tight . I’m betting I print the next one though I gonna have it pretty damn perfect and by then I’ll get ready get my printer able to print that carbon fiber nylon haha I’ll definitely be ordering another couple kits from you haha. As far as the frt I have the files you had put out and they just even print on same setup printer do not fit at all into the two grooves to keep ‘em in place maybe shape the next iteration of your lower to have the mil spec style nub/bump behind the trigger package because they have on odyssey a mil spec frt print that works amazing in my milspec Anderson and palmetto forged lowers. Having the same trigger pocket Layout as a milspec should make it where that would work and be pretty painless ,besides working on adjusting the safety by filing the back of it to delay the release so you get away from the hammer follow and light primer strikes. Anyways man thanks again for everything the lower is very well designed and look forward to making a bunch more.
Hey love your channel. My young son is interested in 3D printing thanks to your channel. Any advice on a beginner printer and what is your favorite stock you print for the AR
Are all the polytech PLA+ filaments on the matte side or just the army green one i got? I just tried e-sun black PLA+ and i need my sunglasses to check it out
Have you tried any of the resin blends? There are a few people resin printing parts for race cars with a blend of two or three different resins to fix the brittle tendencies of normal resin. I haven't tried any of those yet, no room for even a small printer right now.
I'd be really curious to see how the PolyMaker PolyLite Pro stacks up in your own testing. I've been trying to dig through a mountain of technical data sheets of different brands looking for the best (on paper) for printing this stuff, but all the different manufacturers use different test standards and units of measure which makes it super difficult. I only got the PolyMaker because PSR said that's the main he uses.
Very nice to have someone who's tried a bunch of CF Nylons, I've bookmarked your recommendation. If you feel like spending way too much money one of these days then maybe you could try printing in CF PEEK or CF PEKK, I've been very curious about them lately as well.
You could probably make a PEEK printer out of an ender 3. Upgrade the hotend,extruder, heater cartridge, thermistor, bed heater, linear rails, relocate the electronics outside the printer, and an actively heated chamber. Probably be into it under $700 all said and done. Insanely expensive for a material that in itself is insanely expensive and difficult to print.
@@rileyneufeld7001 and your realistically going to need a heated enclosure, not just a enclosure. Your talking up to 450* hot end temps on some peek. You’d be better off just building something from scratch. The creality electronics are hot garbage. The steppers would likely give you issues. The aluminum extrusion is pretty low quality and hardly cut square. It just wouldn’t make sense to mod one for this purpose. You’d be better off starting from scratch imho. My Ender 3v2 does spit out some nice prints. Especially for what it is.. but I’m constantly fighting the cheap parts on it. I went to a prusa because I can’t have these Enders breaking down when I’m trying to fill orders/restock. And even then, there’s a lot about a mk3+ that leaves something to be desired. Which brings me back to, building printers to needed specs from scratch is really the best solution. Imho
@@nsboost A heated enclosure isn't that hard to do. The POM wheels are going to get soft at the temps the enclosure is going to be in so the linear rails will solve that. Moons makes stepper motors rated for high temps or you could go the water cooled route. You likely will have to upgrade the motherboard/power supply to a something aftermarket. And set it up with plenty of cooling. The power it takes to keep the nozzle/bed will get the power supply hot as well. But it could be done. The frame doesn't have to be super sturdy because your going to want to print slow in order to get good part strength.
@@nsboost But realistically all we will ever need is a good polycarbonate blend that we can print complete lowers in. Hoffman likes the push plastic PC/PBT blend, polymakers PC-MAX looks like an incredible as well. All that would require over is a heated enclosure (around 80°C being ideal according to polymaker). And a high temp hotend. The stock bed can go to 120C so that should be fine. Just need to relocate the electronics outside of the enclosure and you're pretty good for the best material we can print without a ton of money spent in modding and hundreds of dollars for a roll of PEEK.
Have you had any issues with stringing with the Push Plastic CF Nylon? I was able to get beautiful prints with SainSmart CF nylon but the layer adhesion was awful. I switched to Push Plastic CF nylon and had great strength but awful print quality between 240-265 deg C. Couldn’t even thread through the buffer tube
I've actually not had any stringy issues. My guess is it's a small amount of water in the filament. That is one downside of Nylon. If it is wet, you really need to dry it at 180 F or above for a few hours.
Looking at their website, and my experience with similar issues with different filaments, try printing thinner layers and slowing you print speed considerably. Slow and quality is always better than fast and trash, right? Start slow and gradually speed your prints up until you find a happy medium. For example, with eSun PLA+, I can get good results from 80 mm/s and 0.2 mm layer height and 0.72 mm layer width. But I have to print eSun ASA at 35 mm/s and 0.12 mm layer height with 0.6 mm layer width. … no hardware changes between the filaments, both on 0.6 mm nozzles and direct drive.
What ever happened to PETG? I was never able to get it to print quite right, but it was supposed to be a better overall option than PLA+. Does it go by another name?
Hey i was thinking of ways to upgrade my Prusa MK3S if you have done any to your printer it would be nice to know about. Otherwise im just going to get the new prusa printer lol
A good pla+ thays a staple with foscad baides polymaker pla pro is esun pla+. So far ive votten giid results in large prints. I havent tried 2a yet as i inlybjust got my ender 3 to stop stronging. I have a large pring going right now that has some potential ppliints of failure and sonfsr its tunning smoothly
I just ordered a cr10s along with metal extruder upgrade as well as feed tube , springs , magnetic hot bed and all metal hot end for under 300. Was planning to play with it a couple weeks then do my first mac daddy in carbon fiber nylon made by sainsmart. Point of my comment , why use pla+ if carbon fiber nylon is an option ? I've never printed anything but just looking at the results of either I'd rater have the cfn
I have a place to print but no place to anneal/heat treat, would petg or Asa not need treated? Is treating pla (or possibly all materials) necessary for a surviving and usable print?
Not at all. Annealing does different things to different filaments. Nylon is the only one where I would say it's really needed. I never anneal PLA, though it can be done with good results.
You will want to upgrade the nozzle to a hardened one. Some Nylons can be printed at 260 C, but other require an all metal hot end. So it depends on the filament.
