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Printed drinking cup; it leaks??

Discussion in 'General Questions' started by Ed Rington, May 31, 2017.

  1. Ed Rington

    Ed Rington New Member

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    I printed a drinking cup. Walls and floor of cup are hollow, with reinforcement inside. It looks great, but slowly leaks water when filled. Like maybe all the surfaces, when made from extrusions, were not bonded fully.

    Anyone else have this problem? What is the recommended solution?

    I used the PLA material that came with the printer.
     
    #1 Ed Rington, May 31, 2017
  2. WheresWaldo

    WheresWaldo Volunteer ( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°)
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    PLA is not a good choice for something that needs to be watertight. PETG is better, hotter is better so you get a good intralayer bond. Large layer heights are better since it limits the number of intralayer bonds. Wider extrusions are better (or slight over extruding). Too many variable to list them all.
     
    #2 WheresWaldo, May 31, 2017
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  3. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    That... :)
    The sample stuff is junk.
    If you bought a real spool with it of Robo filament, then that is OK.
     
    #3 mark tomlinson, May 31, 2017
  4. Ed Rington

    Ed Rington New Member

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    I'm confused. I was referring to the spool of blue PLA that came in the box with the printer. What do you mean by "real spool with it of Robo filament"?

    I should try a PETG filament, right? Where do I find that? From Robo3D?

    Thanks.

    Oh, and is there a way to 'seal' a printed container? With a coating of some sort of paint for epoxy?
     
    #4 Ed Rington, May 31, 2017
  5. Ed Rington

    Ed Rington New Member

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    ..or epoxy, not 'for' epoxy.
     
    #5 Ed Rington, May 31, 2017
  6. Geof

    Geof Volunteer Moderator
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    Xtc3d
     
    #6 Geof, May 31, 2017
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  7. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    The R series came often with some loose not spooled blue PLA and it was crap. If you got an actual spool it is fine. However getting your printer to orint water tight is going to require some tuning. Another slicer might be a good thing to try as well.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
     
    #7 mark tomlinson, May 31, 2017
  8. WheresWaldo

    WheresWaldo Volunteer ( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°)
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    #8 WheresWaldo, May 31, 2017
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  9. danzca6

    danzca6 Well-Known Member

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    Using a printed bowl or cup for holding something you are consuming, you may want to think about FDA safe filament. Even then, you need to consider the hygiene of that container after washing. If you are doing it for just a vase or something, then that is fine. I always wonder about health concerns when thinking about consuming food or drink out of a printed container.
     
    #9 danzca6, Jun 1, 2017
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  10. Geof

    Geof Volunteer Moderator
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    @danzca6 I agree. I tend to print things like shot glasses and the such for a party (themed of course) but we throw them out at the end of the night since you cant get them clean
     
    #10 Geof, Jun 1, 2017
  11. WheresWaldo

    WheresWaldo Volunteer ( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°)
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    @danzca6 and @Geoc3d and @Ed Rington And let's not forget that you shouldn't use brass nozzles for anything that is used with food. that is why stainless steel nozzles exist.
     
    #11 WheresWaldo, Jun 1, 2017
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  12. Geof

    Geof Volunteer Moderator
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    nah I still drink outa the garden hose, I'll be alright ;)
     
    #12 Geof, Jun 1, 2017
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  13. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Didn't affect, me... much.
    Nope, not much at all...
    :)

    You really need to use some sort of coating for anything you really want to be a tight seal. You CAN design things so that they will (mostly) be water-tight, but to be sure ... use an epoxy or other coating.
     
    #13 mark tomlinson, Jun 1, 2017
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