Testing BluPrint (finally)

Blame me, not @Printed Solid for the delay... he got it here on time, I was just ... busy, yeah.. that's the ticket busy

So I finally got some on the feed and tested it.
In full disclosure mine is a beta, with the replacement linear bed and an E3D v5 with a volcano.

The specs suggested were:
Printing Temperature: 265°C - 270°C
Print Speed: ABS speeds
Retraction: 0.5mm nozzle = 2.5mm
Print bed: Hot- Glass heated to 95°C
Hot - PEI heated to 90C
Cold- Clean BuildTak

For me the best bed temp was actually closer to 80-85 and the print temp was far less than quoted. At 265 it was too stringy and the edges were crap. However at 245... it was starting to get really nice and at 230 it was golden. No stringing and well defined, clear cut edges. I also did not change my print speed at all, so this may have also affected the print behavior somewhat.

Given the strength and thermal properties of this I am going to never need to touch ABS again. This did NOT, BTW, have any tendency to warp or curl even as I tested at lower bed temps (down to 70). It was also very wet filament, lots of steam bubbles. I will put it in with some desiccant for the future.

I suspect the big difference in the stated versus actual best temperatures is all on the volcano.
Regardless, test your spools before you depend on the spec to be right.

 

From the Taulman page:

BluPrint:

BluPrint is a “specialty” material and has a Tg of 110C+ but with a print temp of only 265C. Prints on warm (45C) BuildTak and on clean glass heated to ~92C. Also prints on heated PIE sheets set to 55C. BluPrint is a semi-clear material of ~ 84% transmission. Like all taulman3D materials, BluPrint is a 100% bonding layer to layer polymer when printed at defined temperatures. A significant advantage of BluPrint is that when paired with the new E3D Volcano hotend, users and industry can print at speeds of 44mm/s with a 1mm nozzle and .46mm layer. As layer and nozzle size go down, speeds increase as expected to 120mm/s with a .4mm nozzle. BluPrint will allow designers to 3D Print parts that will take high heat for outdoor use such as part replacements for Autos, Boats and Aircraft.

The material has a tensile strength of 6000 psi (41.4 MPa) and an ultimate elongation of 138%. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the material for food contact. It can be used to 3d print parts that will take high heat for outdoor use.

 

For me I would say the print behavior (i.e. non-warp) and the temperature tolerance after printing are the big things. The strength and food safety are just nice add-ons.

 

Probably depends on where you are

I got mine from @Printed Solid but I don't see in on his store.

Amazon has it listed:
http://www.amazon.com/Taulman-BluPrint-CoPolymer-Printing-Filament/dp/B00W8JLFOG

But I would ping Matt first if you are in the U.S.

Regardless it is going to be a bit more than standard filaments like ABS.

 

My price will be $33. If you want two of them, I'd snap up those Amazon spools though because it is quite a bit below the contractual minimum advertised price for this material, so it won't last long.

 

Mine printed best at 230, but in the interest of full disclosure, I use a volcano on the Robo and that tends to mean I have to use lower extrusion temperatures. It was best for me at 225-230, but even in your case I wouldn't think dropping it a little would be a disaster.

I was able to use the bed closer to 80c as well. That you could try -- our bed heaters should be similar

 

Hi John, Do you mean bluprint or 910?

 

awesome @John Chuprinko . I always like seeing people experiment with different material options. I had just recalled seeing your name on that 910 order (we don't get many chuprinkos) from a little bit ago so I figured I would at least ask. I actually still have not gotten around to doing anything with the bluprint. I will put that on my to do list this weekend and then hopefully post for sale shortly thereafter if I'm happy with it.

 

Love me some Alloy910. It is a really nice filament.
Not sure my settings would be of much use unless you are also running an E3D volcano.