Best filament for 3D printing parts for airgun?

[Puppadore]

Hello,

I'm looking to print some 3D parts for my first PCP (Kral NP03 in .177).
I have an Creality Ender 5 printer, and I have not used it for several years, and I've only used PLA before.

What would be easy to use (like PLA), works with Ender, and strong enough for air gun parts?

I'm looking to print (for Kral NP03):
- stock adapter: so I can use a common, lightweight folding stock for AR stock
- band that goes around shroud and PCP tank, I don't know what this is called.. but it would make the barrel more sturdy and have an extra rail on bottom

I have a ton of experience in 3D modeling, but not much on actual printer settings and use of printed materials.

 

[tscktran]

PETG, should be easy as PLA.
If you use hair clue, you can lower the bed temp down a lot, even a room temp. for small part.
ABS would be best, but it has fume, and shrinkage, it's much harder to print.
Hope that help.

 

[Puppadore]

PETG, should be easy as PLA.
If you use hair clue, you can lower the bed temp down a lot, even a room temp. for small part.
ABS would be best, but it has fume, and shrinkage, it's much harder to print.
Hope that help.

Thank you!

 

[MrP]

Overture pla pro works great for me - very durable and has held up well for ldc printing even handling big bore power without any issues. Smell is not bad - like maple syrup or caramel. I eventually settled at 60 degree bed 220 degree nozzle for this material on my sovol sv-01

 

[engfred]

Hi Puppadore,
I use entirely PetG and ABS.

PetG is strong and does not just break in two parts like PLA.

The challenge for PetG is to find the highest temperature you can print with, without getting stringing, annoying bloops and build up on your nozzle.
And the retraction settings need to be spot on. Try to print a temperature tower and a retraction tower to get these settings right.
Expect to print in the lower temperature end of the manufacturer specs. Use 25-30% cooling.
If you print at too low temperature the layers will not fuse properly and the part will be weak.

Make the design so it fits - it is not easy to sand or work on afterwards. I print with normal Petg 230 °C / 70 °C bed.
Easy PetG and where the use additive to ease the flow i go down to 224-226 °C.
Use a slow first layer (15mm/s.) and allow the nozzle to be a bit higher above the bed to avoid squeezing the first layer

I Like ABS - My favorite, - but before you will have great success with ABS you will have no hair left on your head.
When you get everything right it is so nice to print with and the looks is impressive.
(Printing with ABS have some dimension challenges. I scale the model to 100.5% then the measures fits exactly after shrinkage.

 

[MrP]

I corrected a typo in my post about overture pla pro. Should be 220 degree nozzle

 

[dan_house]

ITs been my experience that HOW the print is setup, print temp, layer hieght, print speed etc etc etc will give better prints than relying on non-PLA filament.
Pick a material that works for you (read that: can print it without much hassle) and learn how to setup yer slicer to make it print well. Strenght will follow....

 

[ozzy39]

According to my experience, For the band that goes around the shroud and PCP tank, you can use a material like Nylon or TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) which are also known for their strength and durability. As you can read these instructions and setting for printers, Nylon is a strong and durable material that is commonly used for mechanical parts, and TPU is a flexible material that can be used for parts that require flexibility and impact resistance. Both are also compatible with the Creality Ender 5.
In general, it's always recommended to use a material that has been tested and proven to be suitable for the specific application, and also to use the correct printing settings to ensure the part will be printed correctly.