UJOYBIO 3D printed flower pots

With the rapid development and application of 3D printing, 3D printing is appearing in more and more homes and work environments, the global 3D printing industry is still in the growth period, the market has great potential. 2023, the global market is growing at an average rate of more than 20%. With the continuous expansion of the market, people also have more demand for 3D printing, such as waterproof features, home printing flower pots, or general water-holding vessels. Raw materials accounted for approximately 16% of revenue in the last year, indicating that demand for specific functional materials such as waterproof filaments continues to grow.

Among a variety of 3D printing materials, there are also some better waterproof 3D printing filament materials, such as ASA, TPU, etc. These materials have excellent weather resistance, waterproof and mechanical strength, and perform better in outdoor and waterproof applications. Of course, other materials can also be sealed coating or heat treatment process, can enhance the waterproof effect, such as PLA + filament materials, this has a better toughness and impact resistance characteristics, coupled with the waterproof coating, the knot of its environmentally friendly characteristics, is suitable for other environments such as home, waterproof application environment one of the best materials.

Comparison of waterproof 3D printing materials

Below is a table comparing the waterproofing of ASA material and PLA+ filament material:

As can be seen from the table above, ASA materials have the advantage of being naturally waterproof and can be used outdoors.ASA, also known as Acrylated Styrene Acrylonitrile, is a 3D printable plastic with properties similar to those of ABS. It was originally developed as a replacement for ABS, which was made more UV-resistant by changing the type of rubber used in the formulation.ASA is known for its high impact resistance, higher temperature resistance, and increased difficulty in printing. Because of its excellent resistance to UV rays and harsh weather conditions, it is often used in outdoor applications instead of ABS.Because of its heritage, ASA still retains many of the same printability drawbacks as ABS. Warping is still an ongoing issue that you need to consider, as well as the potentially dangerous fumes that the plastic releases during the printing process due to the presence of styrene.

Of course ASA material also has certain disadvantages, it is more difficult to print, especially for newcomers to the very unfriendly, ASA has high-temperature printing conditions, for the environment is very demanding, there are potentially hazardous fumes, the need for ventilation, a little inattention, will lead to safety issues, and prone to print warpage, so that it can not be used, plus it's more expensive compared to the price of PLA + material! A lot, a mistake will lead to a larger waste.

For PLA + filament material, the user can rest assured that many, PLA + has easy to print, low cost, and high strength characteristics, for novice, very easy to get started, and for waterproof performance, you can use waterproof spray material to solve the problem of outdoor use, you can still use spray UV materials, this point in Is 3D printed filament UV protected? How to make 3D finished models UV resistant as well? The article has a very comprehensive introduction, so for the user, the use of PLA + filament printing waterproof function of the model or appliance, has been a perfect solution.

How to make PLA+ material waterproof?

Although the PLA+ material itself is less waterproof, its waterproof performance can be improved by the following methods:

1. Preparation of PLA+ material before printing

Choose high quality PLA+ filament as much as possible. Log in to the Hyper PLA+ series of filament introduced by UJOYBIO3D, which has the performance of normal PLA+ material version 2.0, and use PLA+ filament with modified additives, such as the version mixed with TPU components, to greatly improve the waterproof performance.

Confirm that the filament material to keep dry, PLA + easy to absorb moisture, printing before the need to use the drying oven to dry the filament to the best state, the recommended temperature of 50 ℃, time 3-6 hours, you can also use the microwave oven for a short period of time to heat, but also can achieve very good drying effect.

2. Optimize printing parameters

Printer Parameter Settings

When printing, setting the printing temperature at the optimal temperature of the current filament can improve the interlayer adhesion, for example, the optimal printing temperature of UJOYBIO3D's Hyper PLA+ filament is 220℃. Reducing the print speed at the same time improves layer adhesion and reduces unwanted pulling or stringing.

Setting the wall thickness and infill rate to a larger figure, it is recommended that the number of wall layers be 4 or more, and an infill rate of 15-20% is sufficient.

Make sure the model is closed between contact layers when printing to avoid water penetration.

3. Post-printing

After the finished product is printed, you need to do sealing treatment on the surface of the model. You can use waterproof spray paint or acrylic paint to coat the surface of the model to increase the waterproof performance of the model. Epoxy resin coating can also be used, which can effectively fill the tiny pores and significantly improve the waterproof effect. Heat treatment (80-100℃, about 15 minutes) for PLA+ finished products can enhance the crystallinity of the material and improve the waterproof performance.

4. Precautions for use scenarios

PLA+ material models, even if waterproofness is enhanced by post-treatment, PLA+ models may still be deformed at high temperatures.

Through these methods, PLA+ materials can meet basic waterproofing requirements, but if longer or severe waterproofing performance is required, it is recommended to use materials like ASA which are more suitable for waterproofing applications.

In Summary

PLA+'s ease of use and affordability make it a promising replacement in education, consumer electronics and mid-range industrial applications. PLA+ materials are typically less expensive than ASA, making them suitable for projects with limited budgets. The less demanding equipment required to print PLA+ eliminates the need for a closed print environment and reduces initial investment and maintenance costs. The use of waterproof coatings, epoxy resins, or heat treatments can significantly improve the waterproofing properties of PLA+ models, bringing them close to, or even surpassing, the results of ASA. With improved layer bonding and surface sealing, PLA+ can fulfill most waterproofing needs in non-extreme environments.

UJOYBIO 3D printed flower pots

With the high tenacity and impact resistance characteristics of UJOYBIO3D's PLA+ series filaments, coupled with the spray-on waterproofing material, PLA+ models can basically achieve better waterproofing as well, and after reasonable optimization and treatment, they can be used as an economical alternative to ASA in many non-extreme environments.