Flexible PLA for 3D Printed Armor?
- Thread starter I2aMpAnT
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- S922
A few people have been doing flexible printed suits lately. DeltaAlphaZulu did one with TPU recently. SamuelHan was working on one I think also TPU. I'm doing a rakshasa in TPU. Have done parts w/ Flexible PLA but none of those were finished and painted.
I2aMpAnT
Member
I've heard the flexible PLA is much easier to print, prepare, and paint. It's got me curious!
marinesniper
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- S118
i have used it and it does print easier and paint just like pla but when it gets flexed hard it will chip the paint right off or totally crack the part. i printed my chiefs chest in the flex pla and it looked good and all then i back in to the wall in my shop to see how it handled the rub it cracked in a couple of seams and the paint started flaking off. now i am not a pro painter so did i seal it right? not sure but i scraped the plan and went back to what i use which is regular pla and now im on to foam so i can mix the two. but i wish you well and it may work for you give it a try you never know till you try.
- Member DIN
- S922
On my E5+ I would say, yes, it was easier to be able to print Flex PLA over TPU. I used regular PLA settings just slowed down. I haven't even tried TPU on that printer though since I've bought better printers in that time. That said I've been using Overture High Speed TPU for my current build which has printed like a dream on the other printers.
marinesniper brings up a very good point you'll need to factor in with finishing, the flex and paint. Haven't reached painting on this suit yet, so I can't tell you it won't crack ultimately, especially considering some elements of the plan. Potential for paint cracking though has been a consideration for foam builds for a long time, and it makes sense to me to take some of those lessons and apply it to flexible prints such as using a coating like plastidip, leakseal, or another rubberized coating instead of basic filler primer and using a flexible filler instead of spot putty.
marinesniper brings up a very good point you'll need to factor in with finishing, the flex and paint. Haven't reached painting on this suit yet, so I can't tell you it won't crack ultimately, especially considering some elements of the plan. Potential for paint cracking though has been a consideration for foam builds for a long time, and it makes sense to me to take some of those lessons and apply it to flexible prints such as using a coating like plastidip, leakseal, or another rubberized coating instead of basic filler primer and using a flexible filler instead of spot putty.
- Member DIN
- S970
The TPU I used worked just like standard PLA, printed at 60 to 80 mm/s, was sandable at 80 grit on a detail sander, used retraction like PLA (on a direct drive), all the same fun stuff I just had to use a different type of filler that was flexible so it wouldn't crack when flexed. After HCS for 3 days and a local con and storage time, no cracks or chips yet. I have a part I tested early on that's a few months old that developed hair line cracks in the paint when it was folded in half, but aside from that the TPU I used was fantastic for the entirety of Mirage minus the helmet.
- Member DIN
- S018
I used flexible PLA on a Half Life 2 headcrab puppet last year. After giving the stuff a light sand for adhesion properties, I sprayed it in Leak Seal, then I believe straight to acrylics (airbrushed on, though hand brushed wouldn't be an issue). This combination leaves the paint to be just as flexible as the piece, and I have not seen any cracking or creasing thus far (and that's with bending it quite far!).
I also coated the pieces in E6000. To coat a suit in this would be a huge effort (and the texture might be a little uneven), though I once heard monster maker Shannon Shea say he's coated creatures in airbrushed E6000 diluted with Naphtha - but please note that from what I have heard, Naphtha can be dangerous to work with, so please read up about it before even looking at where to buy it. Also, you'd want to use a cheap airbrush to spray it on. I've never tried this particular method, so I can't vouch for results.
I also coated the pieces in E6000. To coat a suit in this would be a huge effort (and the texture might be a little uneven), though I once heard monster maker Shannon Shea say he's coated creatures in airbrushed E6000 diluted with Naphtha - but please note that from what I have heard, Naphtha can be dangerous to work with, so please read up about it before even looking at where to buy it. Also, you'd want to use a cheap airbrush to spray it on. I've never tried this particular method, so I can't vouch for results.
