3D Prints - 7 Years Outside
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ส.ค. 2024
- STL's and links: fpfdesigns.com/
• 3D Printed Mini Split ...
• 3D Printed Ultra Tough...
• 3D Printed Meter Base ...
• 3D Printed Glossy Bump...
• 3D Printed Outdoor Out...
Gray Hatchbox PLA: amzn.to/4dRHMuP
Black Sainsmart TPU: amzn.to/3yvu80i
Gray Sainsmart TPU: amzn.to/4bSTqUw
Black SUNLU PLA: amzn.to/450S8V1
I have no affiliation with any of the brands above. I paid full price for all of the filaments featured.
Outro music is "Quantum" by "Vapora", used with explicit permission from the artist. • Quantum
New videos published every Friday, featuring a new 3D printed functional object, how I use it, and design considerations.
The design depicted in this video is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License or other non-commercial license.
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outdoors
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PLA - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
I threw 2 misprinted miniatures from PLA into our compost silo, to see when they would disintegrate. After two years both pieces came out with the readily composted earth, completely intact, solid and unchanged.
biodegradability od PLA has been heavily overestimated (or flat out marketing lie). I guess it's most vulnerable to extreme sun - UV and heat - but that will only make it warp or brittle, not disintegrate easily.
@@Memphisko You nailed it.
PLA as a Tg (Glass Transition Temp) of around 60~65c. Meaning, for hydrolysis to start and bacteria have a chance to latch on and start consuming the PLA. It must be exposed for a significant amount of time above that temperature. Otherwise, it just erodes just like other regular plastics and sheds toxic microplastics.
The standard used for PLA "Composting" is ASTM6400. And it simply means the conditions required to break down PLA are available in nature. Unless its the middle of a volcano. Funny how far companies are willing to Greenwash the word "Compostable" to support sales.
For true compostability, you need PHA Filament.
@@fredpinczuk7352 "sheds toxic microplastics" could you elaborate? What's toxic about PLA?
@@seethisth4753
The primary issue with PLA (and other bio-polymers) is the lack of regulatory measures needed to ensure public safety.
There are two main sources of toxicity with PLA filament:
1. Additives and Pigments:
- Additives: To facilitate PLA's processability and printability, various additives such as cross-linkers, chain extenders, and plasticizers are mixed with the raw material. Since there are no regulations governing the application and use of these additives, manufacturers are not required to declare their use. This lack of regulation extends to pigments used for coloring, many of which are heavy metal-based, especially in bright colors. Consequently, the use of these unregulated ingredients must be assumed.
- Composting Concerns: When PLA materials are introduced into industrial composting facilities (industrial digesters), the PLA itself may break down, but the added ingredients accumulate in the compost. This compost is then used in agriculture, potentially introducing these harmful substances into our food supply.
2. Nature of PLA:
- Synthetic Origin: Unlike naturally occurring polymers like PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoates), PLA is a synthetic polymer made by polymerizing lactic acid. There is no natural mechanism for PLA to break down safely in the environment.
- Composting Requirements: PLA must follow ASTM D6400 industrial composting methods to ensure it breaks down properly. This process requires elevated temperatures (above 65°C), the right pH, humidity, and oxygen levels. Without these conditions, PLA fragments into micro and nano plastics.
- Environmental Impact: These tiny PLA particles can contaminate the environment. PLA is not biocompatible and will not be reabsorbed if ingested by animals. These micro and nano plastics have been proven toxic to marine life.
Here are some relevant scientific reviews on the subject:
-www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749120360802?via%3Dihub
- www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304389421002843?via%3Dihub
- pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36006158/
PLA is arguably one of the biggest greenwashing exercises of the 21st century. While marketed as "bio-based" and "compostable," it can contaminate the environment just as well as traditional plastics like PP or PET. The misconception that PLA can be discarded into traditional composting systems has only accelerated the introduction of microplastics into the food chain.
For reference, Taiwan banned single-use PLA plastics in 2023, and Hawaii is set to follow with a total ban by 2025. PLA filament manufacturers have quietly removed claims of "compostable" or "biodegradable" from their labels.
PLA can be a beneficial material for reducing dependence on non-renewable petroleum-based polymers if handled properly. However, to ensure its safety, we need regulatory mandates that enforce high levels of toxicity testing and the development of infrastructure to manage the material safely.
Since the PLA industry has no incentive to implement these measures, consumers must handle PLA at their own risk.
For comprehensive toxicity testing, look for filaments that are TUV Austria Marine Certified, TUV Austria Home, or Industrial Compostable Certified.
I think if you were to put it in a hot compost (Berkeley method) for a few days, it would start breaking down.
I live on a boat and I've 3D printed a ton of TPU gaskets and outdoor parts, mainly in PETG-CF and ASA-CF. Nothing has failed or even shown signs of wear after 2-3 years at sea.
you 3d print the stuff on the boat? and is your boat one of those fancy ones where there's a little indoor area under the driver's seat?
@@ctbdjc I do! And yep - my boat has a full kitchen, livingroom (salon area), two bedrooms and two bathrooms. :) She's 46 feet long.
@@GordLamb woah. i only have a small one we go out on whenever the weather is nice.
@@GordLamb "she"
Yup, this guy boats!
Damn, printing TPU gaskets for the boat where you sleep is badass. I wish I can one day have that kind of love and trust for one of my girlfriends 🥲
It was fun seeing random successful functional prints around the yard. The generator setup is sweet.
thx, I have some work to still do on it (fuel polishing system), so you may see it on the channel again
I was going to say the same exact thing. Awesome functional prints!
The company I work for makes PLA for outside use. It took some research, but our products can be used outside now for at least 15 years. In an industrial plant it still can be recycled into compost within a week or two. On the other hand we can make PLA with will degrade in nature within a year or two. So there are a lot of different qualities of PLA. The key factor is the P (which stands for poly). PLA with short chains of Lactic Acid will not be suitable for outside use. PLA with very long chains of PLA is so hard it is not suitable for 3d-printing (filament is hardly bendable), but quite durable for outside use.
Mind sharing the company name? Any chance they want me to test some? :P
Send him a sample! 😍
How common is PLA that degrades in nature really? Because I seem to be hearing that there is a bit of green washing going on in the marketing about how well PLA breaks down in nature.
I'm also quite curious about the company, and no, not for a free sample 😅
PLA is only compostable under industrial conditions or ASTM6400. That's isn;t really composting.
I printed a rain cover/shelter for a bird feeder out of ASA and painted it to match the feeder, so I suspect that thing will last forever. I admit I didn't even consider printing it from PLA because of all the FUD about using PLA outside. After seeing your experience, I'll definitely give it a try and see how it holds up!
The only issue with PLA outside I'd say is the heat. Where I live in Canada in the summer my PLA prints deform in the sun lol
PLA is known and confirmed for failure in direct sun. Especially down south. UV is damaging. But, keep in mind additives can assist with UV issues.
There has been plenty of reports from the 3d printing community of PLA failures in direct sun. Where and intensity of exposure are important. As are the specifics of the filament in question.
@@kylequinn1963get pla+, and the problem is gone. You can get ht-pla that‘s stable up to 140-150 C, that’s good enough for engine bay use. There are very cool plas out there 👍
If you paint it it doesn't even matter that is less resistant to UV
@@kylequinn1963 I have a PLA lizard out in the sun. About four years old at this point. It's now fading and brittle.
PLA, as a rule, is absolutely not UV resistant. That doesn't mean all PLA isn't or can't be made to be UV resistant with additives. But if you're worried, either plan on painting (as suggested by others) or simply print with PETG. PETG is naturally UV and chemical resistant. ASA is better than PETG for UV resistance though. Which is why it was created for use on vehicles.
From my experience lighter color PLAs are fine outside in the sun and you can coat them in UV resist coatings. But darker colors will absorb more heat and will warp or sag under weight, but will anneal and stop warping. Now for hot cars, PLA will soften and change shape.
In 2017 I printed a ravens head for a scout patrol to go on a staff out of black PLA. It melted a bit in the sun but still looked okay. I also made a box to hold some card scrappers out of PLA and that was fine until my dad left it in a car once and then it warped to the point the lid wouldn’t close. I also had a zip tie holder that sat in the garage warp/creep on me from just the elevated temps and the force of the zip ties pushing out. After these personal events I’ve decided against using PLA for anything that is a tool or may be in a garage, car, or outdoors for long. It’s not the degradation / UV but simply that the softening point is too low.
I have printed house numbers for a letterbox beside a friend's drive. It is in full sun for over 2 years and printed in PLA Pro dark grey, and is still going strong. It is exposed to +100°F in summer and down to freezing witthout issue. Great video. I have now printed off the endcaps for my bug hotel and cannot believe that since I have printed them, I have had no garden leaves or debris build up around my unit. Practical printing FTW
Yep, because it's biodegradable as they said.
@@antonkukoba3378 Huh? What do you think biodegradable means?
I’ve printed some adapters for outside solar landscaping lights at least 3 years old. Still working fine.
Also about 1.5 years ago Replacement crank handle on a garden hose reel.
Door handle for privacy fence gate over 4 years ago.
All these are Hatchbox Black PLA.
I did print one larger item from that PLA that warped some but it hasn’t disintegrated and still doing what it is meant for.
I have a bunch of planters that I printed as 2mm thick shells, full weather exposure, soil, moisture, the works for 5 years. Before that, they were indoors, in a window for 2 years. They basically look like new.
if someone ever asks you " why get a 3d printer?" show them this video. are there other solutions? maybe but this is amazing, and cost less than a dollar most times. Great video showing the real usefulness of PLA
I printed 2 post clamps for our house number sign out of black PLA. Put them on 3 years ago and never touched them again. No fading, works fine.
Thanks man. i had a feeling the fears of pla outside were mostly overblown. Pla stil bad for hot cars
I made some six sided porch posts and needed some caps for them. So I designed a ball top cap and printed it out of white PLA. They have been in the weather for at least two years now. They still look fine to me.
OMG!! Thank you. I want to print several things for outdoors, but I was hesitant to do so because of what I've heard about PLA. Now, I'm going to do it.
having the electrical box cover slide into the J-channel like that is genius
Those are the fancy all year round Christmas lights. Had to pay extra for them but its worth the convenience.
I printed a flower pot 7 years ago. it is in a window and gets MUCH sun. no problem at all with it.
Awesome video, super helpful. Thanks for going through all that trouble for this video 🔥
Wow, this is my type of 3-D printing video-things that are practical. I print mostly motor mounts, control horns for my RC planes and whatever I find a need for around the house. I did print a replacement 4”x4” plastic fence cap replacement using PLA. It lasted about two years before the top (direct Colorado sun and freezing weather) deuteriated. OVERTURE PLA.
i just discovered your channel and your videos are pure gold! so many thing i have played in my head with, you've already done ❤
thx, and welcome aboard!
I've printed a couple of brackets like your trampoline ones for some surveillance cameras out of PLA.
They have been bolted to the roof racks on my toyota hilux for about 2 years and there's no signs of wear.
I believe it was black flashforge pla.
I also printed some hooks for the monitor to hang from my sun visor which have crept quite a bit, but theyre still working 2 years on.
I recently designed a replacement sun visor to accept the screen which I've been having some printer troubles so haven't been able to print yet.
The environment plays also enormously, here in the Caribbean, The PLA outside is only if not exposed to the sun, otherwise it deforms in a significant way and especially it becomes brittle very quickly.
I think that the 70-90% humidity also plays a role there.
So for the outside I only print in PETG, not only it does not deform in full sun, but it retains a mechanical resistance years later.
I printed hangers clamps out of PLA+ to clamp cameras and small solar panels to round and square shepherds hooks clamped by stainless steel bolts and wing nuts. Those that were tightly bonded have lasted 4 -5 years in Chicago winters. 1 that there was a rough surface only lasted 1.5 yrs. A lot depends on how water can penetrate the structure and freeze. Most of my clamps are white, so they reflect a lot of the solar energy. My first black camera hood lasted 2 yrs before removed without problems. Other parts I made this spring so too early to say anything.
Just bought a new printer a week ago. Much better prints. I figure any new parts will last even longer.
Not exactly an outside print but printed a replacement sunvisor clip for my car out of PLA as i have gray only in PLA (which is the color of the original part i needed to replace), it stretched on a hot day due to the heat in the car, made another one and it did the same almost immeaditely, i'm printing the same part out of clear PETG as i'm writing this comment, hoping it will last longer than the previous parts did.
What i learned is that PLA will not last long if it is under load in a warm environment.
Basically what I’ve found is that if I print with PLA, it’s completely fine in the sun if it’s thick enough and has no sharp edges. If I put anything flat maybe not super thick, it warps.
Great data points. Craziest part is that with years of generator use you never forgot to remove that cap and melted it. I've had a compliant/single-piece clothespin in direct sun for about a year now that still flexes fine. R3D clear PLA
I live on the coast so we have some quite heavy winds ... I'm tall and fat and so I made some "garden furniture" out of sleepers which is absolutely solid and heavy and is basically immoveable. I used my 3D printer to print some brackets that are now bolted to one of the garden chairs to drop the support tube for a large and heavy garden umbrella into (not one of the cheap lightweight things - this is a hefty heavy canvas umbrella that is now probably 10+ years old).
The brackets have been outside now for four years or so and are still absolutely solid and have held on to the umbrella in some winds that *I* wouldn't want to try holding on to it in!
I've also printed a plot number sign for my other halfs allotment which is now about four years old (and we keep boing asked by other allotment holders if we can do signs for them), similarly I've printed off brackets that are screwed into the wooden surrounds for the planting beds on her allotment that are used to put the ends of some thick tubing into to make hoops to stretch netting over to stop birds getting to the plants - they're all doing well and remember this is a coastal environment.
I've got custom brackets made up for outdoor WiFi antennas and WiFi Bridges which have only been outside for a year or two.
I've not had anything fail yet...
Printed a 98A TPU angled funnel, that one has seen gas, diesel, coolant, ice and constant sunlight as its hanging on the toolbox attached to my excavator... for 4 years, in Norway. Extrudr Flex Medium TPU. Still like new.
They've just dropped 70D (think hard hat) TPU-CF... It is god-like material. 😊
I printed a shield for a temperature sensor out of pla several years ago and it is still going strong. I am also in the northeast and we see every kind of weather.
I have attachments that I printed in pla that I use on my speargun that have been going for 2 years with regular exposure to salt water and depths of 15m which generates a lot of pressure. The pats have held up perfectly. PLA is incredible.
Right at 3 years ago I bought my first printer, a Prusa Mk3s+ kit. One of the first prints were some "hat brim" shades for some solar LED path lights to keep the LEDs from shining up into your eyes. These were about 6" x 4" and about 1.5mm thick (I think 3 perimeters at 0.45mm extrusion width). I printed about 4 or 5 out of black PLA, another 6 out of black PETG, and about 4 more out of Prusament signal white PLA. The ONLY ones that did not warp in the Texas and Alabama summer heat and direct sunlight were the signal white ones, I'm presuming because black absorbs so much more thermal energy from the sun. Some just warped a little so they rattled around on the lights, and some actually curled up like a photograph in a campfire. The white ones, while they did not warp, they did suffer what looks like typical plastic UV degradation where the surface is now matte and if you rub it some white comes off on your fingers.
I reprinted I think 6 of them this July 4th vacation to replace the ones in Alabama that had warped, and used Polymaker ASA in natural color this time. Nothing we've printed in ASA has suffered either cold flow, warping, or surface degradation so far. In my experience, PLA is great for inside but not so much for outside, and a lot of that depends on the geometry of the model. If it's nice and thick (i.e. not something you can easily bend or break by hand) then it usually holds up well. If it's pretty thin and especially long and thin/flat, it seems to be far more susceptible to temperature warping.
I've been putting off getting profiles set up for TPU but based on your results, I'm going to have to get that going as I'm very surprised at how well that stuff held up.
Altitude makes a difference in sun exposure. I like in a high desert area and find any plastic outdoors break down faster than at lower altitudes. I have still printed PLA parts but will usually spray coat them with an outdoor Krylon plastic paint which seems to help protect them for several years. My TPU prints do become brittle over time, but that could also be high heat and low 30s and below cold affecting them as well.
I've been looking for this type of confirmation on PLA. Thanks for showing so many examples for that and TPU.
I have a whole lot of planters and garden markers that I have had outside for 7 years already and there is no change. I am in Toronto, so that is -30°C/-22°F in the winter and 40°C/104°F in the summer with full sun and most of them have not faded at all. There is zero warping (the watering and cool soil could help that) and they are not brittle at all.
Thank you. These sort of items are what I would like to get a 3D printer for. Thanks because I have heard the negatives about PLA and the pros about other types but the difficulty with printing with some of them.
New subscriber as of today.
I 3D printed an armor for cosplay prolly around 3 years ago and... mostly its always exposed to the sun since mostly we are doing outdoor activities, but for whatever reason it disintegrated after I accidentally dropped a piece of my armor costume, which is surreal, and when I check all other parts, it became brittle... its also made from PLA...
was it matte pla?
@@FunctionalPrintFriday just white PLA+ from esun, not sure if its matte PLA though
PETG is the way to go@@Eviane
@@TouchofDepth noted, also I knew I should have buy PETG, instead I buy ABS+ lol :D
@@Eviane I haven't messed with ABS yet I hear its a pain sometimes though, I'd be interested to hear an update if you have success, what printer do you have?
I have used black PETG for brackets used to construct a chicken coop using pvc conduit. The brackets are used with a zip tie that wraps around 2 pvc pipes and maintains the stiffness. There's screw holes that too. 4 years now no degradation in them.
Wouldn't painting the parts help with the exposure issues?
I've tested my fair share of PLA prints outside and none of them have ever gone that many years. I do a lot of gardening so I've tried stuff in several materials and PLA in the garden breaks down with sun and regular water exposure. I've made stakes for plants and garden tags and any PLA prints start breaking down. They first will show signs of warping and then major fading. By the end of the grow season they will be flaking pieces off. That's 12 plus hours of sunlight and every few days sprinkler or rain water on them. That's about a total of 5 months growing outside for us and pla looks bad. Now PETG or ASA or even Nylon is totally different outside. PETG still has its flexible properties even after a year so far. Made a part that had to flex for outside and so far it's still flexi. No signs of break down. I could go on but I find your findings interesting. I've never seen those results and that's with several colors and brands.
I suspect it's not the UV exposure but the soil and moisture contact that is more detrimental.
Got my EV/hybrid car back in 2021, printed a holder for the charger that has been in the sun, ice, harsh rain since that spring. No deformity, it perfectly fits the charger port still to this day. I assumed i might have to print a replacement every two years but now I'm thinking it's gonna be just fine!!
I printed a fish tank house (fish shelter) in pla+ and its lived in a heated saltwater tank for like 3 years without issue. Ive also printed a 3" intake tube for a v8 motor that sits inches directly above the exhaust manifold out of 910 alloy and its perfect still
wow. . and no heat shield?
I suspect the amount of pigment in the filament and the thickness of the walls have a big impact on how well it holds up. IIRC the ones I've seen people post that degraded quickly were also vase-mode, so single wall.
yeh, single wall is really just decorative stuff as far as I'm concerned. I do 2 min and my default is 3
Easiest way to protect it..put some UV clearcoat or even spraypaint if it sits outside...also...maybe not in black...in white/gray to help reflect heat away from it
Krylon K01305 Gallery Series Artist and Clear Coatings Aerosol
But PLA is a pretty good plastic...
Very cool!
Keep em coming!!!!
I think I have some of that too
Same here, a bunch of auxiliary pieces. Holders, caps, shelves, clamps...
Just getting started with 3DP, is great to see that this stuff is tough! That being said, I am hoping to get a shredder for PLA scrap, so I can compost it.
Printed PLA caps for my parent pool railing to replace the old cracked ones almost 10 years ago and they still are fine.
I use TPU for gutter drain covers and they work well and they seem to hold house paint as well.
I think your latitude has something to do with this. I'm in the South where it gets brutally hot in the summer. I have two examples where prints were ruined by not-so-long exposure to the heat:
1. A clip to hold sunglasses to the sun visor in my car failed on day one just from being parked outside while I bought groceries. Just the little bit of weight from the glasses bent the clip around 45 degrees before the glasses fell into the seat where I found them upon my return.
2. A socket holder I brought outside for a job in the back yard warped terribly after a few hours in the sun. Admittedly it was black PLA which didn't help with heat absorption. The bottom conformed to the bumps in the cardboard box I was carrying my tools in, and getting my sockets out after it had a chance to cool was a nightmare.
I am surprised how long some of your PLA prints have lasted if it's true you get 100F days up there. Maybe you are using higher quality filament than me also. Either way, I love long term experiments like this, so thanks for the video!
I think the color of the item you're printing from PLA matters. I have a shift knob for my manual car that I printed out of white PLA, 2 years strong so far. I made a mount out of some left over black PLA for a radar detector in the same car, it warped and fell apart (about a year). I think the lighter colors reflect the light/uv and have a higher chance of survival for that simple reason. Both items see about the same amount of light, the shift knob gets handled more because, well, I'm shifting gears with it. The radar detector mount doesn't always sit on my dash, as I'm not always using my radar detector, I don't want it baking in the sun. So it spends some time just sitting either on the back seat, or on the floor of my car. So again, the color of the material and it's reflective properties play a role in my opinion.
i designed and printed some gutter brackets for a friend 7 years ago - white PLA, they are still there and are totally fine.
I’ve made “race horse blinders” that bolt onto my offroad spot lights. Been 5 years, and still same as day 1
Resin printer and painted
PLA definitely works outside. I have a bunch of garden decor, a mount for my doorbell, and some caps for metal conduits. It gets around 40c/-40c throughout the year where I live. I will say though the once place it has failed me is in my car, I made sunglass holders and due to the glasses hanging down from a clip, over time the print warps like your tomato holder. I've tried using PETG for it but it was the same issue. I believe ABS or ASA will work but I haven't tried them yet.
im on year 4 of growing hot peppers in 3d printed volcano pots. i get tons of peppers on each plant.
nice! great to see a long-time test of 3D printed parts! thank you
I printed some coat hangers and other hooks for my office about 9 years ago (on a printrbot... yes early adopter) in pla because I added a heated bed to print abs later, and they are indoors but un-painted, but they have gone brittle and after finding things randomly on the floor where theyve been hanging for years I've had to print replacements, which have been going ok for a couple of years now. I made cupholders for the camping car and they lasted 2 years then gave up. I printed a handle in pla and z axis stabilizer for the printrbot and it disintegrated a few years back, but did some parts in ninjaflex when it first came out and I managed to mod my extruder to print it, and they are still in use, as is my frankensteined printrbot, I use abs, ninjaflex and petg now. My older reels of dog ends of PLA in odd colours that had sat on hangers on the printer room wall had got so brittle that when they were loaded onto the spool rack and fed into the printer, they broke like dried spaghetti before even getting the extruder. Some I stripped off a few meters and they were ok, others were toast.
FUD? no, just my own personal direct experience.
Awesome little improvements! Thanks! 👏👏😁😁
I printed a bunch of PLA washers to help mount my cameras on siding clips. The material is functionally fine but heavily faded after about 2 years, though they see full sun. It was ERYONE Silk PLA.
Printed railings exposed in the top of my sailboat using white PLA plus 3 coat of UV filtering varnish. After 2 years in Florida, I had to have them reprinted in nylon as their were becoming brittle and started breaking. Has not aged since.
I learned ASA filament is the most popular choice for outdoor use - it's renowned for its UV resistance, in comparison to other types of filament, such as ABS or PETG, ASA is considerably more resistant to the long-term effects of UV light exposure and has a higher resistance to colour fading, warping and cracking. 👍
i made some garage vent covers for my uncle a couple years back, they live on the south side in direct sunlight. made from pla, but its white pla, so i guess, if you have to print something for the outdoors in pla, make sure its white. no warping to this point
I have had a few small items in my car, thin items just turn to goo (warp and distort) but I also have a small box with 2mm walls and slide on lid and it's held up just fine. With the thin items I am sure it's more the heat than anything else. I also have a very chunky door handle for our screen door on the front of the house (kids destroy everything so I made it thick and lots of infill) and it's not in direct sunlight (front door is inset 6' from the front of the house) but it's been there 3+ years and it's used every day multiple times and still even looks like the day I installed it (pretty sure it will hold up longer than the rest of the door). Now I have a small solar panel on the eve of my house (just a 5v one that recharges a motion light) and that is PETG because it's in direct sunlight, all weather and is structural (and only 2mm thick walls) so I wanted to assure it would last 5+ years (it's now a little over 3 years old).
Same experience here. And when you paint them it gives an extra protection against UV
YEAH MAN, this rocks. I literally yesterday put a few PLA parts outside like laundry clips (of course they will loose tension, springiness or whatever) and other shit to see if it's that true. I got some Impact PLA that's supposed to be stronger than ABS. Perhaps it will go even better outside here in Poland where we only get above 30'C / 86'F maybe few times a year. Nice followup and great approach giving all the files. Thanks for the video.
My buddy printed custom tweeter boxes for his A pillars and they warped over the coarse of 1 summer
That's one gorgeous trailer!
🇨🇦/🇺🇸... I've not had PLA outside... but PLA items that I left in the hot car, in the sun turned into pretzels.
The only PLA print I've had go very brittle was a piece I had in a aquarium for 5 years, When i picked it up i could crush it in my hand. But that is the only thing and I have printed alot of stuff that have been outside for soon 10 years
I printed a custom bracket to firm up the top of my pool fence out of eSun PLA about 3 years ago. I probably cheated by spraying it in enamel spray, but it's as perfect as the day I printed it.
I printed a steering knob for a forklift. It's only a bit over a year old, and not really "outside", but it's doing well. Normal PLA.
Print anything in direct sun in white. It will not get nearly as hot and will not warp very much I’ve experimented with this and it is valid.
I've got all kinds of prints outside with similar results. PLA will warp if it's in direct sunlight, especially if the wall thickness isn't very high, and some brands will discolor (more to do with the pigment used than the actual pla), otherwise it seems fine. My PETG and TPE prints that are outside are perfect.
When I purchased my car the rubber seal was missing from the oil filler cap on top of the engine. I printed a gasket in PLA by testing different thicknesses with about 15% infill. About 18 months later I noticed it had cracked in several places across the filament lines instead of along the filament lines that you might have expected. But that was exposed to hot oil fumes so that maybe why.
reprint in TPU and it will outlive the car. TPU is amazing
@@FunctionalPrintFriday I had thought of TPU, i need a bit more of an excuse to get a whole reel though.
PLA seems to hold up well outside for me. I have more issues with PLA inside a hot car in the summer. The part will warp almost guaranteed. I have a pla truck hitch receiver cover that has held up fine for 3-4 years being outside in the sun most days as well as held up fine with the car wash many times.
Настоящий мужик. Российский мужчина выносит елку в сентябре, американский не убирает гирлянду.
I've printed some parts for my chemical lab out of PLA. These parts are designed to get wet every day. I'm only about 6 months in, but absolutely no warping or notable weakening.
i had some pla ghosts i printed for Halloween I left out year and they disintegrated over time. they were made from glow in the dark pla and were very thin. the part that where in contact with the dirt disintegrated and the rest became discolored and brittle. However i reprinted them as it took about 3 years out there all year to get to that point (hey i think the lil ghosts are cute around the mailbox), A lot of the current pla has anti uv additives in them so as long as they aren't warping from the sun they work ok.
i also printed pla vent replacement in clear natural pla (no additives) they became brittle and had to replace them in about two years. I used clear because i didn't want them to warp from heat. the next time i printed them i sprayed them with clear uv protective top coat and they were good for 3 years where the whole vent needed to be replaced. I also printed a cover to help keep animals out of a crawlway space it has been 5 years and it works fine.
For me i find contact with dirt and thickness of the material is what matters.
I have a water bib standoff i printed its a bit discolored (yellowed) but still works fine (it is in white abs)
I have CCTREE PLA wall brackets for flood lights all around the house and I live in Cape Town South Africa so they are exposed to heat cold and stress of having to carry weight.... Some of these have been printed just about 7 years ago on my old Anet A6 3D printer.... I also have a couple of modifications on my Chinese Brand 150CC moped that that are printed from a local South African Filament maker called Filament Factory and use their PLA+ to made addons for external voltmeter and usb and 12v socket housings so I can see the strength of the battery use a usb cable to charge my phone used as a GPS and even use a 12v outlet for mini air pump or whatever needs 12v on the road. I must add that all these modifications have held up better than my lockbox that is injection molded in ABS. The top has become brittle and the red reflection part on the lockbox has lost its shine has become brittle and in parts completely disintegrated but the PLA+ has not shown any signs of wear and they have been on the moped longer than the lockbox, almost 3 years and the lockbox is just 2 years....
Its the same argument people had about you can't leave your 3D printer alone if you print as it will catch on fire and burn your house down...
I have always heard STORIES of it happening than Actual proof that it has happen and the times there was proof there was ALWAYS owner negligence involved in some way, printing near flammable substances, printing in confined spaces even cluttered space, and over modding their 3D printers that puts stresses on the electronics an so on.
Thank you for sharing your findings with Us and breaking down the stigma of you can't use PLA for functional out door prints.
Great video. This is something I really wanted information about. I have printed outside (and indoor) stuff in PLA for private use. But I don't dare print anything in PLA that I sell (tools, sporting, fishing etc.) simply because you never know if the customer will leave the item in a hot car or out in the sun to find it back deformed or warped. So it is ASA in most cases and PETG in some others.
agreed, with the exception of stuff for winter use where I want stiffness. PLA has done well for that use case (snowblower chute rotation parts)
I 3d printed a GPS mount for my vehicle. PLA warped so found PETG... Give California Filament a try. Have had great results for outside, in general as well. $25 +/- roll all PETG colors. Unless you need flexibles, lol
I try to always use white or transparent PLA for outside use, things even warp in Swedish sun
good find on that wasps nest
I haven't printed much outdoor stuff but last year I made quite a thin walled accessory for my car dash board. People always say PLA warps in the sun. But my part, made in Matterhackers Quantum filament, has held up perfectly fine on the hot car dashboard.
I've printed a lot of PLA for outside use (before I had a more capable printer) thinking I'd just reprint it every year. 5 years later, I've never had to reprint anything. I've had ABS prints fail outside faster, lol. Inside a hot car in the summer is another thing altogether, but just being outside isn't that bad. I've recently started printing lots of ASA & TPU, but I expect them to do well in almost any environment.
The bumper patch is kinda ghetto. I like it. You just need to cut a matching hole on the opposite side and put a patch there.
It will not only make the repair look like factory but your agility and spidey senses will be tested when your wife throws the waffle iron at your head for cutting up her car.
I'm waiting for the day we eventually trade it in, to see if they notice :)
Interesting, I have indeed been avoiding PLA for outdoor projects. Usually stick to PETG, which of course hasn't had any issue because it's specifically UV-resistant.
You CAN use PLA outside. It isn’t advisable to use dark colors for outdoor prints as this will cause more heat from direct sunlight and potentially deform the model. Although PLA is biodegradable, it requires processing and will not degrade normally. Humidity will also affect it. Don’t expect PLA to last as well in Arizona as it does in Maine. I personally prefer using PLA+ or PETG for outdoor prints for the added heat resistance. I’ve had custom plugs that I made to block rodent holes under a shed outside in the sun, rain, snow and ice for over 3 years now and they are still as good as the day I printed them.
Not outside outside, but printed sunglasses holders for our car. The ones you slip onto the sun visors. Made them out of PETG and after just 2 days of spring sun the things just slid off. What a letdown 😢
Other than that nothing printed for outdoors just yet.
Yeah PLA does work fine outside for many applications, I've had a little PLA planter stand outside in the elements for some flowers for about 9 years now and theres no sign of it weakening yet. If it does, then ill just reprint it.
While yes it theoretically isn't UV resistant, if you dont use it for something that is absolutely critical and will kill you if the psrt fails, i dont think you need to worry much if you approach ot with some common sense...
The thing about people saying to never use it outside yeah, that also reminds me of the early days of hobby 3D printing.
There were many people that from the beginning just dismissed PLA as a useless plastic for beginners, the "real pros" used ABS like they do in injection moulding. But now we know PLA is actually pretty amazing and in many applications just straight up stronger and stiffer than ABS while also being much easier to print.
I printed a bunch of security camera mounts and LCOM weather proof box mounts to fit them onto a 4” square light pole. I used ASA just for peace of mind…some of them are pretty high up and / or weigh a decent amount and I did NOT want the liability of them falling off the pole and hitting someone or something.
I've yet to try ASA. What filament do you run?
appreciate this vid
I would be really curious about Wood PLA. If it breaks down even a bit. All the plastic waste is terrible.
I have not used a single 3D print outside longer term yet. Well i do have a little PETG piece holding up my bicycle mirror but it's basically fully hidden from light.
I only have one spool of PLA, i bought it 8 years ago from OWL, and while the spool feels like it should still print OK... i hadn't been printing with it for the last several years, but it doesn't seem at all suspicious, it has been stored well, but the prints haven't fared very well. The unloaded prints still look usable but loaded ones experienced changes around the 2 year mark, they got crazing around pressure spots and they became brittle, and there is a hint of yellow discolouration on all pieces. The filament is silver coloured but it's very transparent and the pigment isn't very evenly spread, you can see distinctive differences in pigmentation density from layer to layer.
Also my first 3D prints 8 years ago were from clear natural Renkforce PETG, one holds up the control board fan, the other protects the power supply. The latter is still in use, the former got replaced because it got somewhat more brittle than it used to be and suffered an accident. Both yellowed quite a bit. The printer is near a window indoors. The power supply print is bound to be replaced soon, as i'll be putting in a different power supply.
I'm not at all concerned about long term performance in the sun of thoroughly pigmented plastics as long as they don't get hot enough to warp. Black in particular is bound to absorb all the UV and concentrate the sun damage to the outermost skin of the item. But there is apparently some degradation mode that affects PLA and i've hit that somehow, not sure what is the cause. I mean you can always hit anything except PETG with a little paint, maybe silver paint for protection.
i printed my sisters all kinds of pla figures of pokemon and they put them in their cars. i live in tennessee and cars can get really hot here. the pla figure survived the cars to my surprise. its been 3 years and they are only a little faded.
You can use boiling water to "unbend" PLA :)
I printed adapters to attach lights on my rain gutters using PLA and ABS. They all failed within 3 years in my Southern California weather. So, your experience may vary.
Hey Mate, thanks for your Video, was really enjoing it.
My Prints for outside are ASA (Abolutute Zero issues, looks it last forever), PETG - also fine but after years but I have the feeling that it has problems with high moisture so it gets brital over time when it is used a greenhouse.
The only common thing I realized - do not print stuff in red. If it is ABS, ASA, TPU or PETG - the color absorbers UV Light and looses color over time. Second best is bright green also it looses color. Black, Gray, Blue, Dark Green - far more suitable for long term use outside.
A btw. live near Munich - Germany ;-)
Just one comment. Durability in the sun is also dependent on your altitude. At 6300 ft, I have approx 20% stronger UV than at sea level. A hobbyist here in Colorado printed up a bunch of swatches in different colors and materials. He left all of them outside for 7 years. There was definite fading that was somewhat color dependent, and some PLA's were brittle. He had it on display at the Rocky Mtn RepRap festival. One 3D printing channel that was there posted a video of it.
interesting point, thx
PLA warped bad in one day - made a new dash centre piece for my race car, sat in the sun one day, ruined......remade the part in ABS, problem sorted :)
yeh, inside a hot car is definitely a tough one for PLA
I enjoyed the video! Feel free to make more like these.
Whenever I hear "PLA is bio-friendly and made from corn". My tires are made from plankton and natural rubber too... so they are biodegradable and good for the environment. The plankton was eaten by ancient sea colonies that were killed off and became oil... but it was plankton at some point so Yay Environment!
lol