Totally wild hair

hman

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OK, a disclaimer ... I don't know diddly nothin' about 3D printing. That said ... I was browsing the local Craigslist a couple minutes ago and saw an ad for some string trimmer line at a good price. It suddenly dawned on me that this line is a thermoplastic polymer, much the same as the PLA and ABS used in 3D printers. Did some preliminary looking. PLA melts around 180-220ºC. ABS melts around 221ºC. I assumed that string trimmer line is made of nylon. Nylon 6 melts at 220ºC, Nylon 6,6 at 265ºC.

Questions -
1. Has anybody tried using string trimmer line in a 3D printer?
2. Does the nozzle temperature even go hot enough to handle Nylon 6,6?
3. What's the relative cost of string trimmer line versus PLA or ABS?
4. Is string trimmer line available in the suitable diameter for a 3D printer?

As mentioned in the title, this is a totally wild hair ... but if string trimmer line is cheaper than the stuff you normally buy for a 3D printer, it might be something worth looking into. Have fun!
 
Not sure why you assume nylon. It is more expensive than HDPE.

It also absorbs water and does not like to be wet and molten. Does not behave well.
 
I've seen people try it. It's usually nylon, but doesn't have to be. It also doesn't tend to be great even if the printer can run nylon. The dimensions tend to drift a bit more than filament and there can be impurities. Either will clog the extruder. Those don't matter in a trimmer, but a printer doesn't like them.
 
OK. Thanks for the info. Guess I was just displaying my ignorance.
 
An open display of ignorance is an open mind.
The self realization of ignorance is an open acceptance to learning. This is a good thing.

Good lord, we're among philosophers. Grumpy ones at that. Many thanks.
 
the problem with using materials not intended for a specific end is that the specifications may be mismatched.
for example the printer filament is usually made to a tight tolerance range (.01- .02 mm)
trimmer line is not something that needs to be very accurate, printer filament will need to be held to better tolerance

i'm not sure if they make 1.75mm trimmer line, but it would be interesting if it worked!
 
Better to ask than to break a printer! Good filament has come down in price enough that it's not really worth the risk to use anything else. If you are going through a large amount with large prints or something, look for large rolls. You can usually find them in a few colors for a decent discount vs the smaller rolls. Selection tends to be smaller though.
 
yea I wondered the same about the trimmer line then did a little research. Seems the 3d stuff is made to much more consistent tolerances. When you think about it the extruders are pretty darn precise as far as layer height etc so it make sense you need stuff manufactured to more exacting specs.
 
I heard that folks tried that early on, before there was real 3d printing filament.
 
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