fischertechnik community forum

Fischertechnik matching pins. With these pins you can build almost all Fischer parts together. I use PolyMaker PolyMax PLA filament because it is very strong. The strength can be compared to the original FT pins.

3D printfiles on ThingIverse: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4074749


HD picture: https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotoopa_hs/49297942631

Example some applications

HD picture: https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotoopa_hs/49297459248

Frans.

Hello fotoopa!

What a great idea! Please suggest it to fischertechnik!

Best Regards,
Stefan

fotoopa hat geschrieben: ↑

30 Dez 2019, 10:50

.... I use PolyMaker PolyMax PLA filament because it is very strong. The strength can be compared to the original FT pins.

Hello Frans,
About your PLA filament. Do you have experiences with other materials as well? Are you able to compare to other PLA or PETG?
I am using mostly PETG, which should be stronger than PLA in general.
I created a 1:1 ft-compatible knob by myself and printed parts with PETG. The knobs are strong, but not as strong as original fischertechnik knobs. When using too much force, my knobs are breaking off! Never happened with fischertechnik

Sample: Red Arrow: broken knob
Green Arrow: I prefer this type of knob; very stable, but of course the usage is not as flexible as original knob (90°)

No PETG I haven't used yet, it has to be printed at a higher temperature. PolyMaker PolyMax is 9X stronger than the regular PLA and even stronger than ABS. My FlashForge Finder printer does not have a heated bed. I don't have any pins breaking off yet. All my FT parts are always printed with this PolyMaker PLA. The surface is also nicer and the blocks slide much smoother on top of each other. And yes it is more expensive, but I prefer very good stable quality. These pins weigh almost nothing, they're not that expensive.

Polymaker has a lot of special filaments for various specific needs. They are expensive, but all my experiences with their filament were good. I regularly use PolySupport (aka Ultimaker breakaway) and I'm very happy with the results.

Orientation plays an important role when it comes to stability of printed pins. If the pin is printed upright, you'll have less stability, as in FDM printing the bond between layers will always be weaker than within a layer. NBGer's broken pin seems to have bee printed upright, while Frans, judging from the stl files, seems to print the pins horizontally. Also, print parameters like temperature, cooling, and flow rate are influential here.

In my tests with a related design, I got much better results with PETG vs. PLA and a horizontal printing position. Yet, I did not achieve stability that was comparable to ft parts. So, Frans, did you run any actual tests on the stability of your printed pins in comparison to ft pins?

lg
Jan

kurz dt.: Es kommt v.a. auf die Orientierung auf dem Druckbett an, wie stabil Zapfen gedruckt werden.

yes, I agree! orientation is important for stability!
but my example was a "Mounting plate 30x90". There is no chance to change the orientation!

NBGer hat geschrieben: ↑

30 Dez 2019, 14:13

yes, I agree! orientation is important for stability!
but my example was a "Mounting plate 30x90". There is no chance to change the orientation!

Yes, you are right. The only chance in this situation would be to print the pin as a seperate part and glue it in place, like this.

I haven't done a real force measurement but with the regular PLA they break down while with the PolyMax they have never broken down. The .stl files need to be placed in the right position with the printer software. Now they are vertical which is not good.
I don't use supports here. The print temperature is 210°. With a bit of Pelikan Pelifix glue they hold on to the bed during printing. I print them out in batches of 16 on the plate. PETG actually requires a heated bed and a higher print temperature. Less suitable for my FlashForge Finder printer.

So you're saying you are printing them in this orientation and not in this ?

juh hat geschrieben: ↑

30 Dez 2019, 14:37

Yes, you are right. The only chance in this situation would be to print the pin as a seperate part and glue it in place, like this.

But this example does not fit since it also ist printed vertically and relies on the layer adhesion.
My experience is that a slightly increased material flow (about two per cent) and increased print temperature (about upper limit of the material) help increase the layer adhesion.

Kind regards
Peter
---------------------------------------

Dieses Beispiel passt aber nicht, da es auch vertikal gedruckt wird und auf die Schichthaftung angewiesen ist.
Meine Erfahrung ist, dass ein leicht erhöhter Materialfluss (etwa zwei Prozent) und eine erhöhte Drucktemperatur (etwa die Obergrenze des Materials) die Lagenhaftung erhöhen.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Peter

maybe this would be a reasonable rotation for printing the item:

Yes, exactly.
@Peter: Ja, aber das einzuklebende Teil kann man ja auch mit dem Zapfen liegend druckbar designen.

lg
Jan

Just printed a batch of 15 pieces. They're still on the detachable plate. Soon they will be removed from the plate and held briefly under the water tap for washing.


Weight is 3 grams for 15 pieces.
Material cost price = €45/750*3 --> €0.18 or €0.012/piece.

Frans.