Well that’s me off in to unfamiliar territory, just started a print of a vintage motor bike speedo back cover in TPU. Original rubber cover has perished and my friend has been unable to source a new one, so he’s produced an STL file for me to have a go at printing one. Wish me luck
Good luck!
Cheers @PingSpike If this turns out OK on the first attempt I’ll be amazed, consensus out there is that TPU can be a right royal pain.
Don’t believe everything on the Internet. The internet told me that printing TPU on a bowden printer wasn’t a good idea. I ignored it and tried it on my ender3 and using my standard PLA print settings only adjusting the temperature to suit TPU and it prints flawlessly
Based on what I’ve read regarding TPU settings the changes I’ve made are:-
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Print speed reduced it to 15mm/s for the first layer and 20mm/s for the rest of the print (the K1C standard speed is way too high for TPU).
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Hot end 235 degrees.
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Bed temp 50 degrees using a textured build plate with a layer of “PrimaCreator FIX” adhesive to aid in releasing the print once cooled.
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Model cooling fan switched off.
My suggestion is to pop the TPU in a dryer as you print (or print immediately after removal) for the best surface finish and to prevent stringing.
That’s the first print finished, doesn’t look too bad. Just hope my mate got his dimensions right and it fits. . . . .
My mate bought the instrument cluster round and the cover is a perfect fit on the back of the speedo
Now printing off the remain 2 covers (1 for the back of the tacho and 1 for the back of the head lamp). They are for a mid 70’s Yamaha Motorbike. Original covers (grommets) that haven’t gone hard and shrunk are impossible to find.