I'm a beginner that just learned when not to use PLA…
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I'm a beginner that just learned when not to use PLA...
Learned a good lesson today that just because a model exists doesn't mean that you can just print it and use it with whatever filament you have on hand. Found this nice M.2 2230 to 2280 extender to install an SSD I had into my desktop (which doesn't have screw holes for a 2230 slot), and printed it with PLA+. Worked great. Popped it in my PC, cloned my drive to it, and when I went to take out my old drive, I saw it was totally warped! Then it occurred to me that these NVMe drives can get pretty toasty, and after an hour or rapid writing, it totally softened the plastic. Should've used ABS (which I am not set up for due to ventilation and lack of bed enclosure).
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Probably not useful to people who have been printing a while, but figured I'd share my experience for other beginners like myself. I've generally been mindful of materials when it comes to general strength, but it didn't cross my mind until now that PLA is quite sensitive to heat, and there are lots of use cases where it just doesn't make sense to use it.
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Link to STL I used: https://www.printables.com/model/733063-m2-2230-to-2280-ssd-adapter
#technology
source
Learned a good lesson today that just because a model exists doesn't mean that you can just print it and use it with whatever filament you have on hand. Found this nice M.2 2230 to 2280 extender to install an SSD I had into my desktop (which doesn't have screw holes for a 2230 slot), and printed it with PLA+. Worked great. Popped it in my PC, cloned my drive to it, and when I went to take out my old drive, I saw it was totally warped! Then it occurred to me that these NVMe drives can get pretty toasty, and after an hour or rapid writing, it totally softened the plastic. Should've used ABS (which I am not set up for due to ventilation and lack of bed enclosure).
​
Probably not useful to people who have been printing a while, but figured I'd share my experience for other beginners like myself. I've generally been mindful of materials when it comes to general strength, but it didn't cross my mind until now that PLA is quite sensitive to heat, and there are lots of use cases where it just doesn't make sense to use it.
​
Link to STL I used: https://www.printables.com/model/733063-m2-2230-to-2280-ssd-adapter
#technology
source
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