LDPE / HDPE 3D printing

There is very little information on how to do this successfully. If any one has had any success in 3D printing LDPE / HDPE please detail your experiences (successes and failures) here and things you have learned from 3D printing these materials. Hopefully we can learn from each others mistakes.

Hi,

We have found that HDPE is extremely difficult to print with, we have had some success with it, but found LDPE much easier to print with.

The trick to printing with these two is selecting the right adhesive. I recommend you try a heptane based adhesive(these are typically aerosol adhesives). I say this because I remember doing some research in the past, where Heptane would wet the surface of LDPE/HDPE allowing adhesive to stick. Someone correct me if I am wrong however.

Put a thin layer down on the glass surface you want to print on and set it to dry.

Set your print settings up to have a base temperature of 50 degrees on the first layer. This makes the adhesive tacky again, allowing the plastic to stick to it.

Make sure on the second layer the base plate turns off. This allows the adhesive to dry and the plastic will then stick to it.

note: Keep in mind, LDPE is not very good at overhang, I recommend you generously add support. I recommend you print rather hot, 200-230 degrees for LDPE as the adhesion comes from melting the two layers together.