The price of living on a pimple at the a$$ end of the Pacific Ocean Rooster. Pays to be a hoarder…
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Well, another simple solution bites the dust. None to be found (online) in NZ. Went into a local art supply who I know used to have it and - no more (covid/costs/shipping/add your favourite reason). 
Cheers
N
This is what I’ve been working on all in ASA (except the trial green rail). Our B&B had to be moved up a level and people need a way to access it. I still need to print the handrails.
This is the effect of ironing. These are 2mm thick. Both are “solid fill” but the upper step was ironed to a truly solid piece. This is where the strength lies. The pattern of the ironed piece is that of the build plate as the steps extruded with the tops facing downward so that the support spacers can be printed without supporting the central portion from below. (You really would NOT want to do that.) Note that you can see the individual adjacent strands in the un-ironed piece. And pinholes of light are readily visible when looking through the piece. Given the right circumstances/settings/thickness, these strands can unravel like a knit sweater.
If this didn’t have to live outdoors, no glue would even be necessary. Everything is a “friction fit” and stays together on its own.
Oh, one last thing. For ease of construction, I modeled this in 1:25.4 scale. Do you think anyone will really be able to tell or care? 
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Thank you Cliff! I can use these to build guard rails on a couple bridges!!!
Todd, how are you avoiding warpage with the ASA?
My X1C has an enclosed chamber. Even without the heater or fan running, when the extruder is at 275C and the table is at 105C, the chamber quickly comes up to and maintains a temp of 53-55C with the door closed and when done, I let them cool by themselves for a while before opening the door. ASA does not stick to a cold table (like PLA) and the pieces will literally fall right off! Warpage has not been an issue at all.
That’s good to know, Todd.
And you’re able to use a textured plate too!
I’m building an enclosure for my old Prusa and will have to move the circuit board housing outside, as the electronics are not heat resistant. Considering the issue I had removing the hot end. I think I’ll have to create some sort of plug arrangement.
The plate is the “stock” plate that comes with the printer.
I’ve tried to use a wood grained plate and so far have had no luck with it. The other side has a water texture. The ASA doesn’t like to stick and will lift. Then the nozzle catches it and you have a growing mess that you really want to catch before it does damage.
Maybe because the “textures” are a thick coating and though the printer says the plate is 105C, perhaps there is some insulation going on. Maybe I just haven’t gotten it clean enough (brand new and washed with detergent), or the settings quite right for it, or maybe it’s not made for the heat required for ASA (some aren’t), or maybe…
I’ll have to do some more experimentation using one of the stair steps. That’s why I got it. BTW, the printer is “smart” enough to know it’s an aftermarket plate and issues a warning requiring an intervention each time it is used.
Todd, is that the Bambu Lab printer?
I’ve had pretty bad luck with ASA on my 3-year-old open-air Anycubic Mega X. I’ve thought about getting an enclosure and heater, but the bed and nozzle don’t really get hot enough, and take forever to do so.
My other prob is leveling… I get it correct in all corners, and then the nozzle scrapes the bed in the center. I’ve had the bed replaced, same thing.
So… It would be nice to have a slightly more “industrial” machine.
Yes, it is the Bambu Lab X1C combo with the AMS. I got it on Black Friday weekend at MicroCenter for $1,100, but prices are back up and now they have a tariff. MicroCenter is the same price as the factory on-line but you don’t pay shipping and you get in-house service. Plus, I’ve seen many arrive from shipping with shattered glass. Not a problem with MircoCenter.
You really should see the Bambu do its bed leveling routine. When the guy says, “Why is it doing that?” it is totally normal. It is making “micro-adjustments” across the bed. And when he says, It’s not extruding", it’s not supposed to…, it’s “examining” at the area where the print will occur. It will also go back and examine the first layer after extrusion for flaws or differences from the program. Everything it is doing is totally normal.
BTW, I wouldn’t have a “bed slinger” even Bambu.
Not heard the term before, but yes, it’s nice to see the travelling X-Y-Z head (without the bed sliding in and out).
Good price. We have a MicroCenter about 45 minutes away, and they’re stocking them. Hmm.
If it’s more convenient, I believe that Best Buys also stocks them and will price match MicroCenter.
Todd, don’t throw those plates away.
- I was at an industrial printer shop and was recommend magigoo. It’s so much better than a glue sticks. It’s allowed me to be less fastidious with cleaning the bed with alcohol or acetone.
Cliff, Bamboo labs are really giving Prusa a run for the money, these days. I built my Prusa from a kit and 8-10 years later the 24 hour support has been fantastic. I like the fact that I built it and am not afraid to take it apart.
- Here’s a reasonable comparison of their latest.
- Considering you can build a printer for around €50 (including shipping) is testament to the open source phenomenon in the 3d community.
Cliff, before you throw up your hands, have a browse through Thomas Sanladerer’s YouTube page. He’s built a printer from scratch and managed to upgrade a toy printer recently. There might be a cheap fix to your problem.
Most importantly Sanladerer is an engineer and doesn’t waffle on as many YouTubers do.
You know you want need one now, don’t you Cliff… 
Couple things without seeing the whole video…
Regarding the cone and temp to produce a shiny finish, the Bambu software lets you change temp/speed with height so you can make the whole thing shiny.
My Bambu runs at 53-55C for ASA from the bed and extruder head without the heater. And there is no wait for the print to begin. The temp comes up rapidly, but it is not one of the requisite parameters. The bed and extruder go though several heating/cooling cycles during the leveling/calibration process and this warms the chamber.
Regarding plate glues…, Many people have reported good results using AquaNet hair spray. I meant to get some last time I was at the market but forgot.
I’ve printed all my PLA with the door closed and the top on without any problems at all. It is much quieter that way. And the printer shakes on the wooden top its sitting on and we don’t need the door shaking around.
Thanks Todd, I’ll put Aquanet on the list as Magigoo is not cheap.
Just hope Herself doesn’t think it’s hers or I’ll be printing to the B52s
Neil,
Regarding 3d printing of ties, I’ll admit that I’ve been coming from the perspective of having had pretty bad luck with FDM, especially in printing multiple separate parts like ties in a batch. There was always some part of my printer bed that wasn’t happy; so when one piece fails, it gets dragged around and taking out the others.
But after watching these and other videos on the newer “core” machines with enclosures, higher temps and a bed that stays put, I can really see it working now.
FWIW, I was considering a Creality, but this video changed my mind:
OK, back to your regularly scheduled station… 
Here is a quick and dirty design I did a few years ago and I think there is one “test” piece buried beneath the ice outside. Much the same idea as Neils.
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Regarding “nozzle scraping”…
In addition to the bed not being perfectly level, you can get this under certain conditions, even if it is level. This has to do with the speed of the print and the infill pattern.
If you print “fast” the liquified filament can leave raised “peaks”, especially when the machine changes direction which is just one of the reasons I won’t have a bed slinger potentially making this worse. When the machine goes back over these areas, it hits the peaks and this can be noted as an audible vibration.
Using a grid/rectilinear infill pattern drags the extruder across these peaks. But if you use “gyroid” the printer prints infill as parallel wavey lines and does not drag the extruder back over them and you do not get this problem. This is the preferred infill pattern on the Bambu Users site for this reason.
Good info, but I was referring to scraping during the leveling process. In other words, the plate is “domed” enough to prevent a proper leveling procedure. No big deal; I’ve decided to get rid of it and move on.