3D Printing – Anything Distilling Related

[Salt Must Flow]

Please feel free to post anything 3D printing distilling related whether it be links to STLs, pics of what you've printed, tips, upgrades, etc...

A couple years ago I bought a Voxelab Aquila 3D printer for $180.00 free shipping. It’s basically an upgraded clone of the Ender 3 printer. It functions great right out of the box after installing the latest firmware. I upgraded the print head fan to a silent fan. I upgraded the Bowden tube with a Capricorn Bowden PTFE Tube. I also upgraded the printer bed springs with the firmer yellow print bed springs. I also installed a Micro SD Card Extension Cable so I could more easily upgrade the firmware.

I started out using PLA/PLA+ filament which is good for indoor objects. Glow in the dark PLA is fun. I then tried PETG filament which has a much higher temp resistance, good for indoor/outdoor objects, not as brittle as PLA and is said to be resistant to low % ABV (like for use with fermenters). I then tried TPU which is a flexible filament like rubber.

The Voxelab Aquila has a removable, reversible glass print bed surface. It’s smooth glass on one side and a textured laminate on the other. After much testing I find that using Elmer’s Glue Stick applied directly to the glass bed works better than the textured side of the bed and is more convenient in my opinion because I can simply wash it off and apply more. Elmer’s Glue Stick works MUCH better than generic glue sticks. There are a lot of different products & sprays sold specifically for print beds, but I’m very happy using Elmer’s Glue Sticks.

So far I’ve been primarily using PrusaSlicer to slice downloaded STL files from Thingiverse, STLfinder, thangs.com, Yeggi.com and other sites that list downloadable 3D print files (STL files). Occasionally I’ll have to edit/modify STL files using TinkerCad online which is simple to use, but kinda basic/crude. Many recommend using Fusion 360 which is much more sophisticated similar to CAD software, but I haven’t delved into that yet.