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With not very much free time it took me a few months if trial and error getting clean prints from my cr10s.

I also learned not to upgrade slicer software and firmware at the same time.

I’m gonna start with a boat before anything that flies. Any tips on plastic and water?




The vast majority of FDM filaments will not be water tight. I'd recommend sealing with an epoxy coat after printing and sanding.


A quick acetone vapor dip of ABS parts does a good job, at least for the vases and such that I have printed.

[edit] I found a page with some pictures for examples:

https://rigid.ink/blogs/news/acetone-vapor-smoothing


ABS is a pain to print without an enclosure, and ABS for the most part doesn't absorbs water also it's not as much of an issue with the final parts (aside from Nylon that can expand easily) but rather that moisture caught in the filament boiling during the extrusion which results in your print looking like a sponge.


It prints fine on my non-enclosed delta. My printer isn't anything special, it's just, like you said, water absorption by the filament is an issue if it's left out in the open.

The key is simply to keep the filament in a drybox before use. It doesn't need to be anything fancy- I use a 5-gallon Home Depot bucket, a small jar of Damp Rid (Calcium Chloride), and a seedling heater mat to keep things warm. It works great.


I also have a CR10(s) pretty decent printer if you are willing to work out its quirks.

For water applications PET or PLA would be the best don’t use nylon and ABS is a bitch to print with without enclosures.

I would recommend you getting some protective epoxy for any prints you want to last for anything that is going to be in water just sand the part and put a marine epoxy layer on top of it the additional weight isn’t an issue.


I did a few upgrades, dampers, all metal hot end, other bed, Bowden tube, and have to install the additional support still.

Dampers were, mind blowing difference, I kept postponing it because I did not expect such big difference. Pity not all motors can be dampened




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