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Annealing Pla Prints for Strength

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Annealing PLA Prints for Strength – 2 Easy Ways

There are a couple of ways to anneal PLA prints, but the concept and aim are the same: To make the PLA stronger. The basic concept is to heat PLA above the glass transition temperature of about 60 °C (140 °F), but below the melting point of 170 °C (338 °F) for some time, and then leave it to cool. The following describes how to do this in an oven:

Heat the oven to 70 °C (158 °F) and leave it hot for about an hour. This will make the temperature as uniform as possible. Do not put your 3D printed object in the oven yet. Check the oven temperature with an accurate thermometer. Once the oven is at the set temperature, turn off the oven. Place your 3D printed object on the oven-safe surface and put it in the oven. It is important to turn off the oven since the heating elements have a higher temperature than the one you have set. If you leave it on, it can ruin your print. Leave your prints in the oven until it cools down. A gradual cooling will avoid a reoccurrence of the internal stresses. Slow cooling will also reduce warping. Once everything has cooled down, you are ready to take your annealed object from the oven

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get greater strength.

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PLA will become less brittle and more ductile

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greater temperature resistance

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PLA tends to shrink in the X and Y directions and expand in the Z direction

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