3D Filament Selection for CPU Cooler Mount

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Markess

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May 19, 2018
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Are there other, perhaps better, options than ABS, for 3D printed CPU Heatsink mounts?

I'm working with a dual LGA 2011 motherboard with Narrow ILM sockets. Heatsink selection for the narrow mounting format is pretty darn poor. In the past, I've successfully used ABS prints of a mounting block that allowed the use of AMD Socket AM3/FM2/etc compatible heatsinks, which greatly expanded my selection.

This time, however, my Lulzbot Mini just can't seem to complete an ABS print of one of these without warping and curling.

Before I keep tinkering and discarding failed prints.....are there other filament types that will withstand the moderate heat I'd assume a CPU Cooler mount would get? I'm really reluctant to use PLA, and I'm unfamiliar with all the other types out there.

Thanks!
 

ttabbal

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Mar 10, 2016
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I also run a mini. They really need some sort of enclosure for many ABS prints. I built a simple one from plexiglass and printed brackets, it's enough to usually print ABS without much issue.

For this, most things will work. There are high heat PLA formulas that should be fine, PETG is a favorite, HIPS is also easy to work with while having nearly the heat capacity of ABS. HIPS is the stuff that came with the printer if you bought it new, the sample filament.
 
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Markess

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May 19, 2018
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I also run a mini. They really need some sort of enclosure for many ABS prints. I built a simple one from plexiglass and printed brackets, it's enough to usually print ABS without much issue..
Thanks for the tip! I didn't make an enclosure. But, its been really hot where I am in California, so I moved the printer to my garage. Its over 100 degrees (~38 C) out there with no air movement, and that seems to have helped. The prints are still a bit skewed. But, the AMD style mounting doesn't seem to have overly close tolerances, so they should still work.

I'm definitely going to look into the other filament types.
 

mb300sd

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Aug 1, 2016
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I like NylonX for all my high temp work, strength is great too, the carbon fiber fill helps alot with the nylon shrinkage. I've printed plenty of small parts with my enclosure heater off.
 

RTM

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Jan 26, 2014
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I am definitely a total noob with regards to 3D printing, but during my initial research on filaments and requirements for printing them I have come across many statements that for printing ABS you need an enclosure.

In terms of other filaments, I have been looking at PCTG filament from Essentium, it is supposed to be similar to PETG but with higher heat tolerance.
 

Markess

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May 19, 2018
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I'd had a lot of luck in the past, with ABS using just the heated bed. But lately, the bed isn't heating up as fast or as well (from my research, its something that seems to happen to Lulzbot after a couple years). With this project, one of the ABS prints delaminated when I clamped the heat sink on. So after a bit of research I ordered some nGen to try. Its supposed to be shrink and warp resistant when printing, and heat tolerant after. I'll post the results.

I like NylonX for all my high temp work, strength is great too, the carbon fiber fill helps alot with the nylon shrinkage. I've printed plenty of small parts with my enclosure heater off.
In terms of other filaments, I have been looking at PCTG filament from Essentium, it is supposed to be similar to PETG but with higher heat tolerance.
Wow. NylonX withstands a LOT of heat. Is it easy to print with?

PCTG looks intriguing too. Economical. I like that it isn't affected by humidity. I share the printer with others and they aren't as diligent as I am about storing filament when not in use.

To darn many choices!
 

mb300sd

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Aug 1, 2016
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Wow. NylonX withstands a LOT of heat. Is it easy to print with?
Pretty easy to print with once you get the settings dialed in. I'm running 260c on the extruder, 125c on the bed, and 90c in my enclosure. Enclosure heat shouldn't be necessary for a cpu cooler mount. I don't usually turn it on unless the part is over 15mm with high infill.
 

Markess

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May 19, 2018
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So nGen prints nice and easy, but the mounts snapped from the pressure when I tried to mount the heatsink. I think its partly the design itself and that Cura slices it to print the ends and center section as three separate rectangles that adjoin each other. Rotating it 90 degrees didn't help either.

I'm pretty much a noob too on 3D printing. I've only used HIPS, ABS and regular PLA to this point. For nGen, the Cura Lulzbot Edition default settings specified glue stick. Its the first time I've had Cura specify any tape or adhesive. So, I decided to retry ABS with glue stick and the prints came out much better. Since Cura hadn't specified it, I hadn't thought to use adhesive with ABS before.


LGA2011 mount.jpeg
 
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