Printing
Temperature:

Notes:

• EconoFil PLA should be printed with a heated print bed set to 55°C - 60°C
• A good quality glue stick should be used for proper bed adhesion on most bed surfaces.
• If warping or stringing occurs, please lower your printing temperature. EconoFil PLA can printed as low as 185°C if needed.
• If excessive stringing occurs, the materials may need to be dried in a dehydrator.
• First layer nozzle temperature usually 5°C-10°C higher than subsequent layers.
• Print speed 40-100mm/s
  

Anneal - to heat and then cool in order to make the material stronger and more heat resistant. 

Annealing (Heat Treating) Instructions

To get the maximum strength and higher heat resistance out of your 3D printed part, you may post- anneal (after the item is printed), a procedure that can be done in your oven at a range of 176-266F (80 - 130C) to promote increased crystallization and further improve the heat deflection temperature.

Annealing works best for parts printed with 100% infill using the LINES infill pattern (Other infill patterns may leave small voids inside the part.

It is also recommended to remove prints, blobs and strings from the print before proceeding to anneal.

For best results:

1. Preheat (important) the oven or toaster oven. (Lab oven recommended) 95°C to 115°C depending on the part size and thickness. (Lower temp for smaller/thinner parts, higher temp for larger parts)
2. Place your print on a room temperature baking sheet.(For smaller and thinner prints, we recommend submerging the parts inside fine sand, making sure to fill all voids in order to help maintain the integrity of the parts during the annealing process. When using the sand method, leave your part in the oven for about 1 hour to ensure the heat has been transferred tot he part inside the sand. use a hand thermometer to verify the temp inside the sand to ensure the part has been properly heated. Then remove from the sand and allow to cool down to room temperature.)

1. Place baking sheet with the item on it into oven/toaster oven.
2. Wait 6-10 minutes or 30-60 minutes for larger parts, for annealing to complete
   (in order for the item to fully reach the temperature of the oven) you may see the print take on a milky/matte/opaque color transformation.
3. Turn the oven off.
4. Wait for oven to cool to room temperature before removing print.

Shrinkage and/or warping may occur. The degree of shrinkage/warping depends heavily on the part geometry. Items with extended sections can also be subject to some movement during this process. Only testing will show how any particular print will hold up. 

Some customers have tested a water bath annealing process using a sous vide cooker. This can ensure a more even distribution of heat but we recommend annealing for 60 minutes to ensure complete heat penetration.

Results: Following this procedure will provide a stronger and more temperature resistant part. This will allow you to reach the full potential of the filament and printing process for your part.