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The best glue for PLA for the money.


robothut

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This might be better placed in the Tips & Tricks section. 

In the beginning we all used Cyanoacrylate "super glue" type glues with out PLA 3d prints. But they can let go as it is just a surface bond. Then came the 3d Gloop. It works great and is a solvent that melts the PLA parts together. The problem is it costs $10 bucks plus shipping for 1/2 an OZ. Then I saw that a few guys had tested WELD-ON #16 and it also melts the PLA parts together. You can buy a 5 OZ tube of it for around $12 bucks and you can buy a 16 OZ can of it for around $17 bucks. It is a tad bit thinner so you need a application bottle that has a needle tip, and you can buy those dirt cheep as well. I got 6 of them for less than $5 bucks shipped.

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Excellent, John. I'll be ordering some!

I can see a use for both this and for superglue. I actually like the fact that you can break joints along the seams, especially at  the design stage. Unfortunately big robot builds like the Diamond Planet suffered from unwanted splits in transit, especially where two big components joined. It was a simple matter to reglue them but this new glue should prevent that.

 

Is there an accelerator?

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Yes the right glue for the right project I always say. No accelerator as this is just a solvent melting the plastic type glue. That being said if you hold the parts together for a few seconds they will stay put unless you go out of your way to forcibly move them. The long cure time is for 100 % strength and that can not happen until all the solvent has evaporated. So it would be dependent on the room temp. I have been using it just like supper glue and 3d Gloop as far as how long I have to hold a part before I let go. It would be nice if it was just a tad bit thicker. I think the 3d gloop  is just Methylene chloride with PLA powder mixed in as a thickener. PLA powder has been used in the cosmetic industry for many years. So you could make your own, but what a smelly mess that would be. When using the needle tip applicator go for the smallest hole you can make as the Weld-on 16 will spread out.

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This picture shows using a PIN to make the hole in the application bottle tip. The tips of the bottles that I bought are sealed, you cut them down for the size hole you want. But that will leave a hole that is still to big, so I used a pin to make a hole in the tip as shown on the back of the bottle bag. It is a perfect size for dispencing this glue. The pin fits so tight that it works as a cap as well. But I will keep the snap on cap just in case the pin ever gets lose.

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