# A question on 3d printed figures and parts



## bmwr71 (Jan 30, 2010)

I am a fan of the small locomotives and cars, not only because they can have lots of character, but also because i think they are more appropriate for smaller layouts. So I have been looking into some "critter" type locomotive kits from jolly old England. One vendor had 3d printed kits. The listings included warnings about heat causing bad things for 3d printed items and they included sources like a hair dryer (guess you can't wash and blow dry your hair and their printed locomotives at the same time, what a shame). Wanted to ask if the 3d printed stuff is any more prone to heat damage than regular plastic pieces?

Doug


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Yes, in general... kind of makes sense since the filament printers use heat to melt the plastic in the first case.


The SLA printers that work on cured resin are different, but that process is so much more expensive, I doubt that is what you are looking at.


Greg


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## SparkyJoe (Oct 14, 2012)

There are several different filaments that are more resistant to heat and UV than other, but harder to print with.


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

there are hi heat PLA's, we use some in our business, tricky to print with too.
Dennis


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## bmwr71 (Jan 30, 2010)

So would it be a bad idea to leave a printed figure or locomotive outdoors in the sun?

Doug


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I would be careful with ones printed with FDM, SLA and SLS I would not worry.


Greg


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