3dprinted GEARS are they HOLDING UP?

It would seem that possibly several Lathes are running 3dprinted gears.
Wondering how they have held up and what GOOD or BAD experiences can be shared.

I've ran a 56T 3dprinted (Screw gear on QC gear box) on my SB 10K for 5 months which means about only 100 hrs of use.
Some threading mostly for carriage feeding.
Plastic gear runs against 80T STEEL idler gear.

I find no visible wear and gear looks same as when installed.

What experiences have you had?

It likely depends on the plastic used. There are dozens of possible 3D filaments and at least 4 widely used. Some like PLA (Polylactic Acid) are specially formulated for 3D printers and the additives used to keep the melting point low enough to work with common hot-ends also cause it to be hygroscopic and will become brittle with age as it absorbs moisture. ABS is probably one of the toughest available for 3D printing and has an 80 year track record in industry, and is not much modified for 3D printing, but it is very difficult to work with in most 3D printers and gives off toxic fumes when printing. There are exotics with glass-fiber nylon and carbon fiber, but they are very difficult to work with as the fibers tend to clog the works. PETG (PET is the stuff soda bottles are made of; the G is "glycol" modified) is probably one of the best all around for the printer, but it is glycol modified to keep the melting point low and that makes it hygroscopic too, but not nearly as problematic as PLA.

So you have ran the 3dprinted gears?
Do you have a 3dprinter?
What material did you use?

kevinmdudley said:

So you have ran the 3dprinted gears?
Do you have a 3dprinter?
What material did you use?

Click to expand...

I have used them with good results.

I tried ABS, but my printer is not equipped to do ABS (you need a heated and ventilated enclosure to do it properly). My ABS attempts were not so great. They get "elephant foot" from having to keep the bed heated and required a lot of post (filing and sanding) to get them to fit properly.

I then tried PETG with good results and little to no post processing.

I can't remember what this setup was for; probably and oddball metric pitch as I have the 127/120 gear installed: