I’m planning to build a Bioscope with a friend of mine, still have to decide whether to go for an Arduino or Raspberry Pi as hardware. We’re considering 3D printing for the skeleton however, but since the battery can produce quite a bit of heat, I’m not really sure if which filament would be a safe choice. Do you guys have any recommendations? Many thanks for the help

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The thing to be careful of is the glass transition temperature of the material you use. This is the temperature at which the plastic goes from rigid to rubbery (not sure if rubbery is a scientific term but it fits what happens!).

The two most commonly extruded desktop plastics are PLA and ABS. PLA is not recommended in my opinion because it has a glass transition temperature of 60 degrees Celsius. ABS has a transition temperature of 105 Celsius so is a better choice. ABS is also a “stronger” plastic more suited to engineering type projects. Also make sure to check the maximum safe operating temperatures of the batteries you intend using.

Sorry … Double posted

Copper filled, but I’m sure it will work with regular PLA, just keep wall thick enough(about 2mm).
I use prints with LED strips, which generate much more heat and it was no problem. To be safe
you can cover battery space with foil. Good luck.

Hello,

Arduino is the choice, if your control should be fast and precise in the reaction and has not much Data to transfer.

Raspberry is better on higher Data (like Streaming Videos, etc.) but less precise in the timing of the IO.

Maybe a Combination of both might be a solution (Depending on what exactly you wanna do).

For the Material, there shouldn’t be a Problem with PLA, etc. as long you can touch the Batteries without getting burned. On the other Side, if you get burned by touching the Batteries, the Batteries are Broken or to less dimensionated.

ABS can resist higher Temperatures, but is more complicated in the 3D-Print.

Kind Regards

Karsten Dietz

What’s a Bioscope?

PETG has a high glass transition temp (88C - 190F)

You can use HTPLA (HT : High Temp) that can go up to 110°C after annealing the part and is as easy to print with than “traditional” PLA

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