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Impressive print and enclosure! One thing I was thinking you could do is wrap the ABS in heat shielding, inside and out, if PC proves to be too difficult/annoying to print.
If you want to be fancy, you could also consider skinning in carbon fiber or using what was printed as a mold for a carbon fiber inlay.
that is a blend of PC and PETG. It's supposed to be tough & heat resistant like PC but print like PETG. The first piece printed great, I'm really impressed so far. Much easier to print than ABS: little warping, good adhesion, and it's supposed to withstand 110 deg. C (230 deg F). I printed with the extruder at 255, which is about the max for my Sidewinder, but so far so good.
Thanks again for the help! Cheers!
Last edited by hiltsy855; Feb 28, 2024 at 11:38 PM.
I have all the pieces printed in polycarbonate (PC). As a test I submerged a PC section in boiling water for 10 minutes and it was unaffected. I'll get the PC pieces installed at some point, but the ABS parts are working fine for now with outside temps in the 60s.
FYI - I ran the printed parts for a few months but after several high-heat cycles the areas where I clamped the pieces for flex couplings started to collapse. So I re-installed the stock pieces and have run it that way all this year. As was mentioned previously I think these parts need to be printed with nylon filament to work like the factory pieces. Another idea I had is to build the pieces with a groove that I could embed a stainless band to keep the pieces from collapsing. Or as shalladin mentioned use 3D printed parts as a mold for carbon fiber. I just haven't had time to tinker with it.
FYI - I ran the printed parts for a few months but after several high-heat cycles the areas where I clamped the pieces for flex couplings started to collapse. So I re-installed the stock pieces and have run it that way all this year. As was mentioned previously I think these parts need to be printed with nylon filament to work like the factory pieces. Another idea I had is to build the pieces with a groove that I could embed a stainless band to keep the pieces from collapsing. Or as shalladin mentioned use 3D printed parts as a mold for carbon fiber. I just haven't had time to tinker with it.
A couple of ideas. How about reinforcing with an aluminum ring or some other material. Maybe thicker print at the joints. What about painting the parts with high temperature paint?
Were the parts that collapsed printed with PLA? I printed a few parts to be used on my boat in PETG. They were in the sun for most of the season on the upper helm where it gets very hot. There is no distortion in the parts.
Last edited by frankbicknell; Nov 13, 2025 at 10:27 PM.
Just PM me your email address and I'll send you the files.
The prototype pieces were printed in PLA for fitment only. I tried PC and ABS but both got soft from underhood heat. My latest idea was to use a stainless ring (like from a band clamp) to reinforce the joints. As I mentioned before I just haven't had time to mess with it.
Neat project. I'd be curious to see if there were any gains from this design of intake tube tested back to back on a dyno. Trey to measure the pressure differentials and reading MAP kPa differences to see what level of restriction there is in the system.
Some things are an experiment just to tinker, but the better ones are when they actually prove fruitful. These are the projects I like to get into.
I would agree to find an aluminum or steel thin-walled ring that can be inserted and glued into the ID of the tube join into a stepped recess to strengthen the openings. Keep it going!
Last edited by smitty2919; Nov 14, 2025 at 11:03 AM.
Just PM me your email address and I'll send you the files.
The prototype pieces were printed in PLA for fitment only. I tried PC and ABS but both got soft from underhood heat. My latest idea was to use a stainless ring (like from a band clamp) to reinforce the joints. As I mentioned before I just haven't had time to mess with it.
Just PM me your email address and I'll send you the files.
The prototype pieces were printed in PLA for fitment only. I tried PC and ABS but both got soft from underhood heat. My latest idea was to use a stainless ring (like from a band clamp) to reinforce the joints. As I mentioned before I just haven't had time to mess with it.
Stumbled upon your thread and have nothing to do with Corvettes, but have some experience in 3d printing. You should heck out PPA-CF filament for this project. Prices have come down, Siraya Tech is about $60 a roll. It's super strong and the heat deflection temperature is around 200C/400F. As far as printability I find it about the same as ABS, maybe even a little easier.
I don't know the specs on your printer, but you'll need an enclosed printer with at least a 300C nozzle and 100C bed. You might be able to get away without an actively heated chamber though.
Stumbled upon your thread and have nothing to do with Corvettes, but have some experience in 3d printing. You should heck out PPA-CF filament for this project. Prices have come down, Siraya Tech is about $60 a roll. It's super strong and the heat deflection temperature is around 200C/400F. As far as printability I find it about the same as ABS, maybe even a little easier.
I don't know the specs on your printer, but you'll need an enclosed printer with at least a 300C nozzle and 100C bed. You might be able to get away without an actively heated chamber though.
I would love the opportunity to print this out in PPA-CF but I don't have the file, unless someone was able to get it?
