Endless PLA #17 - Featuring Tripoint Precision Tool Accessories

by Protoplant, makers of Protopasta comments

Featuring: Tripoint Gray, Lootsef Green, and Atikam Teal

This month’s Endless PLA colors are brought to you in collaboration with Bradley Stenseth of Tripoint Precision, a tool accessories designer and manufacturer.

Several months ago, Bradley went looking for a reliable, single-source, high-quality filament provider. That hunt brought him to Protoplant, makers of Protopasta, with a familiar story and challenge. Like previously-featured Out of Darts, 3D Printed Debris, and so many other hobbyists-turned-businesses users (and 3D printing filament users in general), Bradley had multiple filament sources with varied quality and availability. No one brand had all the colors he needed, not even Protopasta…yet.

We were able to meet most of Bradley’s needs with our existing catalogue of colors, but identified three colors that were missing. Two of the missing colors were needed to compliment popular tool brands and the third to express the Tripoint brand. Bradley kindly agreed to have us share all three with you.

Lootsef Green and Atikam Teal should look familiar to anyone into tools. Both colors are solid (without texture), nicely-saturated, and twice-extruded for exceptional color consistency. Great colors and like nothing else in the Protopasta catalogue!

Tripoint Gray is a complex color with fine pearl texture and a touch of blue. You might think the material is gray until you place it next to something gray and begin to appreciate the subtle blue undertones. Tripoint Gray is a classy brand color that everyone can enjoy!

Want to learn more about Bradley’s 3D printing journey? Check out his story below.

Bradley’s 3D printing journey began at the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020. He was looking at how he could help his community when he came across Prusa’s articles for 3D printing face shields. He was amazed at the response from the 3D printing community, so he wanted to help by printing various things such as ear-savers and touchless door openers.
Once he had some 3D printing experience, towards the end of 2020, he started making things that would be helpful around the shop. That’s when the idea for hobby turned business began.
Tripoint Precision creates products and accessories aimed at providing value to make the woodworker’s life easier. They are focused on creating quality tools, tool accessories, and organization accessories. 3D printing allows them to make a quality product and iteratively improve their products by listening to their customer feedback.
As they continued to grow, they took notice of all the waste that they were producing, specifically plastic spools. This is when they decided that they wanted to reduce their waste and find a filament supplier with the same values. They had the following criteria when selecting who they wanted to work with:
    • Recyclable Spools - Most manufacturers are still using plastic spools, so they wanted to find one that used a recyclable spool so they could eliminate spool waste.
    • Quality - Consistent filament will greatly increase the look of the finished product. They want their customers to have a functional, durable, and aesthetically pleasing product.
    • American Made - They want to support other American companies whenever possible.
After trying out many different brands, Protopasta checked all the boxes. They want the color of their tool accessories to match closely to the brands they were made for. Alex and the Protopasta team were willing to work with them to create their most used colors. They are happy to exclusively use Protopasta for all their PLA and look forward to working with them as they begin to venture into PETG.

 

Speaking of PETG, Endless Pastabilities has grown from Endless PLA to include Endless PETG. Join Bradley and Protopasta as they venture into PETG by becoming a subscriber. The first delivery is in March and will bring you Carbon Fiber and Highfive Blue filaments first, and at a discount, in PETG!

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We find these general parameters to work well for our prints, but don't hesitate to reach out to support@protoplant.com if you need any further guidance.

Machine(s): Prusa MK2/3, Prusa Mini, Creality Ender 3 
Nozzle: 0.4 mm standard brass w/ sock (if possible)
Nozzle Temp: 205 - 235 C      Bed Temp: 60 C      Bed Type: PEI
Bed Prep: Clean w/ water or alcohol; Magigoo for additional adhesion + easy release when cool

Outlines: 3      Top/Bot layers: 6     Infill type: Lines     Infill: 25%     
Overlaps: 0     Min layer time: 0     Min Speed: 0          Fill gaps: no     Expansion: 0
Layer height Ext width Speed Fan
 1st Layer 0.32 mm 0.44 mm 20 mm/s all over 0%
Rest of print 0.16 mm 0.44 mm

20 mm/s outline

40 mm/s infill

 40-60%

Interestingly enough, I found a similar result with the above parameters on all 3 machines at 205 C - 235 C. The Prusa Mini is upgraded to a Bondtech heatbreak to move the PTFE junction farther away from the hotend to reduce hang-ups. The Prusa MK3 has the stock Prusa heatbreak with lip, but swapping to a standard e3dv6 heatbreak or e3d lite6 hotend can bring more trouble-free results. The Creality Ender 3 requires no modifications.

All can benefit from a calibrated first layer that is not too close to the build platform. Leaving enough room for material to come out without restriction, yet still close enough to stick, is key for more trouble-free printing.
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Having trouble with your loose coils? We can help! Check out this awesome printable spool that only takes 50g of filament!

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We know printing isn't always trouble-free so if you're looking for instructions on how to wrangle those loose coils or need other printing help, please consider our getting started guide!

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Love the subscription? Let us know! Write a review, share your prints on social (including Twitter and Instagram), or spread the love by telling everyone you know where to find us!

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Don't forget to show off your creations with our newest colors. When you tag Protopasta on Instagram, your photo could be chosen as one of our Top 9 for the month!