Glock frame printing

Sharkposter

Hello everyone, new user here and new to 3d printing in general, I got myself a Creality K1C for my Christmas present and have been having a blast with the hobby. Didnt see any threads specifically about making frames for the Glock family of handguns and I have been having issues with it so I figured I would start one. Printing has not been the issue for me aside from my stubbornness and not reading the instructions that come with them, I have printed several frames (17,19,26,43x) without issue mainly in eSUN HSPLA+ and they print fine but I do have several questions that you guys may be able to help me with.
Im wondering what the being best material to print with for long term reliability, obviously PLA+ works but the low thermal resistance makes it impractical as one work shift in a car during the summer months would destroy it. I have attempted to anneal some prints using a sous vide device and have gotten great thermal resistance out of it but the warping is so bad it ruins the print, im looking into getting a toaster oven from a thrift store to try dry annealing but reddit keeps saying it HAS to be convection style heating or its just going to warp as well and I would really like to not have to spend $400 on a convection toaster oven, my home oven is an old electric unit and im sure the heating on that is very inconsistent (typically runs +/-50F from whatever its set at) so I dont know if that will work or not, What do you guys suggest? I have printed a frame in PA6-GF25 and it turned out great but im not sure how it will hold up once it gets saturated with moisture which is basically inevitable. I have a couple spools of PET-cf and a spool of Siraya PAHT-CF PPA-CF but I kinda feel like its overkill plus I really wanted to build a Nintendo zapper glock and those more exotic filaments only ever seem to come in black or natural.
So I guess the TL😃R is,
what do you guys suggest for annealing PLA+? and would that be a reliable material for long term use
will PA6-GF lose too much of its mechanical properties once saturated to be reliable as a glock frame?
and what would be "the best" material to use for a glock frame given the forces and shock it will be receiving for long term use?
I realize im trying to perfect something that will never be as strong as something injection molded but I get obsessed with making the "perfect" thing so I figured I would ask some of you guys before I go back to beating my head against a wall continually , Thanks!

Freeman617

Sharkposter could never go “overkill” when it comes to printing a frame, it’s either no good, ok, preferred or excellent, PPA-CF would be that excellence you’re looking for, can’t go wrong. Just make sure you beat up enough and have the right printer for it, 300c almost doesn’t cut it. I would go with a printer of 310 and above and a bed of 110 and above.

PistollPeet

Tim has proven PET-CF to be the choice filament for the longevity of frames. There are a few he didn't test you may want to look into but he's definitely done his due diligence
I currently don't have the space, knowledge or equipment to test my hypothesis but I believe there is the possibility of combining pla or some other filament with a coating or impregnation to achieve a more durable product

Sharkposter

there's a lot of interesting exotic filaments I have been reading about but they are waaaay to expensive for me to give it a go, hopefully the costs come down on some of the more unique ones. I was reading a bit more on the fiberon PET-CF I have and it seems good up to 70C without annealing which is fine in a hot car where im at, but im also curious as to how much heat transfer there is between the frame and slide/barrel during firing. I dont think it could be too much as really the only true contact area is the rails/locking block and the guide rod (I don't think the barrel directly contacts the frame but I could be mistaken). would annealing the PET-CF be needed? from what I read it mainly just affects heat resistance but ends up making the print more brittle?

PRNTY

I've seen multiple people online claiming to have 3000+ rounds from high quality pla+ glock frames, whether you believe that is up to you, I haven't had much time for testing, Hoffman said in a video about a month ago the best filament for most lowers was Bambu labs Pet-cf, I wouldn't anneal because most of the failures I've seen have been from cracks or tears in the locking block and rails area and I think lowering impact resistance is a failure waiting to happen and a liability, especially when it means your slide is barreling through the air directly at your teeth.

PRNTY

PRNTY I want to clarify that I haven't personally printed a Glock lower in Pet-cf, yet, but its the most reliable on paper and in most other platforms.

hoffmantactical

The failure mode with pistol frames is almost always layer adhesion. And the filament with the most adhesion is PLA+. That is, without a heated chamber. PET-CF has lower adhesion, and could suffer failures. My EDC printed frame is PLA Pro, I'm carful to keep it cool.

Sharkposter

hoffmantactical
this is exactly what I experienced, the layer adhesion with the PET-CF (at least from polymaker) was so bad I was easily able to break them by hand and it was always a clean break on the layer line. the PLA+ seems fine for the 17,19 and 26 but I cant get PLA+ to work for the 43x, the side walls are too narrow and flexes too much rendering the trigger inoperative as the trigger bar just pushes out against the wall instead of working against the plunger. I am currently trying some PA6-gf10 and we will see how that holds up. otherwise I do have some PAHT-CF PPA-CF but im not sure my k1c can get hot enough to make decent prints, my hotend maxes out at the minimum specified temp so we shall see

tbone

hoffmantactical I’ve solved the layer adhesion issue with Fiberon PET-CF17 by annealing the frame post print and then coating it with carbon fiber fishing rod repair epoxy. The only downside is the required prep work before the epoxy application and the finishing work after the coating has cured. My EDC is printed in PET-CF17 with the epoxy coating and I’ve put about 500 rounds through it at the range with no issues.

MooringGrey

Sharkposter My PLA+ 43X seems to be working alright so far. I use the Neutron Nick G43X frame and IIRC I used Duramic PLA Pro. The P80 rails for the Neutron Nick frame could be a little tricky to track down if you don't already have them though.

hoffmantactical

I need to look into the adhesion of PPA-CF. It might make it a great option. Also, Bambu PET-CF has significantly higher adhesion, but the 0.6 mm nozzle requirement rules out thin pistol frames.

MooringGrey

hoffmantactical I came to make a post asking about my PET-CF and PA-Cf G43X frames cracking along the layer lines no matter what I do, but this thread seems to have answered my question that it's probably best to just stick with PLA+ for now on those. Bambu PET-CF has held up great so far for my larger MP5 and AR frames though with the same print settings. I will add that I have gotten away with using a 0.4 mm nozzle with Bambu PET-CF. I did clog one nozzle, but after replacing it, I now do a few high temp (_280C) purges of the nozzle with PLA between prints. So far this seems to keep the nozzle clean enough to continue using the 0.4mm nozzle.

wolfblack

hoffmantactical u cant print glock frames with a 0.6 mm nozzle ?? did not know this !

Sharkposter

MooringGrey
I actually found the neutron nick file a few days back and printed one only to find that the riptide rails didnt work (I have a problem with reading instructions), the p80 rails makes more sense now as I was looking all over trying to find a different type of rail but never thought to look at p80, I really like that frame so I may try to find a set if I can. in the meantime I ended up finding another file ( I was using DD43x rev.1 which was the one with walls too narrow) the PP43X mkII. its thicker in the frame so its a bit ugly but it works at least as far as a standard function test goes.

lawrencecaroll64

That’s a pretty common challenge when you start experimenting with parts that need higher heat resistance, and focusing on material behavior rather than specific firearm components is definitely the safer path. For long-term durability in any demanding environment, filaments like nylon or polycarbonate tend to hold up far better than PLA+ because they handle heat and stress much more reliably. Annealing always risks distortion without controlled airflow. By the way, I’ve also been comparing materials while browsing cars on https://www.autobidmaster.com/en/search/salvage-cars/porsche/, which oddly helped me think more about structural integrity.

hoffmantactical

wolfblack Its possible, but very hard. Simply too thin.

Crookedlake

So far I’ve printed a 19 and 26 in Bambu pet-cf. I’ve had a few failures where I had cracks in the print and those area that cracked warped. I changed some settings and it worked. I have yet to install lpk, rails in them to see if there was any shrinking issues. Parts are on the way. I used the stock .4 mm nozzle my A1 came with as well. I’m impressed it printed with a .4 and am aware I’ll be needing another nozzle eventually since I didn’t use a hardened steel one. I’ve printed a few glocks now from pla+ that havnt failed but also dont have many rounds through them either. I’m mostly interested in the heat resistance and matte finish of the pet-cf.

Samson_Prints

tbone Hey Brother, I'm brand new to printing. And am wondering if you might point in a direction to find files with textured grips? Like the one pictured.

I have a total of one print under my belt. I printed the FMDA G19. But don't like the smooth grip. Do I have to customize the texture in my slicer?

Please Help this Newb!

pigseye

Hello tbone,
Late to this thread. Could you please tell us more about the epoxy you used, the prep required, and how did you apply it so it wouldn't be too thick?

I'm assuming you did very fine sanding with white or gray scotchbrite (600 to 1200 grit) to create more bite in the PET-CF17 and then extensive cleaning with 100% alcohol.

I've done some extensive epoxy repairs with totalboat Flexepox which was amazing to work with when applying kevlar to a plastic canoe. Amazing product for that application. But it is fairly thick when mixed. So i'm wondering if there are lower viscosity epoxies out there that would be better for pistol frames.

Your insight is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Numnutz

Freeman617 I was thinking about doing this exact thing but dont even have a printer yet. Im looking at either the qidi plus 4 or q2 would either of these be sufficient and can you make some suggestions if not

WiscoJp

New here. Currently printing lower out of PAHT-cf. 300 nozzle temp and 115 bed temp. Enclosed printer with hardened steel ceramic 0.04 nozzle. Half way up the handle and looks amazing. I’ve printed parts with 15% infill for use on job sites and are very durable. This print is at 50% infill, slowed down speed to 200mms. Increased wall loops to 5. Is there a specific site that sells the metal parts needed to finish builds? My obj. File has every single piece to finish the job in printer. Obviously I don’t want to use a printed barrel, but have heard of possibly sleaving the barrel. Idk. I’m new to this and want to see how far I can go. I currently have the slide on deck to print. Lower body is a 14hr23m print. Slide is only a 4 hr print. Also 50% infill.
I will also keep prints in my heated box at 200 degrees for 8 hrs. To anneal. Any tips or pointers please let ya boy know. Thank u.

PPA_FTW

WiscoJp
Which Glock frame are you using? The FMDA frames and the PY2A ones use different rails.

Also you’re printing the slide??

Please do not print a barrel.