PLA or PETG for shop light mounting brackets?
PLA or PETG for shop light mounting brackets?
I'm planning to print up a bunch of brackets to mount LED shop lights (very similar to these) to the ceiling in my garage. My plan is to use an upside-down "U" shape bracket that screws into a joist/drywall anchor in the middle and then sort of clips around the sides of the metal frame.
Maybe filament type doesn't matter much here, but I'd rather not come out to one of the lights having fallen on my car if I can help it đ
I think the main considerations are just temperature and stiffness. It can get up to about 85F in the garage on the hottest summer days, and probably a few degrees warmer by the ceiling. The lamps are cheap LED tubes, so the metal housing only gets slightly warm to the touch (say 90-100F or so). I know PLA is a bit stiffer at room temp, but I'm worried it might soften too much at the worst case of warm temperatures.
Any thoughts on PLA vs PETG for this situation?
That link doesnât work for me. But basically use PETG for strength and heat resistance, PLA is better for rigidity or dimensional accuracy, but itâll soften super easily. ASA/ABS would be better but is trickier to print and needs an enclosure.
That's what I was thinking, appreciate the sanity check though. I haven't printed anything other than for indoor applications, so I haven't really seen firsthand how readily PLA softens.
I know my hotend will do ASA and ABS but I haven't ventured into them yet for lack of an enclosure. Someday....
PETG is weaker than PLA. Actually PLA is the strongest filament.
Itâs not quite that clear cut Iâm afraid. PLA is stiffer which can be desirable but also makes it quite brittle. That means while it has a higher tensile strength, it has a lower impact strength - and it fails more unexpectedly and catastrophically than PETG, which is much more likely to deflect and bend rather than snap. That plus PLAâs susceptibility to warping or bending in even fairly moderate heat generally makes it less practical for real-world practical things that are going to deal with a bit of abuse.
PLA is much better than PETG for models or anything requiring dimensional accuracy over strength, though.
PLA is the best choice for applications below +60C. It's the strongest, most rigid and most dimensionally accurate. If you don't expect to reach +60C, go with PLA.