Unbelievable Results: Testing PLA Shelf Brackets under Heavy Loads

[@andyb7754]

Very interesting video. I noticed when you first started the board was flexing and bending more then the brackets. Thank you for your tests and the video.

[@DaveRigDesign]

I didn’t expect the brackets to hold so much weight or I would have started with a re-enforced board and a bigger scale :) Also would have recorded in slomo if i knew the failures were going to be so violent…

[@GrandadTinkerer]

I was thinking about printing some shelf brackets today, but hesitated over strength concerns. I'll definitely print some now! Thanks for the video, you have a new subscriber!

[@DaveRigDesign]

Awesome. Glad I could help. I just made a new video testing hangers printed in different materials that you may want to check out also.

[@AtrumNoxProductions]

This was really cool! Thank you for putting this together. I am designing some speaker mounts, and this showed me I was a little over engineering them!

[@DaveRigDesign]

This doesn't test the long term effects of the force on the bracket but I would guess if your well below breaking force it should be fine.

[@Axle2570]

This is very cool! Would love to see some other floating designs or french cleats, as well as some more 3D printer filament types!

[@DaveRigDesign]

Thanks!!! Didn’t think about French cleats. If I do another test I plan to try different filaments. Was thinking of trying a hanging plant bracket to see how much that would hold.

[@wadecrawford6445]

12 inch shelf bracket testing! Gotta put the big stuff up on a shelf, like 3-ring binders full of collectible cards, game consoles and PC towers!

[@DaveRigDesign]

Based on my tests you should be fine up to a small refrigerator :)

[@mtslyh]

Interesting.... but I've heard from other sources that often times the issue isn't immediate failure, it's long term failure due to constant stress on the plastic. This is more prone to happening when there is higher heat involved (ie: outside in a garage in the summer). I have no idea if this is true, and it would be difficult to test, but I would personally be wary of using ANY kind of 3D printed bracket long term to hold anything of any sizable weight. But that's just me. I'm sure there are others who can tell us stories of 3D printed brackets that have held up for years. So it probably comes down to the specific use case, bracket design, temperature swings, and weight. Anyway, thanks for sharing your well done tests.

[@DaveRigDesign]

Ya temp is a big factor and long term loading. My takeaway though is that because the max weight is so high they should be fine in a normal use case like a book shelf or such.

[@aelianmode]

thank you for the video! love the quality on the production

[@DaveRigDesign]

Thanks 🙏 I recently made a similar video trying different materials that may also interest you.

[@J.Kenobi]

This was fascinating!

[@DaveRigDesign]

Thanks. I was not expecting the result I saw :)

[@Rasle500]

It was very interesting. PLA is known for its high plasticity (creep), so it could be very interesting if you investigated this part of e.g. PLA, ABS, PETG, etc. when they are exposed to a static load for a long time.

[@DaveRigDesign]

I thought about something like this. Or with exposure to heat to see how it affects the strength. Issue is finding the space to setup some brackets with weight for a month or so :)

[@Faysaliya]

Awesome video! Design 3 is similar to design 1 as you mentioned, but I think design 1's legs are both the same size while design 3 has different sizes. I think design 3 would have been even stronger if you maintained the same leg sizes:)

[@scooterjes]

3D Printing Nerd did a similar video a few years ago when he was building/designing his filament shelves for set/lab.

[@billlincoln8961]

As others have said, it would be interesting to see the effects of a reasonable weight over time.

[@DaveRigDesign]

I made a new video recently testing different materials where I did a static load test over 24 hrs. Check it out :)

[@Generalgreatnes]

Awesome thanks

[@DaveRigDesign]

Your welcome 😀

[@NWGR]

Great test, subscribed. I'd love to see a PETG test. My issue with PLA is that it fails gradually by deforming. For example, while all these shelf brackets can hold over 200lbs, how long can they do so before deforming? I had a shelf for my filament (the one by 3d printing nerd) that uses a wood bar across the front, and after a few months of sustained load, the lip that the wood piece sits in started to bend outward. Printed with atomic PLA.

[@DaveRigDesign]

Thanks!!! , if enough people are interested in this one I’ll do another with different materials and designs. I have some ideas for testing a plant hanger. Basically just one bracket but all the weight is at the end. If I do that I may try and set up some with static weight for a few weeks to see what happens.

[@George-nx8zu]

@@DaveRigDesign Would love to see a long running PLA test, just to see if the deforming fears are actually true.

[@DaveRigDesign]

@George-nx8zu I’m working on a new test with single brackets used to hang things like a plant and such. It will be with multiple different material to compare strengths and I’ll try to do a constant force test where I apply weight for a day or so. Trying to get it out in a week or so, so stay tuned :)

[@AaaMirzaa]

I'm making a 3d printer and I am thinking of printing the X-Carriage with PLA, I hope it can stand an MK8 extruder which weighs nearly 500 grams.

[@DaveRigDesign]

Probably will be fine but could deform over time.

[@songhan1586]

you can take advantage of 3d printing and design it as a solid piece instead with infills, it will be much stronger and less likely to deform with solid walls

[@bobbyb3486]

Id like to see you redo this testing but with pla-cf

[@DaveRigDesign]

I’m working on a similar test comparing multiple materials so stay tuned :)

[@richiemag22]

Great test

[@DaveRigDesign]

Thanks 🙏

[@IndianaDiy]

Im thinking Petg would probably be closer 800-1000 lbs but definitely surpass 500. Would be a fun test to see.

[@DaveRigDesign]

Not sure how ridges petg would be though. May flex a lot more. I’m working on a new test of different materials so I goes we’ll see :)

[@iceshade1336]

I thought about printing brackets to hold my melamine shelves for my collectables. Maybe out of PETG? 5 inch deep by 6 feet long (a few brackets on each not only 2) wonder if it would hold

[@DaveRigDesign]

Petg has a bit more me flex. But from my tests just pla held over 300lbs before failing so how heavy are your collectibles :)

[@iceshade1336]

@@DaveRigDesign HG and MG gunpla, funko pop, and the rest is 3d printed busts and figures lol nothing heavy. Maybe I’ll try pla plus or tough

[@DaveRigDesign]

For context 300lbs is the weight of the average fridge. :)

[@iceshade1336]

@@DaveRigDesign that’s pretty crazy, so I should have zero issue with pla plus then

[@UbberMapper]

Where can i find that concealed floating shelf bracket?

[@DaveRigDesign]

I designed it. You can buy similar version online or at hardware stores, usually made out of metal. Or you can get all the bracket files over on my patreon :)

[@ententeak]

I thing you should redo do first test model when you change the position of that Crane Scale.

[@DaveRigDesign]

I thought about it but it didn’t t go much over max weight so the reading was close enough.

[@Derpynewb]

As a reference, use a peice of wood as the shelf support. triangular and rectangular.

[@patrickderp1044]

if you liked that music check out a 90s techno group called binary finary

[@thescinema]

Next test: Infill types :)

[@timtrainage]

A BLUE RYOBI ?!?!

[@DaveRigDesign]

Still going strong :)

[@fkhg1]

please always add metric, i do not calculate in freedom seeds per meter

[@DaveRigDesign]

Up here in Canada we use both depending on the use case :)

[@difflocktwo]

insta subbed

[@DaveRigDesign]

🙏

[@mattue84]

The fact you moved the scale neglects the results

[@DaveRigDesign]

It does not. At 1st the scale was at the end point getting the final output weight. Then for the rest it is moved to the input weight which just means you need to multiply by 5 Still part of the same system. There may be some small variations due to losses in the Pulleys but not enough to make a difference. The scale is still between the shelf and the rack it is being pulled against.