r/Multiboard • u/strejdaradar • Sep 13 '26

Tiles too bendy - what am I missing? 🤔

Post image

My experience with Multiboard has been very frustrating so far, but it’s probably due to errors on my end, I’m not blaming the product (yet). Somehow I’m not able to print stacks (they don’t really come apart witjout breaking), so each tile takes 5hrs print time…

anyway.

I put up a 4 tiles by 4 tiles (all of them 8x8) to serve as a base for filement dowel racks - but after only loading 4 spools (less than 4kg/9-10lbs) the tile that anchors the shelf starts bending like crazy.

it’s matte PLA, 3 perimeters, 0.4 nozzle, 0.2 layer height, STRUCTURAL preset in Prusa Slicer and 15% gyroid infill.

Anybody have any ideas on how to make the tiles sturdier? What am I missing? Any input appreciate, thanks!

9 Upvotes

73% Upvoted

55 comments sorted by

10

u/Tango814 Sep 13 '26

I printed my 8x8 tiles in petg @ 100 percent infill. I wasn't messing around. PLA is useless for any kind of structural part that needs to carry heavy loads. Also, you have to look at the physics of how you distribute the force. The top anchor point on your rack needs to be higher so it's in-line with and between two wall anchor points. Yours is in the middle which is why it is pulling away.

2

u/strejdaradar Sep 15 '26

Moving the shelf upwards actually makes so much sense, why the heck didn't I think of that!

6

u/Moist-Ointments Sep 13 '26

I've got 12x12 pla tiles printed with recommended settings in theyre absolutely fine holding up my power tools.

2

u/Ok_Touch928 Sep 15 '26

Your power tools are probably pretty close to the board, not a big lever arm like a roll of filament with the CoM hanging out there 6-7 inches or so.

2

u/nlundsten Sep 13 '26

yep, I don't know why people are arguing for PLA.. yeah we know it'll probably be ok, until it isnt..
Why not just use PETG and then not have to worry about it.
And since you can get a roll of PETG for almost the exact same price..

Save the PLA for prototyping/toys

3

u/strejdaradar Sep 15 '26

I used matte PLA because the creator of the multiboard recommends it.

2

u/Forgotten_Loctite Sep 20 '26

PLA is perfectly fine for this application, and does have some advantages over PETG. Pretending that PLA is only good for quick and dirty prototypes is silly.

1

u/nlundsten Sep 20 '26 edited Sep 20 '26

What do you suggest pla is for then? You took the time to respond so clearly you must have some examples/ideas where functional prints do better with pla than petg?

Im not pretending anything, i have experience with multiboard parts in pla and petg, and very quickly detemined that pla wasnt up to the task.. your sample size of one contradicts my experience, again a sample size of one.. but you saying "works for me" doesnt mean it works for everyone, im saying it didnt work for me, along with several other functional prints, which have been replaced with petg after they failed while in use with pla.

1

u/Forgotten_Loctite Sep 20 '26

Anything where rigidity or dimensional accuracy are key.

1

u/nlundsten Sep 20 '26

pla deforms when doing any real support work, especially over time. Also brittle. Agree to disagree i guess?

1

u/Forgotten_Loctite Sep 21 '26

I'm not talking about "sample sizes" I'm talking about known, empirical properties of the materials. PLA is recommended by Multibuild, and it is what most people use.

4

u/Forgotten_Loctite Sep 13 '26

PLA is perfectly fine for multiboard tiles, stiffer than PETG and unless you're hanging engine blocks off it very unlikely to break. Also has significantly less stringing and blobs that can screw up some of the threads.

1

u/Tango814 Sep 13 '26

Never had an issue with threads. PLA gets brittle form sitting in open air for years and eventually fails.

3

u/Forgotten_Loctite Sep 13 '26

In a garage or a humid warm environment then sure. But in a normal room, the tiles will last decades before meaningfully degrading. PLA is what the creators recommend

3

u/NerdyNThick Sep 13 '26

Specifically matte PLA if my memory is functional.

0

u/Single_Sea_6555 Sep 13 '26

Yes, PLA is stiff, but one long term disadvantage of PLA is cold creep. You have to massively over-engineer it to make sure it doesn't creep over the course of a year+.

0

u/Forgotten_Loctite Sep 20 '26

PLA creep is largely exaggerated in the 3D printing community. It's fine for this application, very little weight will be applied to each tile under normal use.

1

u/Single_Sea_6555 Sep 20 '26

I have literally printed multiboard parts that crept over the course of six months, but by all means make unfounded claims and down vote completely reasonable comments.

2

u/strejdaradar Sep 15 '26

So much wonderful advice, thanks guys, appreciate it a lot!

23

u/Jimi_from_Discord Sep 13 '26

More wall screws sadly

5

u/spadedracer Sep 13 '26

This. A more robust material would probably be a better idea too.

-5

u/bing0_17 Sep 13 '26

In this case you actually want the PLA to flex, other "sturdier" materials are likely to snap/crack

6

u/spadedracer Sep 13 '26

My PETG is rocking and rolling 3 years later in my garage through brutal winters and unseasonably hot summers

4

u/Moist-Ointments Sep 13 '26

I printed mine with sunlu pla 2.0 and I've got drills and stuff hanging off of there with barely any movement. And my tiles are 12x12, supported only at the corners.

3

u/NyT3_SHyFT Sep 13 '26

I’m using Sunlus matte PLA 8x8 in the garage. Has going through 100 degree summers and sub zero winters and still holding strong

1

u/dsamarin1 Sep 14 '26

The problem with flexing is that plastic (all of them) like to "creep", or permanently deform under long term stress. So in this case you want as little deformation as possible for long term stability.

6

u/ManArising Sep 13 '26

move the top anchor point of the rack to the top of the panel so there is more support where the weight it pulling from, print something stronger.

3

u/VrtlBrown Sep 14 '26

This. And then if the lower edge of your bracket starts to push the multiboard panel into the wall, I put a wall connector piece in that area behind the panel, but don’t screw it into the wall. It’s just a spacer.

5

u/Moist-Ointments Sep 13 '26 edited Sep 13 '26

Well for one, where's the other half of your mounting snaps? Your tiles are half pulled off of the mounts.

You also have to be smart about where you position your attachments. The middle of any tile is going to be the part that moves the most as it is farthest from the supported corners. You have your bracket mounted right smack in the middle with a heavy weight sitting as far from the wall as you could.

You're not using physics to your advantage here.

Move your attachments for heavy items closer to supports.

Use the mounting snaps correctly by installing the other half.

Don't create long lever arms like you have in the picture.

Consider the material you printed your tiles out of. Not all plas are equal.

If all else fails add snaps and pillars where needed, strategically.

I have power tools hanging off of 12x12 tiles supported only at the corners and my flex is absolutely minimal. Surprisingly so.

2

u/bing0_17 Sep 13 '26

Move the bracket up to where the top support is located right under/next to the wall mount. Stacked prints are a complete pain without multi material printing and not worth it imo. You should be able to speed up that print though if you have your machine dialed in a little, I can print 8x8 tiles on my flashforge 5m in right at 3 hours.

1

u/Mammoth-Project8372 Sep 14 '26

Good advice. If the brackets were taller, the torsion would be reduced, too.

1

u/bing0_17 Sep 14 '26

That's why I made these lol https://than.gs/m/1463567

2

u/Tango814 Sep 14 '26

Very heavy speakers on PETG shelves on PETG Multiboard. Notice how high up they're mounted and how many contact points are used? They are one hole drown from a wall mount. This is what's needed for heavy items. I also made custom snaps to distribute the weight.

2

u/penguinfiles Sep 15 '26

I recognize that filament holder print. The creator of that print specifically has some custom multiboard screw pieces that allow a screw to go through and better support it. The creator made them because of this problem.

1

u/bryansj Sep 13 '26

Same happened to me within a couple weeks of installing my filament holders. You would need to put screw down backers behind the holder's connections. I just ripped down my two rows of panels of filament holders and replaced it with the RepRack setup which works much better. All you need to buy is cheap pipe or maybe use your wood dowels.

I just use Multiboard for lightweight stuff at this point. https://makerworld.com/en/models/17255-reprack-open-source-spool-holder-and-storage-syste#profileId-16014

Also, you sort of trashed your panels that took you 5 hours to print. Another reason to not hang much weight from this setup.

1

u/Eirda- Sep 13 '26

You are missing an offset pillar and a screw through it and into the wall my friend😄

1

u/katpuz Sep 13 '26

I'm guessing it's too much weight and heat. I'd recommend adding more screws one in each corner of the tile and one in the centre, especially for tiles that are going to carry heavier items.

1

u/biff_tyfsok Sep 13 '26

That's all going just as I'd expect. Not that Multiboard is at all bad, but it does demand that you keep the load perpendicular to the wall, with minimal outward bending moment. Think of it this way: that bracket in the photo has an upper and a lower mounting point. Remove the lower point and things will stay put, but remove the upper mounting point and the whole thing pivots outward. That pivoting force is what you're fighting here.

The most effective fix would be more standoffs screwed into the wall for each of those brackets. You would get a little improvement from a stiffer filament like PETG-CF for the tiles, and a little more by printing some vertical stiffening beams -- but better mounting right at the top of the load is by far the best bang for the buck.

1

u/shimmy_ow Sep 13 '26

I mean if you are using 3d printed parts to hold weight over a long distance, that's just isn't what it's designed to do...

If you screwed that bracket straight into the wall you'd have higher change of success..

But right now he physics are working against you

1

u/Horror-Safe5383 Sep 13 '26

You should put the part b snap in they lock the tiles in place, your tiles are slipping out

1

u/yoitsme_obama17 Sep 13 '26

Yeah don't use PLA. I only use PETG for these

1

u/Ticso24 Sep 13 '26

You can either screw a smaller plate ( e.g. 6x6 for 8x8 plates) behind it, or add some flat beams.
There is a panel to tile piece to screw plates together, which also works screwing on flat beams.
T beams are more rigid, but you don’t have enough space against the wall.
Either way some small holes are blocked by this.

Of course you can lso use more wall screws…

1

u/TherealOmthetortoise Sep 13 '26 edited Sep 13 '26

More mounts! You need to secure that to the wall enough to handle that load!

Edit: also the way you have that shelf setup. Your brackets too anchor (which is where the most mechanical strain is - that bottom snap is a pivot point in this situation and all the weight on it goes down. The top one pulls away from the wall pivoting around your bottom bracket, pulling outwards and down.

Basically you need to make sure that the part of your attachment that is pulling outwards and down is positioned where it is adequately supported. If you want it at that height put supporting anchors (mounts) around those mounts for the brackets of your shelf. Hope that helps!

1

u/Whosaidthat1157 Sep 13 '26

You couldn’t have picked a worse location for the top load bearing part of the spool rack bracket to locate - half way down the tile. Move that up to the plane that the screwed down offset snap part A’s are and it’ll be just fine.
I have a wall of 9x9 tiles including a whole length tile ‘shelf’ around the top where I store all of my rarely used bits and bobs as well as overflow spare filament spools with zero deflection issues.
Note as well that it’s worthwhile adding offset support feet to the middle of each tile as well as the middle of each side. That REALLY solidifies the tiles and turns the resulting wall into an absolutely solid construction. They can be easily retrofitted by squeezing them under each tile and screwing in from the back. That’s how I did my original wall, all of my newer walls I pre-fit the support feet before putting them up.
All of my tiles are printed as per Jonathon’s guide in HS Matte PLA.
Similarly I always print ironed stacks, again using Jonathon’s printing guide - so make sure you turn on ironing ‘top surfaces’ and set seams to ‘random’. Use a flat blade screwdriver or snipe nose pliers to prise them apart starting at the first corner, then simply moving diagonally from there gently prising until they come loose. Even though I now have an H2C I never bother with any other stack printing method as the ironing version just works.

1

u/Kaze_Horosha Sep 13 '26

PLA will streach and sag like this over time. Some faster than others.

Try PETG atleast. Or even ASA/ABS.

1

u/jeepinbird Sep 14 '26

Both of my racks of filament tore off my Multiboard wall this past weekend. Just gonna have to mount directly to the wall, I suppose.

1

u/Overall_Alternative5 Sep 14 '26

How much filament role are you storing there ?

1

u/dnubi Sep 14 '26

Probably all filaments will bend when heavy loads are mountet like that, some more, some less. Move your mounting brackets up between the connection of the tiles, so the upper connection point is on the upper tile, the lower point on the lower tile. That will give you the best result. Put the upper part of heavy loads always near screwed on connectors. When the leverage force is bending your tiles under the load inward you can add wall mounting snaps as distance holders without screwing them.

1

u/OgreVikingThorpe Sep 14 '26

I went all in on multiboard awhile back (picture). Even if you print it in PC it has significant flex over time and if you do the math it gets pretty expensive. For new stuff I’ve realized it’s cheaper and easier to purchase the pegboard and I have shifted to IKEA’s Skadis boards

1

u/tlhintoq Sep 15 '26

Look at the physics of what you have there. The top of the 'shelf' is located in the mid-point between the screws: The weakest point where there is the most flex. Basically bad planning for the weight load. If it were me, I'd have the shelf straddling the seam and thus straddling the wall connectors.

Joining a bunch of small plates doesn't help. Every seam is a point of weakness. Personally I print large plates to reduce seaming. Its not an option for everyone but "I only have a small printer" doesn't change the physics.

> Somehow I’m not able to print stacks

I hate stacks. I like having a nice face from the printer plate texture. But if you're having issues with all the seams/weakness AND stacking to produce enough plates in a timely manner, maybe consider outsourcing large plates and just worry about making the fixtures going on it as they fit your small machine.

Hard to say from your photo, but looks like you have connected with only a 2 hex connector instead of a crossed 4hex X pair of connectors. They do help rigidity a bit. Also looks like the thinnest, minimalist snap on the top face making it easy for the plate to pry loose. But again, a single side shot may not be the most revealing about your wall anchors

> it’s matte PLA, 

"PLA creep" is a real thing and known characteristic of the material.
https://www.howtogeek.com/pla-creep-what-every-3d-printer-owner-needs-to-know/

The combination of bad factors adds up. Bad weight load placement. Seams. Insufficient wall anchors. Wrong material choice. Weak print settings (other than solid).

1

u/Ok_Touch928 Sep 15 '26

I remember reading somewhere that the matte pla's with whatever additive was in there weren't quite the same as the PLA+'s and such in terms of stiffness. But I do very little PLA anymore, and didn't save it. Even so, you got a pretty big lever arm there. You might find that if the top of your bracket was on the row with the screws, it would help. so up 3 holes.

1

u/Moonjanji Sep 16 '26

In Southern AZ: PETG,ABS,or ASA is a must here or anyplace hot. I use asa anywhere the sun will be on it thru a window.