Author Topic: 3DP Resin wash/curing solutions?  (Read 3508 times)

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Offline pipe2nullTopic starter

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3DP Resin wash/curing solutions?
« on: June 14, 2022, 08:50:19 pm »
I finally took the dive into resin printing and preordered a Phrozen Mighty 8k, which should be on its way to my doorstep in the next few weeks, so it's time to order all the accessories and a big box of gloves now that I'm adding resin to my 3DP lineup.  Various methods of washing with IPA and initial drying seem pretty straight forward (Worth noting: "Thou shalt not put IPA in an ultrasonic cleaning machine"), but curing machines seem ridiculously expensive for what they actually do compared to a plain ol' 405nm UVA black light LED roll or fluorescent black light tubes...

My new print volume is advertised as L21.8  x W12.3  x H23.5 cm.  I'll rarely use that much in actual prints, but probably should keep max size in mind ordering new toys for wash/cure.  And looking at big enough curing machines with big price tags for a glorified "light box" has prompted this post.  Heh.

Any favorites for wash/curing solutions?  Anyone gone the DIY route who might share your experience?  (like referenced in https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/clean-and-cure-resin-3d-prints )
 

Offline KaneTW

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Re: 3DP Resin wash/curing solutions?
« Reply #1 on: July 29, 2022, 12:47:05 pm »
I'm a Form user and I just use the wash/cure that they sell. Works well enough.

I don't recommend ultrasonics for cleaning because it can damage the not fully cured resin. The explosion risk isn't an issue per se, just put it in a closed beaker or get an Ex rated ultrasonic cleaner.
 
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Offline KaneTW

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Re: 3DP Resin wash/curing solutions?
« Reply #2 on: July 29, 2022, 06:15:37 pm »
Are we talking about the same device? The Form Cure is pretty smooth and I've had just barely stable pieces not fall over.
 

Offline pipe2nullTopic starter

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Re: 3DP Resin wash/curing solutions?
« Reply #3 on: August 10, 2022, 04:00:55 am »
Yea, for the immediate short term I decided to proceed down the $25 DIY route: ultra-cheapie cardboard/foil/cheapo solar turn table/cheapo LED blacklight strip to start just so I have SOMEthing for the time being.  The sun is just not consistent enough, and related "cure times" do not translate into useful indoor cure times.

But I'm also designing a "real" curing machine for the long term, big enough for my max build volume plus a bit, pricing quartz glass (very high UV transmissivity, not cheap ~$200 at McMaster for 6"x6"x1/4", debating on minimum size still or looking for a less ideal transmissivity material to use) for the base plate and all that good stuff.

What ballpark-estimate curing times are you using, and what's the UV-wattage of your curing machine?  365nm and/or 405nm?

I've dug around for info on curing times for a given UV wattage and the best I've seen is "try a given curing time out, bounce your model off the table" kind of folksy "metrics" to gauge final cure times for a specific commercial curing machine model.  Not terribly useful when you're building a curing machine from scratch.  I'm trying to figure out what the optimum "normal" UV wattage is for a curing machine, then beef that number up a bit since I'm thinking of using indirect lighting for the cure to get better UV scatter.
 


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