Every time I’ve used the removal tool, I’ve scratched the build platform, which can produce aluminum particles. If the platform is not cleaned this particles can be found later in the resin tank.
Cleaning the build platform costs material which many users dispose uncured.
However I like the removal tool, it works ergonomically good so I’ve developed a cover for it.
It’s cnc-machined of PEEK, a very durable and stable thermoplastic, which can’t scratch the platform. The tip is sharper than the original for easier sliding under printed parts. The cover is 3mm high, just 0.4mm higher than the original scrapper.
The tips are interchangeable to ensure bio-compatibility. That was important to me since I’m working with standard and dental resins on the same machine.
I don’t wipe or clean the build platform, I just remove the part and print the next one, saves material.
The cover is ultra durable and last longer than expected so I’ve definetely cnc-machined to many of them ;), if anybody is interested I’m selling the rest in the shop, Currently there are 12 left… removal-buddy.com
This is a great idea and I’m impressed by how new your build platform looks. Mine are usually pretty weathered after a few uses. How many uses are you getting out of each cover?
From what I know of PEEK and the uses I had of this incredible yet expensive material, it will last a freaking long time. It is also very easy to machine so correcting any deformations with a file or an exacto knife (a sturdy one, otherwise the blade will brake) is easy.
PP is like chewing gum when compared to PEEK. You can almost compare PEEK to aluminium, yet it it still much lighter and has one of the best chemical resistance in the world of plastics aside from fluoropolymers.
I doubt that this part could even be made in PP, it would probably just be sucked into the cutting tool
Machining PP is a fool’s errand. I would be injection molding over the existing tool.
I was thinking PEEK is a thermoset but it’s just a high temp thermoplastic. I might be able to mold in PEEK… Need to do a little research.
I understand the material properties (grew up in a mold/die shop). The real question is how hard is hard enough? PEEK will pretty much last forever but other materials might be ok to use. We don’t want the material to be too close to the hardness of the build plate but we don’t want it to be so soft that it doesn’t work.
I use plastic putty knives for the resin tanks as the included metal scraper is sharp and my luck would have it that I would wreck a tank bottom.
The aluminum surface of the build platform looks like it was media blasted to give the fine surface for the raft to grab onto. Has anyone tried refurbishing theirs using this method?
I take extra care with my build platform to minimize scratching.
Machining PP is definitely possible with the right tools, but it’s more akin to woodworking than metal machining and of course it all depends on the scale. Machining big features in big parts is absolutely doable, but I agree that this specific tool here wouldn’t
PEEK is used a lot in injection molding, they make surgical implants out of it. It is also used for its tribological properties and that’s IMO a part of what’s making this tool work well.
As for hardness, PEEK isn’t hard enough to do anything significant to an aluminium plate. When I wrote that it can be compared to some Al I was only referring to some metrics., not all of them, otherwise plante would be made out of PEEK not Al
Another interesting material that would eventually work for this is POM, which also has a good friction coef, is also moldable and very easy to machine, while being much cheaper than PEEK.
POM, acetal, delrin - whatever you want to call it - is a great replacement for PEEK. But not biocompatible. If you are using the dental resins you probably want to stick with PEEK but for everyone else delrin would work just as well and costs way less. It is also extremely easy to machine.
I’m using silicone spatulas. Plastics can be sharp…
I like POM, it is very easy to machine, because it’s less hard. I’m not sure that it would be possible to machine the same thin cover geometry from POM.
Isn’t POM-C biocompatible for up to 24 hours or something ? I used to work for a medical implant manufacturer and we used some nuances of POM as well as PEEK.
I’d wish I had one too… I’ve machined the covers on a 3 axis