Has anyone tried the Vorex resin from made solid. It states its tougher than formlabs clear. I’m looking for something that’s better for functional mechanical parts. I break most of my prototypes in clear resin when I try to test them mainly because it has a snap fit. How does it compare to Formlabs flexible?
Have you tired using the “snap feature” before you final cure the part?
I have been using clear and grey for mechanical functions since I got my Form 1+ I have found the clear to be pretty tough if you can engineer it to take the forces properly. For me I have the clearance to increase thicknesses to support the impact that my parts see but even then I usually have a 30% risk of fractures. With out knowing the design of the part I would try to use the snap feature before your final cure because once it is fully cured it is extremely brittle. the flex material is okay but if you have fine geometry you will not be happy with the print results. I have never used any other resins in the form 1+ yet but usually you need to be sure of the settings I know a lot of guys use a different brand of resin here but they run with certain settings for the LASER exposure.
Snap feature? I guess you mean snapping the supports?
I was implying the snap feature on his final part for assembly.
Yes. I was looking for a functional snap fit but I need to do it repeatedly kind of like a zip tie. And yes it does seem to work to some degree when its fresh out of the printer. I was thinking about trying formlabs flexible resin; however, I heard it breaks pretty easily when subjected to a tensile stress. Essentially I need a small degree of flex and stregnth 
kind of like standard ABS plastic.
The flexible resin won’t do for this. It’s far to flexible. And even cured, it’s “soft”, it won’t hold an edge like you need for the tips of those pawls.
I’ve played with this kind of fastener, too. The problem I’ve had, like you, is that thinning the spar to make it flexible enough also makes it weak. I’ve “notched” narrow but deep reliefs in the back side of the spar, the compound side of the bend when it’s being deflected, but I don’t think it helped. The other problem I’ve had is durability. The part works a couple of times and then the sharp edges all wear away. Thin sections are particularly delicate.
The hard resins are far from cured when the print is done. They get substantially harder if you post cure with UV. If you don’t expose it to any UV, I suppose it would maintain it’s softness forever. But if sunlight hits it even for a couple of minutes, it’ll turn to stone. I suppose you could hit it with some UV-blocking paint maybe…
I think Randy is on the right path maybe once it is done printing rinse it in the IPA for a little longer than usual and only do a UV Cure for 15 mins or so till it is “dry but tacky” and try spraying it with a clear coat spray paint to block the UV light from the remaining cure process you might get a couple of cycles out of it to simulate a functioning part. Only other thing is maybe try the other resin brands or find someone with a FDM style printer that can print in ABS.
You can always try mixing 90% black resin with 10% flexible. That should add some flexibility to the black resin.
I ordered the Vorex. I’ll update you how it goes.
What about molding the original print in RTV and using casting resin. That’s pretty durable. I know it’s extra steps but might get you to the finished piece a lot quicker. Also, once you’ve made the mold you can cast as many as you want which is faster and cheaper than printing.
My printer is on order, hopefully here the end of the week. I manufacture model detail parts and will the use the Form 1+ just to make masters for RTV molds.
Monger if you mixed them like this would you still run it under the black resin settings? I know that each resin has a different “power level” to run at not sure what the flex needs but I didnt know if you have tried this yet personally or if it was a trial and error suggestion? i was thinking of running clear and flex with that ratio just need open time in the printer to run it 
Walter,
If Joshua were to use your method, based on his requirements, what material would you use for the casting?
Thanks
I use Smooth-On Smooth-Cast 305. Not too many people like this as it’s a slow cure resin taking an hour to demold time. I load up a number of molds at one time and have a rack to place in a pressure pot. One of their faster resins would work just as well.
@Joshua_Herskovic, I see you ordered the Vortex resin. I discovered a resin that claims to actually be ABS based, which is of course a very popular and versatile plastic in the real world already. It could be just what you need for that tab to make it like a real part.
Thomas,
I haven’t tried this mix, however I don’t see why it shouldn’t work. If I had flexible resin, I would test it out, but I haven’t had a need for that resin yet.
If you do try it, make sure you mix the resins well and try the black resin setting first. If you do not get enough curing, I believe the Castable setting may offer a little more curing power.
With a little trial and error you should be able to get the result you need.
it seems that the 3DM ABS has similar qualities, the same translucent orange color, and similar price point of $135 as the Vorex. I wonder if its the same thing but rebranded? The Titan DLP printer has it listed for sale on there site.
I see that your site makes investment castings for metals. Can an investment casting also be done using ABS instead of metal for the final product? Is that cost prohibitive process? It seems the RTV molding method would be difficult to deal with hollow structures.
I don’t know if that’s possible. Wouldn’t that fall under injection molding instead?
Also, investment casting makes it no easier to deal with hollow structures. Close to impossible in fact.
I had never heard of 3D Materials. I emailed them for info and a sample 
I ordered OMaker resin to try out, will report. I also just finished my first print with makerjuice, and I have to say, I’m impressed. I’ve only printed with formlabs clearv2 until now, and this looks way cleaner. Maybe it’s a property of pigmented vs. clear resin? I’ll have to order some pigmented formlabs stuff.
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