hey guys,
So, I have been trying to print the model in the attached image for a while now. The thin walls you see are 250 microns thick and the distance between each wall is also 250 um. Usually what happens is the space in between the walls gets mostly cured during printing. What resin/orientation/print settings would you guys recommend for printing this guy? The Form 2 laser spot size is 160 um so I don’t think limited resolution is the issue here. I am thinking of using dental resin.
It’s not very likely you’re going to get a good print. That wall thickness is around 0.01" - the minimum wall thickness I have had much success with is twice that. Even if you can get it to print correctly, it is going to warp during post cure and good luck getting supports off without shattering the walls.
The best resin is probably going to be Rigid, but I wouldn’t count on having any success.
Hello @dcapua,
Thanks so much for taking the time to post! I’m sorry to hear you’re having some issues with your recent model!
While you’re roughly correct about the size of the laser spot on the Form 2, that value doesn’t necessarily translate directly into feasible feature size, mostly due to the physical properties of the resin that’s being used. Things can only be so small before they can’t support themselves.
Additionally, while we can be pretty certain about the size of the laser, there will always be a little bit of light bleed around the laser spot. For this reason, when you have a bunch of features very close to each other, like it appears you do on the model above, the laser might bleed a little light into the gaps between the cured areas, curing a tiny bit more resin than you intended. Typically this isn’t a huge issue, but when features are this small and this close together, you’ll start to see those tendencies emerge.
I’ll link to a larger Design Guide document below, but as a general rule, the minimum supported wall thickness for parts is roughly .4mm, or 4000 microns across.
I hope that sheds some light on what might be going on, but please don’t hesitate to ask if you have additional questions!
I agree with @themedulla - Typically with designs when we make something to size, we usually have to make the model .005" smaller all around on bosses/extrusions, or .005" larger all the way around on cuts/holes. I assume this has something to do with the laser curing outside its spot focus. We’ve found .020" to be approximately the smallest size feature that can be consistently printable, and anything that size or smaller has been printed near-vertical to the platform, but deforms heavily and is very weak. Your best bet is probably rigid, high-temp, or clear. Tough is possible at .020", but you’ll probably still have fusing between sections. I don’t think you’ll have much luck with the thin walls that tall, but if you do, please let me know how you did it!
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