# Can cured photoresin parts be reliably joined like (ABS + acetone)?

**URL:** https://forum.formlabs.com/t/can-cured-photoresin-parts-be-reliably-joined-like-abs-acetone/10793
**Category:** General Discussion
**Created:** [December 6, 2016, 1:46am UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/can-cured-photoresin-parts-be-reliably-joined-like-abs-acetone/10793 "2016-12-06T01:46:50Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![spacesaver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@spacesaver](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/spacesaver)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2016, 1:46am UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/can-cured-photoresin-parts-be-reliably-joined-like-abs-acetone/10793/1 "2016-12-06T01:46:50Z")

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I’m thinking of getting a SLA printer, but the big uncertainty holding me back is whether I can build large things like propellers by printing them piecewise and fusing them together like you can with ABS and acetone (or butanone).

The resins are proprietary, so I guess that’s why I can hardly find any information on this. Here’s what I know:

1. According to Wikipedia, photopolymers are thermoset, so that rules out melting them.

2. [Vapour polishing anyone?](http://forum.formlabs.com/t/vapour-polishing-anyone/2587/6) - “they became very brittle, almost crumbly”  
[https://formlabs.com/support/finishing/solvent-compatibility/](https://formlabs.com/support/finishing/solvent-compatibility/)

So acetone weakened and chemically changed the plastic.

1. JoshK claims the resin is cross-linked acrylic. Acrylic is dissolved by Dichloromethane, which can be found in paint thinners.

Any hope of dissolving the curred resins in a solvent? If not, what about joining using joints (e.g. dovetailing) and super glue. Will this get 95% of the original yield strength like you can with ABS & acetone?

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### Author: ![CraigBroady](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/craigbroady/32/6106_2.png) [@CraigBroady](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/CraigBroady)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2016, 4:17pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/can-cured-photoresin-parts-be-reliably-joined-like-abs-acetone/10793/2 "2016-12-06T16:17:59Z")

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Superglue works well. Alternatively, you can use the uncured resin plus a 405nm laser pointer to get the same strength as the curing process in the printer.

This [blog post](https://formlabs.com/blog/how-to-create-models-larger-than-your-3d-printers-build-volume/) goes over some techniques for large prints.

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### Author: ![Dudemeister](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/dudemeister/32/13812_2.png) [@Dudemeister](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/Dudemeister)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2016, 7:22am UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/can-cured-photoresin-parts-be-reliably-joined-like-abs-acetone/10793/3 "2016-12-09T07:22:25Z")

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I’ve used 5 minute epoxy to great effect. I even tried breaking the joint after a few days, and succeeded in shattering the piece but not at the joint.

So if you need a strong bond, use epoxy.
