My overall experience with Vorex black on grey v2 setting has been ‘wow!’
Really nice detail and toughness. Consistently can produce very thin wall thicknesses (e.g. 0.5mm or less) over fairly large areas with minimal supports @ 50um. The oder is a bit much though…
One complaint is that it stays a bit gummy. Could be I just need new IPA, but the surface does not seem to fully harden and stays a bit sticky and soft. I might try running on the clear v2 setting to see if that hardens it up a bit more.
I have been through almost a liter of orange. I have made things from small delicate earrings to screwdriver handles. I am impressed. I agree with the odor.
About the gummy and soft, not hardened feeling. I sent a note to MadeSolid. I can’t say that I was impressed with the answer I got but I feel that I have figured out a way around the poor feel.
I have found that sanding off the thin layer gets rid of that poor feel but it also takes away the fine detail and requires extra work assuming that sanding the part is feasible. Sanding the earrings will not work. So, I let my parts sit. They do not need to be in the sun after the post cure. They just need to sit. Between 2 weeks to a month does it. The parts feel better and the surface can not be scratched with my fingernail. Then a coating of Novus #2. Wipe the extra away, wash. Then #1. Perfection.
So, yes. having to let your parts sit for about month is silly and not the answer but it worked. Since MadeSolid provided no real and clear answer I do not think they know how to fix it.
On to how tough the resin is. Well, today I decided (by accident and necessity) I used my screwdriver as a chisel. Yep, I beat the end of it with my pliers at work. Not a scratch. Then I did it again. Then I dropped the screwdriver a few times.
I’ll let you know when I actually break it. Now I have to get a bottle of FL Tough to see how it stands up.
Any thoughts of how Vorex compares to FL tough resin? I have both. Im having trouble with adhesion with the tough resin so I’m having trouble making comparisons. I’d say the tough resin is defintiely less brittle then vorex on thin features and remains more flexible. It also doesnt have that tacky feel. However, the tough resin is more suscpetible to creep and constant load bearing structures get distorted.
I suspect vorex and tough are similar overall. They’re not brittle, but that’s almost where the love affair ends…
I only have vorex experience, and I can say that while it is impressive, it never quite feels ‘done’ if you know what I mean. Kinda like the grey v2 setting might not be optimal? Dunno. If you want something to continue to be bendable, then yes go for it with gusto, but if you need something to stay the same size even under stress, then no, use somehting more acrylic-like, like formlabs clear.
My bottle of Tough arrived on Friday. I made a number of attempts to print, but all failed with the base pulling away from the build platform - this appears to be a common issue. I guess I’m not getting any Tough prints until FormLabs figures out what the problem is.
My printer had been busted for a while and I only just got it fixed, and I had a bottle of unopened Vorex that I’d bought a while ago, just sitting on the shelf. So I tried that (I’m still a little “iffy” on if the printer’s actually 100% fixed). It printed beautifully. As well as Clear prints, which is the only other resin I’ve tried since I got the printer working again.
I was able to make some subjective comparisons of the Vorex and Tough even though Tough didn’t stick well to the build platform. I still had the “partial” prints. After removing all the supports, I flexed/bent the base pieces until they snapped. Comparing Vorex and Tough. They both exhibit quite a bit more flex than Clear or Grey, but still ultimately exhibit the same kind of glass-like fracture. I’d say maybe Tough bent a little more before it let go.
As for the tacky finish of the Vorex, they do say it needs to cure under water (like the FormLabs Flexible). The IPA wash tanks fit inside my UV curing box perfectly. So I put the second wash tank, part and all still submerged in IPA, in to the box for 10 minutes, then fish the parts out, dry 'em off and give them another 20-30 minutes of UV. The final surface is dry and smooth and not the least bit tacky or “soft” feeling. I’m pretty happy with the results.