Formlabs Etching Vat Experiment

Experimental
1

I have been playing around with the idea of etching pictures and etching PCBs. I also wanted to have a vat that protected the main mirror while not being a vat filled with resin or keeping around a used vat. So I drew up a vat and printed it out on my ROBO 3D. It isn’t perfect but it will do. I used .093" Polycarbonate for the window. I used some SUN ART Paper to “etch” my first picture. I think it came out great. Not very exciting but it is accurate. I think my vat was pushed a tad too far back. Now it’s time to buy some PCBs and spend some more time with OpenFL’s API!

Link to the vat file on Pinshape: Form 1+ Etching Vat

Vat Top View.jpg1224×1224 598 KB

Vat In Printer.jpg1632×1224 302 KB

Print.jpg1224×1224 557 KB

5 Likes
2

That is really clever. What setting do you use?

3

Thank you!

I think I printed the vat at .3mm layer height.
The “model” is .125" thick and I “printed” it in black resin. I let it print the whole part. Took about 2 1/2 hours.

4

Actually I was asking about the settings for the etching process. If your post described that I didn’t understand.

5

Sorry,

I just drew the shape and made it .125" thick. I loaded the model in Preform, selected black V2 resin then I let Preform do the rest. I plan on working with OpenFL’s API and the image to FLP so I can just use a picture or circuit trace pattern. Then let the API convert the image. Upload and “print”.

I hope that helps.

6

have you experimented at all lately with etching PCBs?