Glue for assembly?

Has anyone found a glue that works well for attaching two prints to each other? I have not experimented. Maybe hobby plastic glue or PVC cement? I have heard super glue recommended here, but I hate the stuff because it is brittle.

I am just replying to subscribe. Maybe Formlabs can comment.

You can use the same resin and use a strong uv flashlight or laser pointer to glue the parts together. Then sand the excess after the resin is dry.

3 Likes

I usually do what @Monger_Designs suggests. CA adhesive glue also works decently well.

I’ve used 5 minute epoxy from the hardware store with varying degrees of success. Superglue also works surprisingly well but is incredibly brittle and hard/near impossible to clean off of surfaces/faces of a part that it accidentally drips onto. The resin+ laser point also work, especially for small, delicate pieces but requires a steady hand and to be safe, a pair of laser safety glasses.

@Monger_Designs, @Clark_Anthony I have done that with the resin, however you can only cure the surface, it is not a good solution at all. Sorry to say, It is a good bond but you can only bond it at the cosmetic surface.
@CraigBroady, What is CA adhesive?

cyanoacrylate: http://www.henkelna.com/industrial/cyanoacrylates-ca-adhesives-14976.htm

The gorilla glue brand super glue also works quite well.

I guess CA (cyanoacrylate) is precisely super glue, but from your link Craig there was a link to a CA for flexible materials that sounds very interesting.
5 minute epoxy is strong itself, but is not solvent based. If you find a glue with a compatible solvent it makes the surfaces soft enough to interlock and the bond is incredible. PVC glues for example. But I tested and PVC solvent/glue does not soften the surface of a 3D print.

What is the best UV lamp to use to cure prints ?

@Jim_Bastiani, I’ve never found a good one. I gave up after how unhappy I was with the first.

@JoshK Mmmm Maybe we need to check what UV frequency and power we need i.e. UV has a range from 400nM to 10Nm - what is the best to cure this resin - anywhere in this UVa or UVb or UVc ??/ Any one have any ideas ?
Thanks…

1 Like

The Form 1 and Form 1+ have a 405 nm laser to cure the resin. That wavelength works well. For post cure, going a bit lower into the high 300’s may help.

Back on topic, I have ordered a pure solvent I believe will work awesome as a glue if it is compatible. I will post pictures when I get it.

I used a two pert epoxy resin that hardens in 5 minutes and that gives a rock solid join - or you could paint some resin on and use a hand held laser pointer or curing booth to harden which I have had success with to.

I think the epoxy works wells from what I have heard. You are the 3d person who suggest that @JasonSpiller

Epoxy is a nice adhesive, I like it. But I have seen another industrial side to solving this problem that is called “solvent welding”. It is actually how they assemble the orange hood of your Form1+ and it’s resin tank. Thanks to Craig’s earlier post I believe the prints to be in the Acrylic class of materials, so I have ordered an appropriate solvent and am hoping for that elusive industrial perfection that is hard to forget after you have seen it.

So what did you get ?

This is what I have on order. It has not shipped yet.

When I read the product description it sings to me :slight_smile: I hope it is compatible.

A high quality Cyno is what your after - heck, even store brought Loctite is good.

Use a small applicator and only use what you need (a small amount!) Try not to move the parts once you place them together.

A good brand is Zapp, my go to is the medium. Also, if your feeling dangerous - use a kicker or accelerator. This you spray on (outdoors) part a, then glue part b, and then attach them together once the kicker has evaporated.

You can easily cut away cured cyno with a scalpel.

You can drill and pin parts together to create a stronger bond that wont sheer - use a cut down paper clip or something.

I have used clear araldite (2 part epoxy) and that stuff is very strong, but takes a while to dry…

http://www.zapglue.com/cas/
http://www.zapglue.com/accelerators/


http://www.ghostofzeon.com/diy/building/pinning_resin.html