Thanks Monger! I appreciate the side-by-side shots. I am really impressed with the quality. Thanks for taking the initiative on this, and sharing the results with us all. I guess I’m mixing B9 Cherry Red in with my Grey from now on. Is the cleanup process the same?
Hopefully this will inspire FormLabs to push the Form1 to do even better. I’m sure they’ll be able to take the Form1 to another level as they get a handle on manufacturing/customer service side of things and can focus more effort on R&D.
I didn’t want to discriminate against people who do not use the form1 for jewelry, so I decided to print one of the benchmark prints being used for 3d printing. The Yoda. I did two sizes (Large Yoda and Tiny Yoda). Both printed at the same time using the 50/50 resin mix at the 50 micron setting. I imagine it would be even better at the 25 micron, but I didn’t have the patience. Enjoy.
The progress with this resin looks promising. There has been a lot of discussion on numerous 3d printing forums lately about mixing various pigments and resins to achieve finer detail and smoother surfaces. Makes me wonder how the Envisiontec resins would perform in a Form1. I imagine the Envisiontec resin with its premium price may have something to offer beyond the current “lower cost” resins. A blend of Form1 and Envisiontec resin would be an interesting albeit expensive experiment.
OMG, those 1:1 ratio prints are so detailed and smooth that it looks like came out form B9, I can’t believe they are from Form1, Thank you Monger, your experiment is very helpful to all of us, I will definitely keep an eye on this post. Keep up the great works!
The prints finally cured so I removed the supports and took a final picture.
I also want to give some tips for anyone who wants to try the hybrid resin mix on their own.
Mix your resin very well in a dark area of the room. I would say for about 1 minute.
Use a separate vat for this mix or any other experimentation.
Once the resin is in the Vat, gently scrape the silicone layer with the metal spatula in both directions for about 1 minute.
This mixes the resin with the pigment in the vat to make sure the pigment has not settled too much and also makes the silicone layer “breathe”, resulting in better prints. You should do this before starting each print.
Print at the 50 micron grey setting. This mix is not optimized for 25 microns or 100 microns.
Since Monger Designs has been putting mixes of third-party and formlab resins to the test and getting promising results, as well as presenting outstanding photographic documentation of those results. I propose that we all chip in and get some DSW DC500 or DC550 ( http://www.riogrande.com/Product/DigitalWax-DC500-Casting-Resin-for-Rapid-Prototyping/700966) for Monger to test with the Form1, I would be willing to contribute $50-$100 to the test. I think this would be well worth having a go at, is anyone else interested in seeing if we can get a great result from a direct cast wax/polymer off the Form1?
The DSW resin IS the most promising candidate for the form1, since both use the same laser curing technology. If you guys decide to get a bottle for test, I’ll contribute also and will obviously print your desired models for the tests. The resin is much more expensive than the form labs resin (about 6-7 times), so the results have to be outstanding to justify that price. The only thing I’m worried about if the calibration of the resin will work on the form1, since it’s clear, but we can also try mixing it with some of the b9 cherry, to put some pigment into it and control the cure depth.
The Digital Wax printers look very comparable to the Form1 in function. I am not an expert on resin properties but comparing what information is available they are both cured with a laser and have a viscosity of 400-600 mpa 25°C DC500 and 850-900 cps 25°C Form1. The DC500 may work as is or by blending some Form1 resin the viscosity could be raised to something more appropriate, at any rate the resins have different properties so a blend may be able to achieve interesting results. As an added benefit the DC500 is purpose made for direct investment casting.
Here is a video with some additional information on Digtal Wax resin.
I would like to contribute to funding this experiment, I am looking to use my Form1 to print in the highest resolution possible and this looks like a worth while test.
Good catch on the Hatching Values, Jesse. But that requirement is only for the DC550.
I also noticed that they suggest warming up the DC550 resin to 30 Celsius before use. I’m assuming this is because it’s a wax based resin, similar to the envisiontec resin. Putting the bottle into a bowl with some hot water for about 10 minutes should do it.
For our purposes, we should go with the DC500 resin instead. No warming up needed, its cheaper and no restrictions on slice thickness.
Monger: if formlabs guys are not thrilled that youre getting such good prints out of the Form1 with the help of the competitor’s resin , I am and I would like to contribute to the DC 500 resin experiment. If you guys decide to go for it just let me know how to contribute.
Thank you guys for your great comments and support in this quest to push the form1 towards better performance and to find castable resin. I have setup a paypal account that you can contribute towards and the funds will be used towards the purchase of a bottle of the DC500 resin. If you have a model that you want me to print using the resin and possibly cast (depends on the model and would have to check with my caster first) we can do that.
The resin costs $325, so once we have that much pledged we can place the order. If we cannot raise the amount I may put up the difference or just refund your money. The paypal account is mongerdesigns at live dot com. Please send your info too so that we know who the money is coming from.
My plan would be to use the DC500 resin as is in the form1 and also mix it with the b9 cherry and cast both.
Hope this works and we get some awesome castable prints out of this resin.
