crazy idea here…
So we have plates of prints which are extremely close tolerance. THe problem is that too much resin gets stuck in the small areas of the product.
The result is that we have a lot of wasted resin, it gums up our post production system, and causes premature IPA exhaustion.
What’s the thought of a post-print (just at the point of completion), we run a group of vibration ‘hits’ on the plate, just to cause some movement and loosen up the remaining resin droplets and cause them to fall off the product?
I’d think it could be something where the retraction motor “stutters” as it retracts up the whole length to the top. I don’t think the product needs a huge ‘jerk’, but more like induction of vibration…
Probably would need to make this an optional thing, because some people wouldn’t want that level of noise… and not all parts retain resin in the same way.
Thoughts?
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for at least the post processing you could get a sonic washer place the parts in a separate container full of IPA and use the sonic wash so you don’t gum up the system
yes, we currently do this. But i’d like to retain the resin into the tray, instead of wasting it.
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you could let it drip longer they have designs you can print that will hold your platform at a angle to drain off
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yeah.. the idea (in my mind) is that the retraction/lift motor could be programmed with a ‘stutter’, which would cause resin to drip off…
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I printed this model (with my fdm printer), the 30 degrees one.
It works great!
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yep that’s what i was talking about
making it ‘stutter’ would be a bad idea. Not an ideal motion for a stepper motor not to mention the wear on the z-axis drivetrain.
We use the squeeze bottles with IPA to flush out excess resin before washing it. You might have some luck using an empty spray bottle to blast air into the smaller spaces. Of course, this might blast resin all over the place. I realize you are trying to recover resin rather than washing it away, but I don’t think you’re going to get around it. The best you can probably do is use the angled platform holder shown.
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Thanks for your creative idea @Davidwedg! And you do bring up a solid pain point on excess resin. You have a great point on shaking/vibration. Functionally speaking for the printer itself we’d avoid doing any vibration not to loosen screws and threaded components like @SteamFactoryLLC said…but outside of the printer…you’re onto something : )
Overall all these great tips are really hitting our best practices:
- In printer: Hang dry parts for excess drip. We really like the tilt tool that @info_idee shared as an add-on.
- Post-print, pre-wash: To extend your wash lifetime, use an IPA squeeze bottle for spot rinsing for flushing out those smaller areas using the squirt bottle and air compressor ( @SteamFactoryLLC knows the drill
)
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yeah - i kinda figured - vibrations aren’t such a good thing for a precision device…
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