Hi everyone! I am a new forum member and would like to share my experience using the Bluecast resin with you.
I started using my new Form 2 printer 3 weeks ago and so far everything has worked really nicely with a few learning experiences 
First, I was really impressed with Formlabs. I placed my order on Tuesday and received my printer on Friday, just 3 days later! I am in Canada, so consider all the procedures to receive products across the border!
By the time I received my FORM 2 printer, I had already read many comments and positive feedback on this forum about the bluecast resin and this was extremely helpful in my decision to try it out.
I contacted the guys from 3DGarage on facebook and ordered 1 liter of the Bluecast original. I received the resin just 5 days later via Fedex, from Italy.
3D Garage was extremely professional and helped me with great advice and guidance!! I didn’t have any print failures or any problems at all except for when I started playing with support configuration which caused me a few failures, and those mistakes were my own fault. I am willing to try new things and learn from them, so I don’t really consider them failures, but the path to an optimized outcome!!
The process is really simple and the prints come out beautiful, smooth and castings are perfect. One big advantage is that the Bluecast resin doesn’t require curing at all.
I followed the advice from a few forum members and Kat Kramer’s suggestion for a bottle warmer to warm up the resin before pouring it in the tank. I purchased it on Amazon:
Philips Avent Fast Baby Bottle Warmer, SCF355/00 - https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00LJ64JR4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1_
The process I have used:
-
I create supports in rhinogold with the plugin recommended by 3DGarage called Belsupport or with the Preform support feature. I have been playing around with support configuration to try and find the most appropriate structure, which doesn’t leave too many marks and is both economical and efficient. The Belsupport plugin is easy to use but there aren’t many videos or instructions available, but again Stefano from 3DGarage rescued me and sent me some hints after he saw one of my prints with the Preform generated supports!
-
I use the settings for Open mode, Form 2, Gray V3, in 0.05 and 0.025
-
Warm up resin to the highest setting on bottle warmer ( I have printed with both, warm and cold resin and haven’t seen much difference. But when I clean the tank to remove residues, I return the resin to its original bottle - after pouring it into a plastic up (protected from light) with a strainer – and warm it up again before pouring it back into the tank).
-
After printing, I remove parts and shake in Alcohol 70% (I could only find 70% or 99% near my place). I shake it for 30 seconds in the first bucket and move to the second bucket and repeat for another 30 seconds. I leave the piece to dry naturally and then repeat the quick alcohol bath and let it dry again.
-
I remove the support structure. This is what creates issues as I was pulling the support and it would create dents in the prints. So now, I clip them with the pliers and carefully sand the support marks and file with a very fine file. I usually shake the part in alcohol once again to remove the sanding dust.
-
I leave the print to dry naturally, only 30 minutes or less.
-
Send to casting house with NO instructions.
-
Receive beautiful castings of my jewelry parts.
I have attached a few pictures of the castings and prints.
I take this opportunity to thank everyone on this forum for all the precious information you provide. I was ready to print even before I received my printer because of all the hints, feedback and guidance from you guys!! Thank you so much!!! Also thank you to Bluecast and the 3DGarage for an excellent product and a fantastic customer service!!! I couldn’t be happier
