What are the exact material properties of the aluminum plate on the build platform? I was thinking of reducing the size of the build platform, as well as changing the shape of the build platform from square to circle. Any help would be appreciated! Also any hard specs as to the thickness of the plate, as well as its length and width would be very helpful.
Why modify the build plate?
What would going from a square to circle do?
Because our group is going going to UV properties of the laser to photo initialize hydrogel scaffolds made by the 1+. It needs to be round so that it can dip into a custom made resin tank but I need the material properties of the aluminum Plate on the build platform to continue with our study. Does that answer your question?
Form 1 / 1+ build plate is 0.100" thick aluminum, measuring 130mm x 130mm. Changing the shape from a square to a circle would be rather tricky, as you’ll be losing the support in the corners. If your modification plate does not match the flatness of the regular build platform, you will definitely have adherence issues, potentially beyond what can be accounted for with “fine tuning”
Thanks for the specs! We are also looking to modify the plastic piece as well. We’ll keep the adherence of our scaffolds to the aluminum in mind. Does anyone know what alloy aluminum specifically?
That sounds really cool.
It might be easier to build a replacement build platform. You could re-use the top hat and locking mechanism. Then build off of that. If I remember correctly, there are 3 screws that hold the build plate to the top hat. Make a plate, measure the distance, make the bracket / standoffs and use your own flavor of round aluminum your project needs. Just countersink your screw heads so the surface that touches the PDMS layer is flat.
1 Like
I would venture to guess its a 5068 or a 6061 alum, my guess is it is a softer alum because it gets scratched and gouged so easily but then again 6061 will still show wear and tear over time, but if it was me making a new build platform I would use 6061 with a coarse surface finish.
2 Likes
Thanks for step in the right direction Thomas! You guys have all been very helpful thanks for the advice!
@Joshua_Arkanoff , I could save you design and fabrication time of your custom round build platform.
I’ve been working on a custom build platform for roughly 6 weeks, I finalized the design about 10 days ago and have been off-and-on fabricating since.
You could attach your round build face to the mount design I have fabricated.
Here’s some info I have posted… Custom build platform has eliminated every issue I’ve had over the last two years
cheers,
Brent
This topic was automatically closed 14 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.