Alumilite with 3D printed parts

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NJturner

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Got a problem and am looking for some assistance - I am printing 3D components to embed in Alumilite Clear Slow to make unique pen blanks. I am using both PLA and PETG filaments for the prints. I have printed stars, some wavy patterns and some color bars, all embedded in the vertical pour molds I use. I have cast, drilled, and glued the hybrid blanks to my brass tubes using 2 part epoxy. The Clear Slow does not seem to adhere to the 3D components, as the blanks explode at some point through the process - always separating the resin from the 3D printed parts - see pic below.

The picture shows both a PLA white and a PETG white blank casting using Clear Slow. You can see how the 3D printed waves have completely detached themselves from the resin. I bought the 3D printer so I could make custom blanks - and have seen many for sale at different shows and websites - anyone know the secret for making this work?

broken blanks.jpg
 
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I'm not a 3D printer person but my friend is. He has printed some inserts for me and I noticed that they have a residue on them. Have you tried wiping the parts down with Acetone or other solvent? I've seen 3D parts used as molds with parts left in the resin. Those seemed to work well. Just a thought.
 
Kenny Durrant said:
I'm not a 3D printer person but my friend is. He has printed some inserts for me and I noticed that they have a residue on them. Have you tried wiping the parts down with Acetone or other solvent? I've seen 3D parts used as molds with parts left in the resin. Those seemed to work well. Just a thought.
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Resin 3D printed parts definitely have some remnants of the process on them, where filament printed 3D stuff typically doesn't. I am using a filament 3D printer, but I am going to try washing everything down with DNA with the next casting. Thanks!
 
Just a thought, make sure your filament is dry. Filament absorbs humidity very quickly. I started storing my filament in dry boxes once I realized my filament was brittle in the winter and too wet in the summer. Alumilite does not play well with humidity.
 
hooked said:
Just a thought, make sure your filament is dry. Filament absorbs humidity very quickly. I started storing my filament in dry boxes once I realized my filament was brittle in the winter and too wet in the summer. Alumilite does not play well with humidity.
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Interesting thought. I am using a AnyCubic 3D printer that has a filament feeder/dryer attached to the printer, but I have not turned on the drying element as humidity around here hasn't been bad, but it might be enough in it to trigger a reaction with the Clear Slow urethane resin. Great thought, thank you!!
 
This is quick info and an FYI.

The photo clearly shows the problem: the resin did not bond to the PLA or PETG. Urethane, by nature, does not bond with PLA. On top of that, white filament contains titanium dioxide and is notorious for structural failures. So, long story short, A) change resins, B) change colors,
 
edstreet said:
This is quick info and an FYI.

The photo clearly shows the problem: the resin did not bond to the PLA or PETG. Urethane, by nature, does not bond with PLA. On top of that, white filament contains titanium dioxide and is notorious for structural failures. So, long story short, A) change resins, B) change colors,
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Unfortunately, the design is requiring me to use white filament, so that will be a constant, but I am going to switch the next batch to Liquid Diamonds epoxy for the resin. I am going to use PETG as the filament and see how that works - fingers crossed. I ordered some ABS filament just in case, but due to the not human friendly vapors from ABS printing, I am hoping this will not be required.

Thanks to all for the comments!

Kevin
 
I use heavy, heavy amounts of ABS and ASA. With the setup I have, the vapor is more hype and drama than reality. I suggest testing a few parts with the epoxy first to see how it holds up before going through all the problems of a complex glue-up.

White can be worked with, but know that it will cause problems. It should be pretty simple to work around that.

Also, it depends on your printer setup. You may introduce a ton more problems with ABS. :) If you do not have a proper enclosure, don't attempt ABS or ASA.
 
edstreet said:
I use heavy, heavy amounts of ABS and ASA. With the setup I have, the vapor is more hype and drama than reality. I suggest testing a few parts with the epoxy first to see how it holds up before going through all the problems of a complex glue-up.

White can be worked with, but know that it will cause problems. It should be pretty simple to work around that.

Also, it depends on your printer setup. You may introduce a ton more problems with ABS. :) If you do not have a proper enclosure, don't attempt ABS or ASA.
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I've heard printing with ABS can be a tough road, so really didn't want to go that way. I did build a full enclosure for the printer with HEPA filtering elements on the vents with the ability to change them to organic filters more because I wanted to keep the printer isolated from the dust of my woodshop, but added the enhanced filtering just in case I added ABS to my filament choices. I'm going to reprint the blank elements in PETG while I wait for the Liquid Diamonds to be delivered and give it a go that way. I also am testing some SunLu white PETG vs the AnyCubic so wondering if the whiting chemistry might also make a difference. Thanks for the response!
 
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