Castable Resin Elegoo Printer Help Needed

Jewelry/Small Metals
#1

Hi All!

Can someone please assist me with the Elegoo castable resin printer this weekend?

Last weekend, I printed a test sample using the Elegoo resin printer in the 3-D Lab. This was my first project with the print being successful! The detail is so small that it needs to be viewed under a magnifying glass!

Do I need to supply my own resin, or do we have in-stock? The size of this part is so small that I did not get a registered weight on the scale when I went to pay.

I understand that this printer may have limited access by Committee Members?

I will not be doing the casting at DMS due to the type of metal being cast.

I may need help re-orienting the position on the slicer and manipulating the support orientation.

#2

Jewelry has the Senertek wax resin for use in that printer. You should pay 16 cents per gram.

Access is limited to those who have passed the Moodle training course. If you’re already “certified” on the 3D Fab resin printer, then just take the brief add-on class that focuses on the difference between the 3D Fab printer and the Jewelry printer; it’s mostly policy differences but the Jewelry printer is also a different model (slightly larger bed, different exposure times).

Be advised that the Senertek resin is fragile and you may break parts trying to remove them from the build plate. You may want to print spares.

#3

What layer height do you plan to print? I could suggest some slicer settings for the Senertek resin.

#4

Thanks for your help and advice!

The part is a reverse/radius link for HO scale steam locomotive to be investment cast (outside of DMS) in nickel silver.

It measures about 0.450 long and about 0.085 thick, I have added a 0.250 long casting sprue.

I would like to grow length by length, which will eliminate support interference with the detail and will allow me to handle part with tweezers from sprue w/o touching the detail.

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#5

The overall length as pictured is 0.750.

#6

IIWM, I’d put the sprue end at the build plate. I assume that’s how you’re drawing it? The first bits sometimes don’t come out as well and it won’t matter if you have to trim the sprue.

Also … the sprue should be round - or at least elliptical (not just filleted). Sharp edges cause problems when casting.

Are you thinking .025mm layer thickness?

#7

Yes to both questions. 0.025 mm or finer and the sprue to the table. I can change sprue geometry. However, being investment casting draft considerations should not pose a problem? I am not making a rubber mold.

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#8

I can tag up with you any time tommorow at DMS

#9

That’s correct, but you still have flow and turbulence considerations when the molten metal enters the cavity through the sprue.

Remember to account for shrinkage; both in your resin and your metal.

For .025mm layer height, these are the Chitubox slicer settings I would use on the Mars 2 Pro in Jewelry. I’ve highlighted the ones that matter. You may have to tweak but this should be a good starting point.

Obviously if you change your layer height you need to change your exposure times. All the other settings (lift speed, etc.) should remain the same.

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EDIT: One more thing. The Jewelry printer needs a firmware update. If you are running Chitubox 1.9.anything, your sliced file is probably not recognizable on that printer. You will have to go to the southernmost computer in 3D Fab, which is running version 1.8.something and re-slice your file. Make sure you export and bring your resin configuration file with you.

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You may use the 3D Fab printer instead, but you may not use the Jewelry committee resin on that printer. If you want to print wax resin on the 3D Fab printer, you have to bring your own resin and your own tank.

#10

Thanks for all of the advice and help!

I completed all of the on-line 3-D printer training and printed/bound hard copy. I will log in tonight to verify jewlery training.

I will print test samples to verify needed shrinkage adjustments. My understanding is that they should be null. My understanding was that most pattern shrinage came from vulcanized molds.

I will change sprue to a round, which is a simple fix. I do have some parts cast in the 1970’s with square sprue with no flow issues.

#11

I prefer to use Jewlery Lab equipment.

#12

You will get shrinkage. I promise. It is a small percentage so it may not matter to you; especially since your part is so tiny. I was machining my castings so it mattered to me.

You can expect about 1.5% resin shrinkage per axis in the XY directions and up to 8% shrinkage in the Z axis. I don’t know how much shrinkage you will get from nickel silver during casting, but I would assume about 3% (volumetric - so take the cube root for each axis). Copper shrinks 5% (volumetric) and nickel silver is about 60% copper.

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#13

I finished the add-on course and am approved to use the Jewelry Lab printer. I have also downloaded, printed and hard bound all training.

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