Bigger, faster, and cheaper – so the motto for a Resin 3D printer, the printing workpieces made of photo-sensitive liquid resin and fine resolution allow is currently. I got the early beat, and to me, a small LCD-UV-printer in the first place. So beautiful the prints are, so a question: How and where can I resin the finished prints to fully cure, but fast? Because, in contrast to the common layer of print with a Filament, a further process step after the actual Printing is still necessary.
Of course you can put the finished and cleaned pressure just in the sun. The UV rays can also ensure that the resin is cured. However, we are not blessed in Germany, with as many hours of sunlight, such as in Sunny California. In addition, there are autumn and Winter. Sometimes you don’t, and the rest of the UV rays of the sun then days of hope, is not an Option for me.
The collective term 3D printing is today, for a whole bunch of production techniques, which operate according to different principles and in each case only for very specific materials are suitable. Their common denominator: All the process to build three-dimensional objects by applying materials in thin layers and solidify.
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So 3D printers work
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More information on 3D printers
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There is already a ready-to-UV chambers, which have, however, often a steep price. Your advantage: you are tried and tested and reliable. There are also DIY instructions using Sheet metal cans, and UV lamps, its advantage is the price is quite clear. Both my Maker’s heart not skip a beat. A solution had to be found.
Design and printing
Said and done! With the free design software, Fusion 360, I designed a simple Box, with inner dimensions of 220 × 170 × 194,5 mm. The Box is closed with a door and 3D printed hinges. The door has a magnetic closure and keeps all of the UV radiation reliably in the chamber. A turntable lets the object in the beam to rotate.
The files for the printing of the enclosure and the door can be downloaded free. Both parts are flat, printed without support material in PLA 3D and need a print bed of at least 240 × 200 × 205 mm (X × Y × Z). When the door is at least 20 percent of the Infill are to be used. Otherwise, it may be that due to the large horizontal surface area of gaps in the cover layers are formed. Also very helpful is a printer with a flexible printing plate is to be able to the very large components are easy to replace. Particularly, a Prusa i3, MK3 or mk3’s is therefore suitable. The total print time at 0.2 mm layer height is about 44 hours and consumes about 800 g of Material. The duration and material consumption may vary depending on the Slicer setting, of course.
- PLA (about 800 g)
- 3 M4×30 Screws
- 1 Magnet (20 × 10 × 2 mm, source)
- min. 3 m self-adhesive UV-LED-Strip with 230-V-connection (source)
- Small solar-powered turntable (source)
- Mirror Foil (Source)
- Optional: paints and varnish
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Paint (optional)
Of course you can use the chamber according to the pressure directly. Optionally, you can also design them according to his Wishes. I decided to go for a rusty “used look”. It can be applied in different working steps, various dilute colors, blurred and smeared. This brown, red, orange and of course black include. For the rust effect you used normal acrylic paint, as you can find them in any craft Department. A silver layer of acrylic spray paint provides a good primer and a good metal effect. The whole process can be understand in the Video well.
Assembly
The door and the housing bolts with two M4×30 with each other at the hinges. A further M4×30 screw screwed into the housing hole, wherein a wood screw or similar would be sufficient. Opposite to the Magnet is glued in place.
Then, I pasted all the six inner sides of the chamber with the mirror foil – alternatively, you can use aluminum tape. It is important that all inner surfaces, including the inside of the door, are covered with a reflective Material. This ensures that the UV rays are evenly reflected and the 3D printing is optimally irradiated from all sides.
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As a UV source, I recommend a UV black light LED strip 2835 LEDs. These LEDs have a cure, a wavelength of 385 nm to 400 nm, which is suitable to the resin. A self-adhesive strip of three to five meters in length is sufficient. With the appropriate power supply and switch here at a price under 20 euros. The LED strip I stuck in the queue lines on the side walls, top and the rear wall directly on the mirror film. In the rear wall there is a small hole in a corner to have the cable out for the power connector.
Use
The best the chamber and the hardening process with a rotating, solar-powered turntable to work. The UV light in the chamber then operates the turntable, so that no further energy source is needed. With only four centimeters in diameter, the turntable takes up very little space in the chamber. The purified resin pressure you have to finally leave for about an hour in the chamber to harden. Done!
(hch)
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