Casting SolusCast

[A.Joa1]

Based on my experience and also after reading the Santa Fe Symposium paper on curing resins with a vacuum oven (thinking of getting one) curing,when casting resins, is everything

Do you know how strong vacuum has to be for the oven to cure effectively?

No. The point of the vacuum oven is that it brings down the boiling point. One of its uses is in aerospace, electronics to dry things that are sensitive to heat.

For my curing i use a small electric oven set at 100 Celsius for 2 hours. After that i UV cure for as long as i can both in water and out. That is for the Emerald.

I find that curing in the oven (annealing) in combination with UV helps a lot in achieving a good casting.

Also i remember a post in this forum of a user who bought a vacuum oven and mentioned that her Emerald prints were casting like wax.

[Storen]

For my curing i use a small electric oven set at 100 Celsius for 2 hours. After that i UV cure for as long as i can both in water and out. That is for the Emerald.

I find that curing in the oven (annealing) in combination with UV helps a lot in achieving a good casting.

Also i remember a post in this forum of a user who bought a vacuum oven and mentioned that her Emerald prints were casting like wax.

I wonder if that would work well (link): 3 QT Mini- Vacuum Oven Chamber

And the more important question - would that help the situation with SoulsCast?

[rkundla]

If it is just a matter of being able to draw out the uncured resin, you could probably put the print in some liquid in a vacuum chamber without the oven.

I've had success with Emerald by doing a final rinse in an ultrasonic after UV curing using a cleaning solution (alconox) with a pH of 9.1. The surfactant in the solution helps with the residual and the alkaline solution helps neutralize the acidic nature of the polymer. I find that my cast surface isn't as smooth if I do not go through that secondary cleaning/neutralizing step.

Not sure how this would impact SolusCast, but it would be an easy to do experiment, assuming the damage being seen is chemical reaction versus mechanical (expansion) damage.

[Storen]

If it is just a matter of being able to draw out the uncured resin, you could probably put the print in some liquid in a vacuum chamber without the oven.

OK, in that case I would assume - the stronger the vacuum pump is, the better.

[KennyB]

I ended up buying a vacuum oven after struggling with casting resin. I wish I didn't need it, but for me it was the only way to get flawless castings.

Got if from Ebay.

Hydrion Scientific Model: VDO-23I

Purchased the 2 stage vacuum pump at Harbor Freight.

I pull a vacuum until the gauge no longer goes any lower (5 minutes or so), shut the valve and then let it sit at 200F for a couple of hours.

[Storen]

I ended up buying a vacuum oven after struggling with casting resin. I wish I didn't need it, but for me it was the only way to get flawless castings.

Would you please share your whole curing process from printer to flask? Do you combine this with UV curing?

[mongerdesigns]

I ended up buying a vacuum oven after struggling with casting resin. I wish I didn't need it, but for me it was the only way to get flawless castings.

Got if from Ebay.

Hydrion Scientific Model: VDO-23I

Purchased the 2 stage vacuum pump at Harbor Freight.

I pull a vacuum until the gauge no longer goes any lower (5 minutes or so), shut the valve and then let it sit at 200F for a couple of hours.

Very interesting. Does that have a built in pump?

[KennyB]

I ended up buying a vacuum oven after struggling with casting resin. I wish I didn't need it, but for me it was the only way to get flawless castings.

Would you please share your whole curing process from printer to flask? Do you combine this with UV curing?

Sure.

My procedure for casting resin (I havent cast SolusCast yet, just B9 cherry and emerald):

1. Iso alcohol rinse for 60 seconds.
2. 5 minutes in a plastic container of dish soap and water in the ultrasonic. (I skipped this step for SolusCast due to some cracking issues I had. See my thread http://reify-3d.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=999 here for details.
3. UV cure for at least 2 hours in a two nail light cure chamber with rotating table.
4. Vacuum oven at 200F for 2 hours.
5. Invest with Prestige Optima bench set for around 5 hours.
6. Full ramp to 800F for 3 hours, 1400F for 5 hours, cast temp (usually 900F) for a few hours until I get a chance to pour.

I've had ok luck with Plasticast as well but Optima is a little better and it doesnt rise up so much.

I feel like the vacuum oven is what made a difference for me. So many people get great results without one so that's a mystery I guess. If there is a way to run into problems, I usually find it, lol.

Hope this helps someone, I'll be casting my first SolusCast model later this week and will report my results here for sure.

[KennyB]

I ended up buying a vacuum oven after struggling with casting resin. I wish I didn't need it, but for me it was the only way to get flawless castings.

Got if from Ebay.

Hydrion Scientific Model: VDO-23I

Purchased the 2 stage vacuum pump at Harbor Freight.

I pull a vacuum until the gauge no longer goes any lower (5 minutes or so), shut the valve and then let it sit at 200F for a couple of hours.

Very interesting. Does that have a built in pump?

No, have to buy the pump separately. It was under $200 at Harbor Freight and has lasted 6 months of use so far.

[rsaldivar]

Postby printcast » Tue Sep 05, 2017 5:02 am
So rsaldivar, I did look back to make sure you did in fact offer to buy my SolcuCast if I didn't like it. Attached is a clip where without me asking you offered to buy mine if I didn't like it. I'm not liking it, would you like my paypal address?

Man this thread took off (very fast ) so after having issues with my water boiler spilling water all over my shop and the long labor day weekend , Im just now getting around to responding .

YES , I will buy the remaining resin from you because I would like to show that I am a man of my word , as you said I might not be .
During the testing phase of this resin I had good results , but even during the testing , the first times casting where not a success off the bat , however I did end up with good results , I haven't been casting lately , but when I do I will post my results , before my misshape with my boiler I was more into the turbo testing and seeing the diff. ways to go about curing , I will get around to it ( the test casting ) but as you know , this takes a lot of time to test cast several burring cycles and investments , I believe the best curing produces the best casting so Im still there because I know the casting will be there as it was when I first worked with it

but as when we all started with the green ( which works good no dought ) your first casting isn't as good as your last Im sure , for that matter that can be said of your grows too , it will take some time to work out the kinks , but I dont think its fair to say that its not as good as the green or better just because you put a lot of time into your posting all the pics and test casts , then to say , sorry Emil Im not trying to put soulcast down , and in the next breath say , hay rsaldivar , be a man of your word and here is my paypal account . just because your results haven't gotten to where you need them to be in this short time .

Comparing a tried and true method against a new product , especially ones as finicky as casting different resins is not fair , their is a huge amount of variables to figure out , it will take some time , thats all , so give me your paypal info. and weigh your bottle and I will pay for what is left , but just please dont be one of those guys that , once people like us who took the time to figure it out ( the blue ) comes back and benefits from all are hard work because it seems to me that you where not asking for help or trying to collaborate with those of us in here helping each other , but to show that its not working , instead of how do I make it work ?

I believe there is a difference between attempting something and "not liking it " and effort until you get it to where you do like it , one is try and give up and the other is try and keep trying till your there , so how much soulcast is left in your bottle ?