Printing possible without vat?

Various topics related to Vat design, construction and coatings.
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mutu3d
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Joined: Sun Feb 18, 2018 4:05 pm
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Printing possible without vat?

Postby mutu3d » Sun Feb 18, 2018 4:13 pm

Hey, guys i am a baby in this forum. And i have been researching lcd printers, for a long time.

I have two questions:
1)Is there any way to make printer without vat.
2)Can i use slim plexiglass rather than flexvat etc.
3)Can i find a infinite solution for vat system?

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James
Posts: 169
Joined: Mon Dec 02, 2013 1:56 am
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Re: Printing possible without vat?

Postby James » Fri Mar 02, 2018 3:55 pm

1. The bottom up method doesn't use a deep vat of resin. The two main methods currently being used for SLA are top down and bottom up. In top down the projected light comes from the top and uses a deep vat of resin that the build platform moves into as the print is formed. Top down is the original SLA method invented by Chuck Hall in the early 1980s. The bottom up method, invented by Envisiontec I think, projects the light up from the bottom to a transparent nonstick membrane. There are numerous variations of these two methods.

2. No, the resin is like glue. Once the light polymerizes the resin anything the resin is touching sticks to it extremely well. Consequently, a nonstick surface is needed when doing bottom up SLA. One thing that can be done is to float the resin on another heaver liquid, this has been done before and lets one do top down SLA without having to use a lot of resin to fill up a deep vat.

3. Hmmm. . . You would need to make the whole printer move as the build took place or you would need to make the part as it was being built move away from the printer as it was being built. So, you would need something like a bottom up method with a nonstick transparent conveyor belt that you would coat with a thin layer of resin for each layer cycle. In the making the printer move as the part was built would need to print a scaffold that the printer would reside on and the scaffold would continue to be built along with the part being printed.
I prefer to know nothing about everything rather than everything about nothing. :)


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