Build Your Own SLA/SLS

I started trying to use a clear resin. I printed a hollow calibration cube, exterior dimensions of 10 mm, with 1 mm thick walls, no top or bottom, just sides.

The part of the cube that is near the build plate closed up (over exposed) and the part of the cube furthest from the build plate has a ragged edge (under exposed?).

I figured that maybe some of the light for later layers was scattering off of the build plate and over exposing the part of the print near the build plate, so I painted one of the build plates black.

Any other thoughts about printing with clear?

I have not had any luck, I have tried the venus creator and the form1 clears, both have pretty significant bleeding. I think the current thought is that the mercury bulb DLP's are putting out most of the UV at the upper end of the spectrum and this is more prone to scattering / bleeding.

yup, add some pigment, even a hint to reduce the light scattering.

Would love to know a resin that worked well as clear.

I stock GCDI, Venus in Canada and have a lot of Makerjuice G+ and SF (but no reseller agreement yet, as I have been to busy to negotiate terms).

I am considering testing with materials that are clear and dont allow for uv transmission as a pigment.... but again thats more time.

I suggest you try Autodesk PR48 if you want to print clear in a DLP printer. Venus, FSL, and unpigmented FTD all have significant light bleed when printing clear.

PR48, on the other hand, is amazing.

Most clear resins end up looking like the left and right sample, where the supports become a solid block because of light coming through the upper layers:

by , on Flickr

PR48, on the other hand, comes out like this:

by , on Flickr