Couldn't Resist Joining!

[Mr Sprue]

Hi Everyone

I'm a toolmaker and up to now been using an FDM printer just to check some my CAD work, albeit the prints are not 100% accurate but they do provide a good visual reference. The added bonus also using an FDM is that there are no strong smells when it prints and I can use it in my office.

Been sitting on the wall for a while now regarding SLA resin printers, in fact a few years! But as of late they have now become so tantalisingly cheap, in fact cheap enough I could not resist the temptation and bought a new Mars 2 Pro which will be delivered next Wednesday.

I have two good mates that have made absolute inroads using their resin printers, their work and prints are that good they've inspired me to venture into using new techniques regarding my mould injection tooling.

No doubt like most newbs to SLA I too will cry for help when things go tits up with my prints, but judging by what I have read already on this forum I will be in good helpful company.

Regards
Mr Sprue

[cliffyk]

Good to have you here, your injection molding knowledge will be helpful and it sounds as though you have reasonable expectations. My brother wrtked in molding for 40 years, for a company named Pixley-Richards in Plymouth MA IIRC.

His insight as to the physical characteristics of the cured resins vs. "real" plastics have been helpful to me...

[Mr Sprue]

Good to have you here, your injection molding knowledge will be helpful and it sounds as though you have reasonable expectations. My brother wrtked in molding for 40 years, for a company named Pixley-Richards in Plymouth MA IIRC.

His insight as to the physical characteristics of the cured resins vs. "real" plastics have been helpful to me...

I'm now specialising in short runs and using a rapid tooling technique, which involves machining steel bolsters then casting high temperature Epoxy. Up to now the master's I model have been produced using RTV & PU resins.

I'm hopeful that the Mars will cut my modeling time down to a fraction to what it would normally take.