Support material

Has anyone found a good water soluble support material?

I am experimenting with an inorganic binder/filler mix. You can mix a liquid organic binder with it by simply injecting the binder into a mixing tube just before extruding. That means only a single room tempature head on the machine. After the part is finished the inorganic binder is heat resistant enough to allow aluminum to be poured without issue. But while heat resistant the inorganic binder is water soluable, but it is completely INsoluable once the organic binder has been mixed with it.


Mike

The thoughts and ideas expressed in this post do not reflect those of my employer and are intended only as communications between individuals. Any attempts at implement are at your own risk

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/12/2007 09:21PM by ohiomike.

ohiomike,

I've thought about using polyester polymers with a VF ceramic filler, which would also need a catalyst... How are you mixing the materials together in the extruder? What compounds are you using (any link)?

I suppose extruder was the wrong word for me to have used. My equipment is quite different from the normal reprap. I am using a air-powered binary polymer gun as a "3d pen" to test chemical compositions. So my gun can push fairly heavy filler loads though a static mixer to get a testable result.

My image of the final product was a progressive fill cavity with the inorganic filler mix and printing of the binder on the layers as needed. The inorganic material is a blend that my employer makes (and which I have permission to use in my spare time on the reprap project),

I dont know what the policy is on sales to individuals since I order it direct from the production plant. Ideally it will be something that the Foundation can eventually order and keep a small stock of to resell to individual reprappers. I must point out that this is an off label use and so at the users own risk.

The inorganic material has a pH of about 10 and the polyurathane is base cataysted, so additional catayst is unnecessary.

The idea was to then take that block and soak it in water to remove all of the unbound material. Bake it to dry and then pour aluminum to form any wiring desired.

Mike

The thoughts and ideas expressed in this post do not reflect those of my employer and are intended only as communications between individuals. Any attempts at implement are at your own risk

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/12/2007 10:04PM by ohiomike.