Extruding epoxy?

Has anyone done anything like extruding epoxy? Did you get anywhere?

If you extrude it mixed, I suspect you would have a blocked nozzle very quickly.
If you extrude the two parts separately I suspect you wouldn't get good mixing?

maybe a uv cured epoxy might be more practical than a two part....

Thoughts anyone?

and yes I have seen this thread [forums.reprap.org]

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/2018 03:25AM by Dust.

Wouldn't an extruded.deposited and UV cured system be something like the object systems from stratasys(?). Definitely doable, not sure how 'accessible' price wise though. I've also thought about two part epoxy systems but reached the same conclusion as you did.

Two part epoxy is dispensed, not extruded. 3D printers with dispensers are not hard to build, you are limited by the long time it takes for the epoxy to cure.
UV curing resins are one of the standard methods of 3D printing apart from the FDM method most RepRaps use.

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[www.bonkers.de]
[merlin-hotend.de]
[www.hackerspace-ffm.de]

... I've developed a comercial machine with piezo-driven dispensers for printing with solder-paste and UV-cured glues, controlled with a variant of Pronterface.

The dispenser heads are much more expensive than the machine (9k€ vs. 3k€), what's the main hurdle for DIY

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

There are some fairly viscous and fast curing epoxies out there, so I think that hurdle can be overcome. That and I think the time a cup of epoxy needs to cure wont be comparable to the time a thin line of it would need.

While FDM is not my favorite technology in terms of the end result, it is by far the most hobbyist and user friendly. Powders are mess, cause issues when inhaled (and they get into the air very easily, so you'll want a mask), can be a fire risk and you often need to dispose of unsintered powder. Resins are often harmful to skin, smell and prints need to be washed after the job is done. Filament is safe to handle and store, prints are ready to use off the bed and you don't need to bin your unfinished spool just because you've already used it for a print. Yes filament would preferably be stored in a dry environment with a moderate temperature, but that's nothing compared to resins and powders. Not to mention that we probably all have that spool of filament that's been lying around for years, that we really should store properly, but even then it works well enough on the odd occasion it gets used.

... here are two videos, testing "3D-stacking" and UV-curing:

[vimeo.com]

[vimeo.com]

And here an older with "stipple-printing":

[vimeo.com]

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

When I work with epoxy resin and I'm in a hurry, I cure the surface of the resin with CA glue instantly. That way you could probably print the part faster without loosing shape.
Then put it on a shelf until it's fully cured.
But is it worth the trouble? Epoxy resin is best when brought together with glassfibre of some length and structure.

Your all making assumptions that im 3d printing...

I'm not, I'm more thinking automated assembly using epoxy. You know, real reprap stuff.

... so what's wrong with dispensing UV- or heat-curing glues to combine parts for "automated assembly"?

Did this for assembling and glue together micro-optics for fiberscopes or brazing sensor wires on pads ...

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]