Cyanoacrylate/Sodium Bicarbonate 3D Printer

Hello! We would like to experiment with the following idea. We've seen it vaguely mentioned beforehand but we don't think anyone has actually tried it... yet.

The trick of mixing sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) with cyanoacrylate (CA/Crazy/Super glue) is fairly well known, although we just came across it the other day. Well, we also just saw this Instructable and it gave us a good idea. Take a look at the Instructable and you may see what we're getting at... Using the method of depositing a binder (CA glue in this case) through a print head into a bed of powder (baking soda in this case) and gradually adding material, layer by layer, should result in a super strong object with many other beneficial properties as well.

Some possible Challenges and Solutions that stick out to us:
C: The CA glue could dry prematurely on the print head, clogging it.
S: Perhaps we could add a retardant to the CA glue so it doesn't dry as fast in free air or on the print head, but upon contact with the bicarb, it dries normally.

C: Extracting the resultant fumes or gasses is something we would have to address
S: It should be simple enough to vent the work area to the outside

Now, a few questions:
Do you have any links or references to prior art using this specific combination of CA glue and baking soda in 3d printing?
Is helping out on this project, if we decide to try it, something that might interest you?
Can you think of any other potential challenges?
Can you think of any reason why this simply will not work, no matter what?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/2013 03:34PM by mossdalemakerspace.

I have used the Cyano/bicarb technique for fixing stone dents in wood propellors and there is the issue of wicking effect and the liquids own film strength.

A micro drip from a tiny syringe quickly spreads out in the bicarb to ~5 times the original drips diameter.

Smaller drips are hard to make because of surface tension.

I think you would have to thin the cyano and use somewhat moist bicarb so it cures very quickly on contact with the moisture in the bicarb.

Seems a little tricky, but not impossible.

Maybe a slow drying Cyano/bicarb paste would hold its shape and be a bit more conducive to a thin line and then fast cured with a catalyst just out of the nozzle.

Those parts would be very expensive and perhaps a bit brittle.

The wicking is a concern of ours as well. We figured maybe by lowering the viscosity of the glue and ejecting such small amounts through a print head like a normal inkjet printer does, we should be able to deposit small enough amounts of CA glue that wicking won't be a major problem. We'll just have to try a few things and find out. We have some inkjet printers just waiting to be hacked.

---

meetup.com/mossdalemakerspace

You might be able to use some of the home-built piezo-driven inkjet designs on the wiki such as Scratchbuilt Piezo Printhead and Reprappable inkjet.

Handling the powder is tricky too - you might get inspiration from these projects: A5 Powder bed printer and OpenSLS.

Awesome links! Once we have the necessary equipment, we'll have to experiment with creating our own piezo-driven actuators. Until then, is there any information out there on modifying existing inkjets to deposit materials other than regular printer ink?

Also, from personal experience as a printer technician, I remember there are consumer paper printers out there that currently print in wax. One example that I remember specifically is made by Brother. Perhaps the "inkjets" in those machines would offer better performance for the cyanoacrylate?

---

meetup.com/mossdalemakerspace

Quote
mossdalemakerspace
Until then, is there any information out there on modifying existing inkjets to deposit materials other than regular printer ink?

NicholasCLewis showed how to hack a certain kind of HP cartridge here: DIY Inkjet Printer.

And dragonator extended that project to make something work with Zcorp powder and binder: 3DP (3D Inkjet Powder) printer.

If that would work i have an extra thing you could work out.
If you use white baking soda and then use Cyan, magenta and yellow cyanoacrylate (if you can color it). Then you could get full color prints if you can mix those (or just close next to each other if it dries to fast, the look on a distance will be the same and hopefully they would mix a little bit).
This would be easier then using colored powder (that is what i think) and now you can still recycle the powder (because all powder is uncolored except the one that is glued).
Anyway good luck with it, hope you will succeed!