Unlike a filament printer, a resin printer produces wet parts. Excess resin needs rinsing. Most people wash by hand, but commercial options exist, even though they are spendy. The core mechanism of the expensive models is a magnetically-coupled stir rod. Labs have used similar devices for a long time, so I bought an inexpensive one. I could have built something comparable, but I didn't want to spend the time.
In the commercial model I saw, a wire basket holds the print while water swirls around it. I tried to find a comparable holder, but nothing was evident. The closest thing I could find was a screen drain cover that could cover the spinning magnet. The problem with this was that it clattered into the beaker and collided with the stir bar.
I decided the best option was to make a device that would direct water through the beaker and keep anything from falling onto the magnet. For this model, I picked OpenSCAD as my modeling program since it would be a breeze to modify the program later if I wanted to make a different size.
3D model
The fins on the side push water up while the hole in the middle funnels it back down. The dimensions of this assume that I won't be cleaning anything small enough to pass through the holes, but if the parts are that small, I don't need the barrier at all.
My printer wasn't large enough to print the circulator unless it was on its side, so I opted to print two halves. Since it was radially symmetrical, I only needed one model and two copies. I tacked them together with printer resin and a UV flashlight, then dipped the top in the printer vat to coat it and put that in the curing chamber.
Finishing the top
Everything worked as planned. I can manage a nice whirlpool effect while the beaker is empty and my parts come out clean. Rinsing usually takes ten minutes, but I have left them circulating for more than thirty minutes with no ill effects.
Resting in a beaker
Github for WaterCirculator.
First time here?
Completed projects from year 1
Completed projects from year 2
Completed projects from year 3
Completed projects from year 4
Completed projects from year 5
Completed projects from year 6
Completed projects from year 7
Disclaimer for http://24hourengineer.blogspot.com and 24HourEngineer.com
This disclaimer must be intact and whole. This disclaimer must be included if a project is distributed.
All information on this blog, or linked by this blog, is not to be taken as advice or solicitation. Anyone attempting to replicate, in whole or in part, is responsible for the outcome and procedure. Any loss of functionality, money, property, or similar, is the responsibility of those involved in the replication.
All digital communication regarding the email address 24hourengineer@gmail.com becomes the intellectual property of Brian McEvoy. Any information contained within these messages may be distributed or retained at the discretion of Brian McEvoy. Any email sent to this address, or any email account owned by Brian McEvoy, cannot be used to claim property or assets.
Comments to the blog may be utilized or erased at the discretion of the owner. No one posting may claim property or assets based on their post.
This blog, including pictures and text, is copyright to Brian McEvoy.
2021-02-08
In the commercial model I saw, a wire basket holds the print while water swirls around it. I tried to find a comparable holder, but nothing was evident. The closest thing I could find was a screen drain cover that could cover the spinning magnet. The problem with this was that it clattered into the beaker and collided with the stir bar.
I decided the best option was to make a device that would direct water through the beaker and keep anything from falling onto the magnet. For this model, I picked OpenSCAD as my modeling program since it would be a breeze to modify the program later if I wanted to make a different size.
The fins on the side push water up while the hole in the middle funnels it back down. The dimensions of this assume that I won't be cleaning anything small enough to pass through the holes, but if the parts are that small, I don't need the barrier at all.
My printer wasn't large enough to print the circulator unless it was on its side, so I opted to print two halves. Since it was radially symmetrical, I only needed one model and two copies. I tacked them together with printer resin and a UV flashlight, then dipped the top in the printer vat to coat it and put that in the curing chamber.
Everything worked as planned. I can manage a nice whirlpool effect while the beaker is empty and my parts come out clean. Rinsing usually takes ten minutes, but I have left them circulating for more than thirty minutes with no ill effects.
Github for WaterCirculator.
First time here?
Completed projects from year 1
Completed projects from year 2
Completed projects from year 3
Completed projects from year 4
Completed projects from year 5
Completed projects from year 6
Completed projects from year 7
Disclaimer for http://24hourengineer.blogspot.com and 24HourEngineer.com
This disclaimer must be intact and whole. This disclaimer must be included if a project is distributed.
All information on this blog, or linked by this blog, is not to be taken as advice or solicitation. Anyone attempting to replicate, in whole or in part, is responsible for the outcome and procedure. Any loss of functionality, money, property, or similar, is the responsibility of those involved in the replication.
All digital communication regarding the email address 24hourengineer@gmail.com becomes the intellectual property of Brian McEvoy. Any information contained within these messages may be distributed or retained at the discretion of Brian McEvoy. Any email sent to this address, or any email account owned by Brian McEvoy, cannot be used to claim property or assets.
Comments to the blog may be utilized or erased at the discretion of the owner. No one posting may claim property or assets based on their post.
This blog, including pictures and text, is copyright to Brian McEvoy.
2021-02-08
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