Easier Fiber-Reinforced Resin Printing! Stronger and Conductive Resin Prints?

[@nixhound]

The graphite bubble color is "structural coloration". Unlike a prism, where white light splits due to changing speed between mediums, here the size of the particles is comparable to the wavelength of light and parallel rays will constructively or destructively interfere causing the light to split. It is like a diffraction grating you might have played around with or a grating wavelength selector in spectroscopy.

[@Hagantic]

1. Excellent and accurate explanation. 2. Your last name is perfect, especially with the high VanderWaal forces at play in graphite.

[@nixhound]

@@Hagantic all my chemistry professors got a kick out of it too

[@whiterabbit47]

This physicist is glad someone posted a better explanation than because bubbles

[@Dalenthas]

I think Steve Mould did a video on this recently...

[@dejayrezme8617]

Is there an explanation of how there seems to be a kind of orientation going on? e.g. 6:45. When mixing different parts of the resin they seem to have a state or common orientation. Or is that just different settling of particles?

[@sirayatech2]

Great video. Since inconsistent curing from settlements can weaken a print, we recommend using a thicker, tough resin as the base for this type of experiment. This way, the materials do not settle too quickly, and you have a very strong resin to start to stay functional. Happy to get you some Blu or Tenacious to play.

[@globalrevolution]

would you also support him mixing different resins with tenacious to get the ultimate engineering blend?

[@MadeWithLayers]

Thanks for the tips - I'll let you guys know know when I'm back at doing resin experiments!

[@globalrevolution]

@@MadeWithLayers So far I go with 30-50% Tenacious in Elegoo ABS-like for impact resistant NERF parts, but that's trial and error.

[@sirayatech2]

@@globalrevolution we will be happy to. Blu 70% + Tenacious 30% seemed to create a good balance between impact resistance and hardness

[@globalrevolution]

@@sirayatech2 30-40% Tenacious seem to be a good spot

[@integza]

I love this kind of experimenting! Also you need to try ceramic resin

[@aidanvillacampa4745]

Integza, have you tried encasing ceramic resin in sand while kilning it to keep heat equal throughout the part and reduce warp? I have done that with other materials...

[@dagameface8181]

THAT TURBO JET WAS SO COOL~!! cant wait to see the v2, soon people are gonna make homemade jet aircraft lol

[@arnaudcochin3854]

Try to hammer some tomatoes with your shock device.

[@josephgauthier5018]

hmmm, i wonder why you want him to test ceramic resin in particular, lol.

[@aidanvillacampa4745]

@@josephgauthier5018 to make a more powerful engine of course!

[@jamesbooth4016]

Really liked the cinematics during the break test clips.

[@RocketkidDesigns]

Give milled fiberglass a try instead of chopped fiber, it looks similar to the cotton you used, its a common filler with composites.

[@helicopterdriver]

FLOX... pretty easy to mix in too.

[@csakip]

Tried it, it makes it weaker too.

[@RocketkidDesigns]

@@csakip That's surprising, I wonder if his theory on the micro bubbles and cracks is what's causing it. Maybe in a pressure chamber or something the bubbles would be minimized.

[@shelltoe_soul]

​@@RocketkidDesigns I think it would be basically too late after you have already printed the part. You would need it to be in the pressure pot before it becomes cured.

[@RocketkidDesigns]

@@shelltoe_soul I agree, I know that wouldn't be super easy to pull off and maybe not worth the effort, but it just seems counterintuitive that the fiber would weaken the print, and that test would possible eliminate bubbles as the culprit. Possibly UV resin doesn't bind well to glass?

[@SatyricSaint1999]

I work for a National Laboratory and 3 years ago we tried Graphite and/or Iron filings in the resin of a Laser SLA printer to try and see what concentration (if at all) it would take to get conductive/magnetic properties out of a 3d printed part and determined really quickly that at higher concentrations the slurry becomes to tick to work with the printer and at the maximum saturation point that does allow the prints to work the resin acts like an insulator at a microscopic level and simply will not allow a continuous current to run through it.

[@cragbot1]

In most injection molded parts with glass fiber there is at least 30% fill. Most structural composite layups are at least 50% fiber

[@adrianschneider1977]

I would say with injection molding one can start at 15 to 20%weight. The major difference might be that rather short fibers are used and not large pieces like 3mm long. My understanding is that something like milled fibers (carbon or glass) might work similarly to the way it works in injection molding.

[@gutrali]

Seems pretty obvious the fibers need some treatment first -- as they are melted and mixed together before the injection mold. Right?

[@MrEratrace]

@@gutrali On materials I worked with we bought the pellets already made, you want abs-GF30 you buy abs-GF30 pellets so they are even already mixed during batching ^^ You can mix longer ( a few millimeters) fibers in the barrel but it requires special coatings and geometries as I recall so as to dont break the fibers

[@jakobrosenqvist4691]

@@gutrali fibers like the ones he usess are bonded with styrene, sobthe resin needs to be able to dissolve styrene to be able to soak in to the fibers properly.

[@vwegert]

Me: Maybe try glitter? Katelyn: Hey, Evan - hold my beer...

[@yardenfadel8172]

Right

[@AmaroqStarwind]

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam! "Ham! Ham!"

[@winstonsmith478]

I would be interesting to see the LCD replacement process.

[@gotsane]

I would as well considering I picked up this exact setup today (machine and wash station)

[@andresfelipevasqueznino8618]

Hey man, great video! If you want to achieve a truly mechanical reinforment of your SLA resin you have to add functionalized fibers/particles. Functionalization of fibers/particles improves the chemical affinity between the fiber/particle and the polymer matrix. You can purchase functionalized fibers/particles ready to use or you can functionalize them yourself (using a silane coupling agent). Cheers

[@liamsmith8518]

I am excited to see a follow up for the other fiber-reinforced prints

[@jaredbabcock5534]

Thanks!

[@MadeWithLayers]

Thank you!

[@thecalvaro]

Hi Thomas, great job. Your videos are inspirational. Btw, I am a materials eng. Scientist. Is a long time that I don't get into the polimers side, but as you analyzed, add fiber or other materials can deteriorate the properties because a lack o bound between the matrix and the aggregate. It not necessary forms micro cracking around but can help the cracking propagate faster on the aggregate material surface because it's is not properly bounded. Most composites have a mix of polimers or other compounds that helps bound the matrix to the aggregate, same principle of soap and water to remove fat. Let me know if you need more information about it.

[@MakeTeachRepeat]

I've printed cycloidal gears with graphite additives, also adding a small amount of flex filament to 10%. Makes for a very strong part that is partially self lubricating and tough. The flex adds more strain relief albeit at the sacrifice of rigidity- but that slight flex is great to make up for the slop and inaccuracy of the print.

[@SebastiaanSwinkels]

At 8:30.. maybe lock your vat down?

[@scruffy3121]

Just what I thought 😂. Layershift incoming.

[@chrismorrison9140]

I saw that too. And have done that too.

[@RinksRides]

@@scruffy3121 no layer shifting, it's not the build plate moving around.

[@scruffy3121]

@@RinksRides yeah. Didn't think about that properly. Still can't be good for the display, vat or noise level. Is the fan in the mars Pro 2 as loud as the fan in the mars?

[@dodobarbar]

Exactly :-)

[@Georges3DPrinters]

Tom I've been watching you for years. I very much appreciate that you're on the same track I am, for me a particular print that I am trying to make stronger for someone. Before I saw your video for the last time you added fiberglass I was at the beginning of my adventure and that time the only glass fiber reinforced prints I saw was someone making a shell and then filling with epoxy mixed with glass fibers. I am very appreciative to see that the first test with glass blankets was not that good in strength. Saved me from the mess. I had just boughten chopped glass fibers and received them when I came across your video and was like "damn it someone beat me to it". but I appreciate you going through all the messy stuff and displaying your results saves me a lot of headaches and I just want to say thank you. Also, I never thought of cotton. Brilliant! Also the graphite I want to try now. thank you for the wealth of knowledge you have shared over many years.

[@MadeWithLayers]

Thanks! Glad you're getting something out of the videos!

[@martijngeel9224]

When you use fiber glass you better remove the bonding agent with acetone.

[@RinksRides]

One thing to note: Short fibers are useless for strength or structure. However, I believe by adding the short fibers to your resin, it may have a larger impact on ABRASION resistance, than adding strength. Being in custom/restoration/collision for 30 years, when I have to fix an older Corvette door I use the long strand glass mat for structure then a shorter fiber/filler mix to cover any hard edges before applying a finish putty before primer and paint. USC Duraglass, and a product called Fiber-all are basically body fillers with short strand glass fibers pre mixed in. I use them sometimes where chipping might be a problem, like a corner or edge of a door for example, where the panel doesn't line up perfectly to the next panel. Hope this helps. Been subscribed since I bought my Wanhao i3 v1.2 back in 2015 (currently rocking an SKR 1.4 and 2209's), and since have upgraded the poop out of it thanks to more than a few of your videos and tutorials. I have a Mars 2 Pro also and found this video very interesting and educational. Cheers from the USA!

[@bjrn-oskarrnning2740]

Man, the editing during the testing was A++!

[@skimbulshanks]

I like the music montage of the stress testing. I never cared to watch each and every test. One test filmed to show the procedure, yes, but then cut to the results. Your presentation was very enjoyable to watch. I wish more people would film this way.

[@UnvarnishedTarnished]

I absolutely love graphite powder, I combine with epoxy resins all the time when casting

[@postalcollective7111]

Hours and hours spent to make this. Awesome Science-ing. Mind you it has given me clues for resin printing. I was so keen to cut over to Resin printing for the absolute beauty of the outputs, snag is the parts are not tough enough for me.

[@herllraiser6662]

Ive been adding stuff to my resin for months.. but you got to remember the way the layers work to get some nice effects for knife handles and models.

[@alexboesen5985]

The graphite results with regard to visual appearance and potential for self-lubrication are definitely interesting. Worth keeping in mind. Loved the music/stress test montage. You are definitely stepping up your video productions.

[@AnthonyClay]

self-lubrication would actually be a fairly big deal. 3D printed/integrated bushings and thrust bearings were my first impulse.

[@Arick_Lee]

I appreciate you runing all your equipment and free time to hopefully help me avoid doing so as well

[@davidgutting4317]

I plan on making bushings and gears with graphite. Guides as well. Great video.

[@matiasrinaldi1538]

I once made epoxy resin reinforce with carbon nano tubes, in several concentrations, it did not improve the tensile strength but they where more conductive.

Freaking love my elegoo. Been mdf printing for years but avoided sla because I'm very allergic to IPA. But saw the water washable resin and jumped in. Been printing non stop for a couple weeks now.

[@rickf7445]

Nice methodical approach. I found your videos because I wondered about adding fiber materials to the resin mix to improve strength. I would repeat some of the experiments using "tough resin", which has ground rubber mixed in to reduce the brittleness. Use a squeeze bottle to blow a little milled carbon in the first 5 and last 5 layers. Blowing will confine the carbon to the outside layers while keeping the inner layers almost pure resin. It will create a stronger skin on the outside.

[@MrStudioso]

Dorsnt the fiber impede the curing light from shining through? Especially the carbon I would think would absorb the UV

[@michaelnoble2432]

Yes, this is what limits how opaque 3D printing resins can be, and why a solid black (for example) isn't really possible from what I've seen. You need to get enough light through (say) 50 microns to cure the layer.

[@Dzeno2010]

@@michaelnoble2432 yes and no, light absorption is also wavelength dependent. However since most use 405nm it's kinda hard to have something that's really dark. There are blacks that are close though and depending on special use cases a very dark resin for a special printer could be made.

[@notsam498]

This is what I thought. For sure the fibers must screws with the light curing the resin right?

[@dragonling748]

The best method of reenforcement I've found is likely not what your looking for. But when I need strength, I print with a hole though the part and use an epoxy resin to secure a metal rod inside.

[@kaltland765]

Say more… you make a hole in the model and then fill it with resin? Is that the idea ?

[@dragonling748]

@@kaltland765 More like use the epoxy as a glue for metal rods

[@davidboston7943]

Very cool experiments, thanks for showing your results! My one contribution as someone with a materials science/mechanical engineering background is to remember that there are still more mechanical properties than strength. A lot of times composites represent a tradeoff between stiffness and strength, where you increase the stiffness over the base resin/matrix, but make it more brittle. This would reduce the energy absorbed during impact. With the short fiber systems, though, you tend not to see much increase in strength, particularly at low volume fractions, because you don't have enough load "continuity" for lack of a better word. In long/continuous fiber systems, for example, even when the matrix fails, the fibers can still bear load. Here, there's enough space between fibers that failures can just propagate through. I'd also agree with other comments that improper bonding/wetting between fiber and resin could contribute. Could be interesting to look at in future tests. Doesn't require an electron microscope, just a decent power optical. You can even experiment with the $20 or so digital microscopes to see what kind of images you can get.

[@choschiba]

I really enjoyed watching the video. I can imagine how messy those tests must have been. As this video was recorded two years ago, it would be great to see how the new generation of resins would perform. Without mixing anything additives into them, but mixing resins with each other.

[@Mr.Donahue]

Some one has been watching project farm.

[@androiduberalles]

I was waiting for the "We're gonna test that" t shirt to pop out of nowhere.

[@THESLlCK]

@Greg Tubby that guy is incredible

[@flymypg]

I very much appreciate tech creators who also show failures, not just success after success. That's the engineering/scientific process. Good engineers/scientists have a high tolerance for failure, building on it rather than giving up. It is often the failures in pursuit of a goal that create spin-offs enabling entirely new directions and new goals. Such as adding carbon for color and perhaps lubrication, rather than for strength.

[@RM_VFX]

These results make sense...the strength of resin comes from the cross-linked polymer chains. Any foreign fibers you're adding just means there are fewer of those chains, and those fibers are stronger when locked together than chopped up and mixed with a foreign substance. The graphite did look cool though.

[@dblattert]

Really love the SLA experimenting!

[@SethAltobelli]

You can get kevlar that is similarly fine to that cotton. May be worth a try...

[@scholli485]

Great Video Thomas! I never tried a resin printer, but I have some experience with glass and carbon fibers. I think some other fillers could also be interesting. There are for example glas micro balloons with 0,12 g/cm^2 and a particle size of just 65nm to make very light weight components. To reinforce the resin a good try could be to mix milled glas fibre (0,2 mm) and finer cotton flocks (0,35 mm fibre length). Some fumed silica like Aerosil could also help to thicken the resin, that the chopped fibers don't saddle down to the bottom. It looks a bit like, that the chopped fibers in your prints are not completely wetten, normally they should get very transparent in the resin.

[@prestonengebretson2920]

Great Video Thomas...you ask about the reason why the filled parts are loosing strength...most fillers in a resin binder system need an additive that allows the resin to bond to the surface of the filler. Otherwise, as you have shown...the properties will suffer. One of the more common families of bonding or coupling agents is silanes from Dow Chemical...depending on the resin, the particular coupling agent is chosen for a particular filler...I formulated 2 part spray-able polyurethanes and polyureas that after leaving the spray gun would be dry to the touch in just seconds. Your other problem is likely you need a Much Higher shearing action of the reinforcing materials far beyond what a magnetic stirrer can provide...they are fine for liquid to liquid mixing, but Do Not really totally wet out the surfaces of the filler to liquid interface. Thus, first you need to find the proper coupling agent for the fiber and polymer, second use a High Speed Disperser, and finally vacuum out all of the air bubbles. Keep up the Great Work!!!

[@yomboprime]

8:30 The vat is moving up and down with the moving platform?! (See corner on the right) Did you forget to tighten the two screws?

[@basic48]

Light is reflected from the outer surface and the inner surface of the bubbles, As the thickness is very thin,there is a difference in the refraction angle and it forms a miniature prism effect. Love the experiment.

[@Khether0001]

the colors on graphite bubbles are caused by an effect called *thin film interference* , where basically light passing through the upper and lower part of the bubbles interfere with one another enhancing the reflected light.

[@mr89firebird]

So, I just watched Tech Ingredients' video on making graphene, and he showed an impressive increase in the bending resistance strength by putting a tiny amount of graphene in some epoxy resin. Of course, one of my first thoughts is if this could be used in UV resin. Would love to see you do a video on this!

[@ThatSwedishGuy]

I'm close to buying a resin printer and is still learning about them before my purchase. My main hobby is RC cars/trucks, where we use dry wall to reinforce the body shells, and of course most knows that the higher quality cars always have a composite plastic used. Maybe this would be your source of information? I have for some time tested parts for a manufacturer and the character of the parts significantly changed depending on direction/amount of fibers used. But the key secret is that the fibers are overlapping so the force can't slip through, but still in a small amount that the parts still have flexibility. Great videos as always Thanks you

[@fahb68]

Another great video, thanks... a sugestinon is to use microbaloons, (for ligther pieces), a ligther piececould be a great caracteristic depending where is use the part

[@Runoratsu]

„We're gonna test that!“ Getting strong Project Farm vibes here! 😄

[@mr89firebird]

Dude, LOVE the editing in the montage for the testing!

[@richardcox4000]

When you start your print hook up a pwm as it prints out so that when it prints out with the graphine/graphite, there will be a line for the electricity to follow

[@DoRC]

Look up epoxy thickener. Not only is there much finer fiberglass options but there are also other options that would be cool to test.

[@laurinos8774]

I never did any experiments with resin prints but I have used imbedded needles or piano wire in FDM prints. I guess you could print channels into the parts and and pull long strands of fibres covered in epoxy through these holes. Or even take it further and print a thin walled mould in resin and then fill it with resin and fibres afterwards. The final part would benefit from the shape of the printed part and the more controlled placement of fibres.

[@g45h96]

The problem is that in a composite material, the purpose of the resin matrix is to transfer load from one fiber to the next. If you don't add enough fiber, you're just introducing impurities and therefore reducing strength. And you can't add enough fiber and still have a successful print with the way that lcd/sla printers operate.

[@Litruv]

I liked this video - seems different than most recent videos to come out recently - was getting tired of everyones printer reviews, thanks mate :)

[@mausball]

It's only a theory, butI believe the fibers will impede the ability of the resin to fully cure by occluding the light paths to all areas of the resin. The masked resin is left to cure partially with refracted light from the subsequent layers. I'm not a composite expert, but I've been around materials a lot, and have some related experience.

[@perfectly_unstable]

Not sure if it's been mentioned. I use resin as a filler/primer by mixing it with sodium bicarbonate, about 40/60 and it helps the resin thicker and stays suspend quite well. It could help hold the heavier filler/additives.

[@kaltland765]

Which resin do you use to fill your model?

[@SplicesAndCelluloid]

Good to see that 5% of Colton made it into a print. :P

[@iamscoutstfu]

Also would be interested to find out if you can align additives along a given access, not so much for cotton and things, but graphite or metallic powders might be doable using a standing magnetic wave.

[@agapiosagapiou]

I make some tests myself back a year with graphite powder and it was today disappointing. My focus point it was the electrical conductivity I test in the various mix with no positive results. A test that I'm planning to make is to add some solvent to the higher ratio mixtures and use it this way.

[@adama1294]

What might be good to try for artistic looks is mica powders. They are used in resin projects but haven't seen in SLA.

[@justins4d]

I was hoping you'd mention the lubricating effects of resin, glad you said something at the end. It makes me think of oil impregnated bushings. In addition to that, I'm very curious about thermal conductivity of those graphite parts. We messed around with some plastics at work filled with something and I want to say it was graphite. Although they lost flexibility, they had a very "cool to the touch" feel and that's exactly what we were going for. Trying to get thermal transfer improvements through the part.

[@StrategyYouDidntKnow]

Did you consider trying a mix of the glass and cotton or carbon and cotton. You can make the cotton conductive first then add it. I would suggest pausing the print with normal resin and adding only a little bit in midway(with a brush I think)

[@MrGhris]

Nice video, suprising results! Maybe cleanroom wipes as material? Either chopped up or in layers. Those are a bit like paper towels, but specifically designed to not shed particles and are extremely strong in one direction. So if you criss-cross the layers it might result in a really strong part.

[@michaelryan8547]

Kevlar/aramide pulp might be interesting, if it doesn't add strenght it might add some abrasion resistance

[@royschuchmann3886]

Hi Thomas - you should try silica fume: very very small silica particles. Used in concrete to make it much stronger

[@andrewchudyk8518]

Tom, I reckon that the graphite is so opaque that it's not letting the UV through the outer shell of the part to properly cure the inner. That could explain why adding more makes the part weaker.

[@AppliedCryogenics]

Interesting video. I wonder if you could enhance the thermal properties of these resins with different substances such as metal powers or aluminum oxide.

[@TheFredmac]

For aesthetics Venta black would be interesting. Hexagonal Boron Nitride for its dry lubrication property. Cubic Boron Nitride for abrasion resistance. Dendritic Copper might work for conductivity, both electrical and thermal.

[@pr0xZen]

Don't these fibers / additives primarily bond properly only in one layer individually? If so, they may add strength in that one particular layer if the fiber is ideally oriented, but as any fiber not laying perfectly flat and being fully contained inside that layer, would now be stiffened and protrude from that layer, it will push against the bottom film when coming down to do the next layer, and would drastically _weaken_ the layer bonding to the next. So parts will fail due to a rapid cascade of individual layer breaks and delaminations. We have to keep in mind about mechanics when trying to reinforce prints, that SLA is still individual layer by layer creation. That will require a significantly different approach to (filler) reinforcement, than casting and injection molding.

[@shaynegadsden]

for your conductivity testing you might need an insulation tester or mega as and electrician we use then to test circuit for possible faults bad connections etc, since a mutlimeter only outputs about .6v dc but something like my tester has 250v, 500v and 1000v options for testing

[@gregp.5064]

the colours in the degassing come from polarisation of light through the acrylic

[@hi1172]

Has anyone tried to make resin and graphite bearings or bushings?

[@EscapeMCP]

Post the video when you're done :)

[@gentiligiuliano7882]

Also maybe you can induce some stirring in the vat recirculatic resin trough a peristaltic pump (should be already available some design on thingverse) to avoid fibers quck set on the bottom.

[@MartinXScott37]

Ferrous and Nonferrous metal powders are available in various micron sizes. Also, some mica powders glow in the dark and have color shift. It would be really cool to see the properties of copper powder, aluminum powder, silica, ceramic and color shift mica powder.

[@xmg95]

You tried graphite powder, but what about graphene powder?

[@Nedeles]

What about powder pigments? if you are gonna use graphite only for the colour maybe you can add pigments like in Epoxy without a significan drop in strength

[@kevinshull5856]

7:40 might have something to do with thin film interference, not sure though

[@BloodBlight]

Have you considered adding longer fibers to a flexible resin like tenacious? Maybe restoring some of the rigidity to the part while not looking the impact resistance?

[@hayden9944]

The form 2/3 has a fibre filled resin. I think u need small chopped strands. Large enough to connect or bind resin to increase strength but small enough to mix evenly to stop stress concentration

[@trkoo]

Love it! Please do more resin review videos, we would love to know which resins to buy as there are many confusing products out there.

[@kendrickeducationassociati347]

After degassing, if you VERY briefly blow hot air over the top of the liquid from either a heat gun or torch, you will get rid of the bubbles on the top.

[@spanditime4170]

I think a great idea to test is trying to print on higher temperatures. Heat the vat and print and see how it affects the part. Bc polymer chains would usually be longer under higher temperature, and the material might be slightly better in terms of strenght, heat resistance etc.

[@havoc092]

Not a materials engineer either, here; but, you can think of what you're doing as creating inclusions in the resin. Inclusions in metal causes the metal to fracture over time in certain conditions. If the particles you are mixing in are larger than the particulate size of the material making up the resin, you may or may not get a good bond. Remember, in fiberglass for example you are working with a woven cloth base that already has strength in and of itself. By incorporating simple fibers, you don't have the strength you tend to get from weave. And if you aren't careful with the resin application, it won't soak through the weave - leaving voids and leading to delamination. Love seeing you do these tests tho. This is the core of the hacker experience - test, experiment, learn. And good to see Siraya Tech chiming in. Though it does make me wonder if approaching this with a fine weave material at each layer or every so many layers would make a difference. Food for thought. Something like silk...

[@renebrsch]

Maybe try copper prouder, for conductivity and for the looks

[@KiR_3d]

the problem is that the resin itself is a strong insulator. So if there are no contact between conductive powder particles then it will not transmit current. Or it will be semi-conductive. Actually maybe it's possible to make some DIY semi-conductive parts :) Maybe some powerful diodes (not sure about this). Just need tests and experiments.

[@renebrsch]

@@KiR_3d just needs enough powder though.

[@KiR_3d]

@@renebrsch maybe you're right... but the (breaking) strength will be a kind of unpredictable IMO.

[@bellers85]

I like the visual effect of the graphite. I wonder what it would look like if you were to use some of the pigments that they use in poured resin tables, coasters etc.

[@ChrisHarmon1]

For the chopped fiber I would've maybe shredded them further in a blender or DIY ball mill then used only resin for the first 5 or 10 layers to ensure its bonded to build late then sprinkle in some every so many layers or minutes. This type of system could be automated if it ended up working though you would still have to clean/strain whatever is left or use it for pouring/sprinkling on next part. I liked the milled CF idea and would like to see a similar process applied to it as well.

[@helicopterdriver]

Have you tried heat soaking any parts? Form Labs has a process to do that. It supposedly allows the bonds to increase from migration and post curing of semi cured resin.

[@therebelrobot4691]

I wonder if the graphite version would improve if you had a thin layer on top of the resin? One of the newest ways to produce graphene sheets uses the method of evaporating liquids with undissolved graphite, the evaporation allows the graphite to form a single layer of uniform graphene molecules. Here a top layer of undissolved graphite may adhere to the cured resign. The final print would not have a thick layer of graphite/graphene, however, it may produce just enough to increase the strength and bend radius results.

[@not-another-dev]

I wonder if you can super cool it to increase the conductivity for the graphite

[@Cephalon_Shade]

What about small glass spheres? Or what about glass fibers, but in a powder like form?

[@leomelvinfernandez7380]

this was aswome !! but I'm wondering if particle size may be a factor , smaller finer particle may be better at floating in the material with out settling , maybe if you got finer composit powders it would work better, also the Prusa SL1 has a bed that moves this maybe help with shaking the material so the particles don't settle . woul love to see another set of graphite tests with differing powder finess (superfine)

[@Ttalos]

Perhaps it would be worth adding another UV curable monomer to the mix? Perhaps one that can promote cross-linking?

[@ZakLeek]

That was a brilliant test montage! 👍 These experiment videos are so good, they explore concepts I never would have otherwise come across, thank you Tom! 💙💜

[@Arick_Lee]

I would speculate the additives interfere with the polymerization process that occurs when the UV light starts the reaction that forms the long chain polymers that created the bond and strength of the finished material

[@eddiexx]

Hi, the conduciveness many look for is for buttons on some music gear, to be enough to register the touch of you fingers. Not to conduct a lot.

[@johnvanderpol2]

I used paint with graphite added to make prints conductive for electroplating. After painting you need to brush it with iron wool to make it conductive, to expose the graphite Maybe you should try that on your prints

[@ducomaritiem7160]

I did experiment with some aluminium powder. Looked great, didn't test strength... ( Nano Clear, FunToDo resins. I work there...)

[@drschonify]

I was wondering how much heavier the graphite made your print. I am starting to look at what I can mix in to make some heavier small prints.

[@marcomarterer7232]

Im using UV-waterwashable resin and babypowder to create some cheap sort of mod podge for fixxing model and fill in gabs

[@deo-nis]

for conductivity you need TCNQ/TTF or you can try aluminum or copper powder

[@alexhise968]

Thin Film Interference is where the color is coming from and the black background gives greater contrast

[@StrategyYouDidntKnow]

oxide layers on the bubble often have a colorful look.