3d printing

[john larkin]

Does anyone here do 3d printing?

I want to make some small fixtures to hold a part in place on a PCB as
it passes through our reflow oven. I was planning to machine it from
aluminum and steel, but it would be cool to 3D print it if some
material would stand the temperature, maybe 250c peak.

[Lasse Langwadt Christensen]

Post by john larkin
Does anyone here do 3d printing?
I want to make some small fixtures to hold a part in place on a PCB as
it passes through our reflow oven. I was planning to machine it from
aluminum and steel, but it would be cool to 3D print it if some
material would stand the temperature, maybe 250c peak.

I think best you can get material that gets soft at ~200'C and
then you'll have the problem of finding a 3D printer that can actually
print at a high enough temperature

[Phil Hobbs]

Post by Lasse Langwadt Christensen

Post by john larkin
Does anyone here do 3d printing?
I want to make some small fixtures to hold a part in place on a PCB as
it passes through our reflow oven. I was planning to machine it from
aluminum and steel, but it would be cool to 3D print it if some
material would stand the temperature, maybe 250c peak.

I think best you can get material that gets soft at ~200'C and
then you'll have the problem of finding a 3D printer that can actually
print at a high enough temperature

UV resin printing, maybe. Nice and quick for cheap.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

[John Larkin]

On Wed, 31 Jan 2024 22:35:54 -0000 (UTC), Phil Hobbs

Post by Phil Hobbs

Post by Lasse Langwadt Christensen

Post by john larkin
Does anyone here do 3d printing?
I want to make some small fixtures to hold a part in place on a PCB as
it passes through our reflow oven. I was planning to machine it from
aluminum and steel, but it would be cool to 3D print it if some
material would stand the temperature, maybe 250c peak.

I think best you can get material that gets soft at ~200'C and
then you'll have the problem of finding a 3D printer that can actually
print at a high enough temperature

UV resin printing, maybe. Nice and quick for cheap.
Cheers
Phil Hobbs

There is 3d printed metal, but I suspect setting that up is a big
deal.

Actually, I glued a part to a board with UV cure adhesive, and ran it
through the reflow oven, and it held fine. Bondic.

Loading Image...

Does some 3D printer squirt this sort of stuff and cure it on the
spot?

[Phil Hobbs]

Post by John Larkin
On Wed, 31 Jan 2024 22:35:54 -0000 (UTC), Phil Hobbs

Post by Phil Hobbs

Post by Lasse Langwadt Christensen

Post by john larkin
Does anyone here do 3d printing?
I want to make some small fixtures to hold a part in place on a PCB as
it passes through our reflow oven. I was planning to machine it from
aluminum and steel, but it would be cool to 3D print it if some
material would stand the temperature, maybe 250c peak.

I think best you can get material that gets soft at ~200'C and
then you'll have the problem of finding a 3D printer that can actually
print at a high enough temperature

UV resin printing, maybe. Nice and quick for cheap.
Cheers
Phil Hobbs

There is 3d printed metal, but I suspect setting that up is a big
deal.
Actually, I glued a part to a board with UV cure adhesive, and ran it
through the reflow oven, and it held fine. Bondic.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ayhbd4ruwoxg06ifexs2s/Bondic_Baby_Board.jpg?rlkey=n8tbrcbbwg356udgbw125xenp&raw=1
Does some 3D printer squirt this sort of stuff and cure it on the
spot?

Yes. In fact there are UV LED+LCD printers for $125 or so, with 17-um
voxels. Elegoo is one brand.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

[Martin Brown]

Post by John Larkin
On Wed, 31 Jan 2024 22:35:54 -0000 (UTC), Phil Hobbs

Post by Phil Hobbs

Post by Lasse Langwadt Christensen

Post by john larkin
Does anyone here do 3d printing?
I want to make some small fixtures to hold a part in place on a PCB as
it passes through our reflow oven. I was planning to machine it from
aluminum and steel, but it would be cool to 3D print it if some
material would stand the temperature, maybe 250c peak.

I think best you can get material that gets soft at ~200'C and
then you'll have the problem of finding a 3D printer that can actually
print at a high enough temperature

UV resin printing, maybe. Nice and quick for cheap.
Cheers
Phil Hobbs

There is 3d printed metal, but I suspect setting that up is a big
deal.

There is also 3D printed lost wax process type stuff which provided the
shape is half way reasonable allow you to 3D print in a material that
can be melted or burnt out of the moulds and then cast in aluminium.

There are some print heads that claim to do 300C so if you can find a
plastic that needs 260+ to soften you might stand a chance. Worth
talking to your local makerspace guys - they like a challenge.

Post by John Larkin
Actually, I glued a part to a board with UV cure adhesive, and ran it
through the reflow oven, and it held fine. Bondic.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ayhbd4ruwoxg06ifexs2s/Bondic_Baby_Board.jpg?rlkey=n8tbrcbbwg356udgbw125xenp&raw=1
Does some 3D printer squirt this sort of stuff and cure it on the
spot?

No but there are some UV cure 3D resin printer systems that produce
plastics that are rigid and crosslinked (so don't soften so much with
heat) that might survive in an oven for long enough to be useful in
reflow oven soldering. They might not last for many passes though.

[John Robertson]

Post by john larkin
Does anyone here do 3d printing?
I want to make some small fixtures to hold a part in place on a PCB as
it passes through our reflow oven. I was planning to machine it from
aluminum and steel, but it would be cool to 3D print it if some
material would stand the temperature, maybe 250c peak.

Another option is making a simple wax model of the fixture and then make
a mold (lost wax) using Smooth-on.com's high temperature epoxy resins
along with their flexible molding materials.

https://www.smooth-on.com/products/

This sounds like a one-off, so a simple hand-made model should suffice.

I use their products for quick reproduction jobs of various parts we need...

John :-#)#

[DemonicTubes]

Post by John Robertson

Post by john larkin
Does anyone here do 3d printing?
I want to make some small fixtures to hold a part in place on a PCB as
it passes through our reflow oven. I was planning to machine it from
aluminum and steel, but it would be cool to 3D print it if some
material would stand the temperature, maybe 250c peak.

Another option is making a simple wax model of the fixture and then make
a mold (lost wax) using Smooth-on.com's high temperature epoxy resins
along with their flexible molding materials.
https://www.smooth-on.com/products/
This sounds like a one-off, so a simple hand-made model should suffice.
I use their products for quick reproduction jobs of various parts we need...
John :-#)#
--
(Please post followups or tech inquiries to the USENET newsgroup)
John's Jukes Ltd.
#7 - 3979 Marine Way, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5J 5E3
[phone] (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)
www.flippers.com
"Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."

This is exactly what we do here at my company.

3D print a master...Urethane mold (we also use Smooth-On products for this)...epoxy resin.

Easy and works really well when you only need a few pieces.

[Dan Purgert]

Post by john larkin
Does anyone here do 3d printing?
I want to make some small fixtures to hold a part in place on a PCB as
it passes through our reflow oven. I was planning to machine it from
aluminum and steel, but it would be cool to 3D print it if some
material would stand the temperature, maybe 250c peak.

250C might be a bit much to ask, as I think most "heat-resistant"
3d-printable thermoplastics (PEEK / PEKK / PPSU / others) are only good
to around 200C (+/- a bit).

Admittedly though, I don't have one of the printers that runs a chamber
up to 100C (or can get the nozzle up north of about 250C); so haven't
really looked into the materials much past "oh, I can't use these".

[Computer Nerd Kev]

Post by Dan Purgert

Post by john larkin
Does anyone here do 3d printing?
I want to make some small fixtures to hold a part in place on a PCB as
it passes through our reflow oven. I was planning to machine it from
aluminum and steel, but it would be cool to 3D print it if some
material would stand the temperature, maybe 250c peak.

250C might be a bit much to ask, as I think most "heat-resistant"
3d-printable thermoplastics (PEEK / PEKK / PPSU / others) are only good
to around 200C (+/- a bit).

One solution is to use the 3D printed part to make a mould for
casting the final part in another material. JB Weld epoxy claims it
"can withstand temperatures up to 550F when fully cured". That's
305C. I've 3D printed a part in ABS, then pressed it into a
cut-down disposable plastic cup filled with silicone sealant. Once
the silicone is fully set, the cup can be flexed to release the
plastic part, leaving a perfect mould into which the epoxy can be
poured. I found it worked very well for a higher-temperature
application, but JB Weld is quite brittle so it wouldn't suit all
applications.

I've also done aluminium casting using the Lost Wax process, but
with 3D-printed ABS instead of wax. The basic idea is to put the
3D printed object (painted with a paint containing bits of ceramic)
in a bucket full of fine, dry, sand, and pour in moulten aluminium
which melts out the ABS while simultaneously filling the resulting
cavity in the sand. That worked well sometimes, but it's not easy
and there are a lot of details to fiddle with, not least building
the furnace!