I've had my Ultimaker 2 for nearly 10 years. A couple of days ago I did the longest running print that I have done. It lasted very nearly 34 hours. Followed shortly after by the second longest print I've done at 30 hours.
The first was a duct for our kitchen extractor fan.
The second is a cosmetic cover to fit in a cupboard to hide the extractor duct.
Both were successful prints.
==
Updated: April 2025
I will be trying out resins for different uses and to, hopefully, find the most appropriate for each type of object that I create.
To help with this, I want to remind myself of the results. I am new to resin printing and these are my experiences and opinions.
PARP10
Described by Heygears as "rapid prototyping".
My Experience:
Surface: Smooth and crisp.
Detail: Very good. Sharp corners.
Toughness: I can drop the models on the floor and for the most part there is no sign of damage, however, thin detail parts are easy to break off.
Flex: Negligible. It'll break if bent.
Ease of use: Very easy. No additional thought needed just position and use auto-supports.
Minimum cure time: 5 minutes.
Heat processing: None
Processing: Miniatures typically need about 10 mins curing and no heat.
I would use this for: Miniatures, non-stressed components and decorative pieces.
==
PAU10
Described by Heygears as "ABS-like".
My Experience:
Surface: Slightly soft.
Detail: Moderate. Slight curves on corners.
Toughness: I can drop the parts on the floor with no sign of damage.
Flex: Some. Tricky to break. Bends a bit first.
Ease of use: I've had a few misshaped results. At the moment I'm putting this down to stretch caused by suction as the print pulls away from the release film. The larger the surface area or the more leverage on long thin objects, the more pronounced the issue. I've had to reposition parts to have less leverage and hollow them out more.
For most of my projects, until I know how to use it better, this resin is more trouble than it's worth.
Minimum cure time: 10 minutes but most parts need longer.
Heat processing: For improved performance, up to an hour at 46C.
Processing: For larger thicker models up to 30 mins cure time and optionally an hour of heat. I also find that parts often need to be turned upside down and the curing run again for about 15 mins.
I would use this for: Component cases and small functional parts.
==
PAF10
Described by Heygears as "flexible production (PVC-like)".
My Experience:
Surface: Slightly soft.
Detail: Good, sharp corners but a tendency for them to scuff.
Toughness: I can drop the parts on the floor with no sign of damage. Thin parts can break off but they tolerate careless handling better than more brittle resins.
Flex: Lots. Very thin parts sometimes curl slightly.
Ease of use: So far it's been easy. Support marks are more visible than harder resins but they are easy to cut or sand off. I've grown to like this resin and I think I will use it a lot.
Minimum cure time: 20 minutes.
Heat processing: None.
Processing: Easy. I have only needed to use cure and I'm pleased with the surface finish. I find about 30 minutes cure time more than enough for most parts.
I would use this for: Miniatures and functional parts. I was a little sceptical about how this would work with small parts, but once cured, the flex is just right to avoid small parts breaking off easily, yet rigid enough to paint.
==
Subjective
The above statements are a bit vague and very subjective. I will adjust them over time as I gain more experience, but they should be viewed only as a rough guide.
Drop Test
My very simple test is to drop the model from about a metre above ground onto a concrete or similar floor. Repeated a couple of times. For most of what I print, I want them to survive careless handling, but I don't need industrial strength.
Curing Times
I use the Heygears cure unit. I find that sending the model to the cure unit is an unnecessary step, especially as I rarely remember to turn on the cure unit in advance. I've sent a couple of test models, to gauge the times, then for most of my prints I manually set a cure time from the dial on the front of the machine.
==
I've used magnets to hold some of the tools on to my tool boards in the workshop. They have a tendency to slide about when removing tools.
To keep the magnets where I want them, I've designed and printed some simple holders that fit the Bott tool boards that I use.
==
My Christmas present to myself is a HeyGears Ultracraft Reflex 3D printer.
The Cure unit arrived first, then the resin and just before the New Year, the printer arrived.
Setup and getting it going was fairly easy. It had 8 setup screens to go through. It included levelling and updating the firmware, among a few other things.
My test print was a scaled down Millennium Falcon model. I printed it horizontal, for speed, but that meant there were a lot of support marks on the underside. The top surface showed the quality that the printer could produce.
The post processing was not as fiddly or time consuming as I had expected. I used my existing ultrasonic cleaner to wash off the uncured resin. I'd seen a tip on a YouTube video to put the isopropyl alcohol (IPA) in a plastic bag. This avoids the chance that the IPA could degrade any rubber seals that may be in the unit and it also reduces the amount of IPA that needs to be used.
I filled the ultrasonic cleaner with water and put the bag of IPA with the print inside, into the water. I ran the unit for 10 minutes, which did a good job.
I removed the supports and quickly dried the print before putting it in the curing unit for 20 mins.
==
Since the completion of The Shed, most of the jobs I have done in the new workshop have been for The Shed. Today was no exception, I added the ducting for extractor fans.
I didn't have any mechanical extraction in the old shed because it was draughty enough not to need any extra ventilation. The new workshop is pretty much sealed with only the deliberate window vents providing a trickle of air. This was OK in the summer where I had the doors and windows open but as soon as I've started working with those closed it was obvious I needed to add an extractor fan.
This was always planned and a section of wall had extra noggins in to form the duct and power was in place ready for an extractor fan.
What was causing me to think, was the vent on the outside. As The Shed is clad in feather edge, the boards overlap and are at an angle. Any of the more attractive cowls would not fit over the boards. This limits the design to a thin rectangle. I didn't like any of the off the shelf options.
After experimenting with a few things I ended up with using a length of guttering. It appears to work and blends in to the point of being almost unnoticed.
Behind the gutter cowl is a rectangular duct joint incorporating a backdraught flap. I added a few holes for better sideways airflow. Inside I've covered the duct with a bit of fly screen mesh.
The duct size is a bit small for the size of fan I've fitted but it's doing the job I need.
While I was at it, I've used the same design for a dedicated duct for my worktop spray booth.
==
I'm very pleased with the roller tool cabinets I bought however, I have a breaker bar and torque wrench that are too long to fit inside. I didn't want a larger cabinet taking up more space than necessary and originally, I was going to hang the oversize tools on the wall, but the holes in the cab to mount the handle at either end gave me an idea.
I've made a tool rail to fit using the same mounting points as the handles.
==