MOAI 150 project PDMS Vat with Glass window
Description
I have started a Moai 130 to 150 project and this is an adaptation of a PDMS vat for those that want one using a 1/8 inch to 3/16 inch glass window instead of an acrylic window. The vat is designed wide enough to not need shimming and hold a healthy amount of resin. Your local hardware store sells 3/32 to 1/8 inch glass windows, stick with the larger more stable glass panes or you risk breaks during use. A goal is to design a larger build plate for this too, and will be done at a later time. **EDIT** Added a Baseplate with a smaller hole. This will allow more stability on a glass plate and less of a chance to break when using thinner glass. The 130-136 Baseplate is designed to have room to adjust front to back alignment against your buildplate. Print these on your favorite FDM printer with a 2mm wall and a high infill. Thinner if you feel confident in your filaments ability as SLA Resin will react and weaken it over time. I have not yet finished this project so this is a work-in-progress with pictures coming soon. Purchased items: 32 M3 Short Screws. 7.5mm long. You can pre-tap the holes of the frame that do not have the beveled M3 2.5mm holes. The screws will generally self-tap. 1/8 inch glass pane. <6x6 inches. Or 151mm x 151mm at the largest dimension. 6 inches =152.4mm PDMS Silicone (there are various options for this). Assembly Order NOTE: There is a single stripe on one side to help the alignment all pieces. Baseplate + Glass Frame Use two M3 screws on opposing corners to stabilize the Glass Frame to the Baseplate. Using your favorite medium viscosity CA Glue apply a very small amount in each corner on the Baseplate. Do not place so much that it will be forced into the frame gluing it in place. Place the glass in the middle of the Glass Frame on top of the Baseplate allowing the CA Glue to cure. Remove the printed Glass Frame leaving behind the glass and the Baseplate. Using your favorite thin viscosity CA Glue apply it over the outer edge of the glass to finish the CA seal over the glass. Repeat this along the inside edge of the Baseplate. Allow the CA Glue to cure fully before assembly. Affix all 12 screws to the Baseplate + Glass Frame. Use the 6mm Plug to put under one of the large holes on opposing corners of the Baseplate to hold an M3 screw in place. These screws will align the 1mm Fill Spacer. You can use CA Glue to affix this spacer in place if it is not level, or to prevent spillage from the PDMS Silicon. You can print extra 6mm Plugs to hold more screws in place, but be careful not to glue the 1mm Fill Spacer to the M3 screws. Pour your PDMS Silicone into the assembled area. The 1mm spacer is the fill height. The goal for filling is to go over this level so that it beads on the top becoming convex and allowing it to cure. This will allow you to check level and to create a mechanical seal with the top Vat Wall preventing resin spillage once cured. The theory with this method is that once cured, the mechanical seal will resist the pull force of the build plate hopefully allowing the PDMS layer to last longer. Cover the PDMS layer with a container to prevent dust from settling on the surface. Make certain to not touch the resin until cured. After the cure time has expired retrieve the Baseplate with the assembled piece and remove all screws. Placing the Vat Walls with the thin side down, align the Build Plate over it with the PDMS layer also facing down. There is one specific alignment direction indicated by a small groove on one side. Affix all 20 screws to the vat until they catch. Pick one corner and completely tighten the M3 nut until it touches the PDMS layer. On the opposite corner do the same. Continue until all 4 corner bolts are secured then do this to the remaining 16 M3 nuts. At this point it should not be tight, but resisting the surface tension of the PDMS layer on all sides. One nut at a time going around the vat clockwise tighten each nut by a half turn until they are finger tight. Do not over-tighten. One bolt at a time will evenly distribute the force over the seal. Test the quality of the finished seal with IPA. If any leaks out, redo the 16 M3 screws.
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