You can definitely "sand" a square edge mate, but it requires some process/technique, but is quite easily accomplished once you know how; though I would categorize it under lapping. If you have a surface plate, or whatever your flat reference surface is, (piece of flat ceramic or marble tile, countertop, etc, are all decently flat and cheap options, though I have a B grade plate that's 9" wide by 12 with ledge edges that cost less than $100 delivered, that I use as a sacrificial plate specifically for flat lapping, as the abrasive will ruin the accuracy of a high quality A or better grade plate) I recommend adhering your sanding sheet down (3M 77 spray adhesive is my preference, a light single pass on the sheet alone, allow it to dry for 60 seconds, then press to the surface plate, this is easily removable and will leave minimal residue behind, allowing you to repeat this with different sheets numerous times before needing to clean the plate), then utilize a sacrificial 1-2-3 block, or angle plate, etc, to hold the part against maintaining square reference to the plate. Lap in one direction for the bulk of the work, lightly gripping it against the block, and pushing the part down gently into the plate with finger pressure on the side, ideally minimizing downward pressure against the 1-2-3 block. Push in the same direction along that long axis, like you would plane it. Now this will want to cut the leading edge slightly faster, but you can mitigate this with practice and more pressure on the rear. If it's minimal, start with a higher grit and you can mitigate this further. Regardless, the hand-planing test is very nice information to have, as that gives a strong indication as to how well this material will handle being milled (which is by far the easiest method to get a square corner, if you have the equipment). Cheers!
Thanks. I genuinely appreciate your comment. It adds to the general knowledge base of the discussion and I welcome robust contributions to techniques and processes. I guess I'm indirectly taking a position on the increasingly sloppy approach to teaching young students about measuring, marking, and cutting. Too often I see students instructed to cut 5mm or so away from their mark and then 'disc sand' to the line. Inevitably the result is wonky and leads to an over reliance on a machine I believe has become the 'swiss army sander'. I suspect most people won't have the kit you describe so well. But some might have a plane lying around. Interesting to note, though, that your last sentence mentions milling as 'by far the easiest method', which, ...is a cutting process. Maybe I should try routing the prints. 🤔 Although, managing speed will be an issue. Thanks again for your comment.
@@ColinKlupiec you should *definitely* try routing it, I think you'll be surprised how effective it is. Only caveat I would stress is to find/utilize really sharp cutters, not the typical rather blunt edge/angle bits that I typically see used for woodwork. I totally agree with you about the disc sanders. Grinding is the largest chunk of what I do, but I'll be the first to tell anyone, it's a quick way to screw something up without heavily practiced and proper technique, same as with filing. Disc sanders are especially problematic because seemingly very few people understand the obvious fact that you've got an exponential and continual change in cutting speed, across the entire surface of the disc, to effectively zero at the very center. You remove significantly more material on one side to the next, even if all other things like pressure and angle are equal, and flipping the part over just grinds a pyramid. Even in my industry the disc sander (grinder) is a woe-fully misunderstood tool, that is often utilized incorrectly to the detriment of their work... Regardless, router, or a shaper would make short work of squaring resin printed corners, just find or grind some HSS or high angle/sharp enough to cut you easily carbide tool bits. Hit me up if you need any help!
@@javandempsey3729 Thanks. That's more helpful than you realise. Resin printing square edges seems to be quite a challenge. I've got a few resins on the shelf still to test. Some claim to have better performance with straight edges etc. I'm wondering if post processing, like routing (or similar) will simply need to be designed into the print. I"m also going to try a much heavier support profile specifically for thick, square prints. I wonder if it has something to do with thin supports bending ever so slightly during the print. Either way, I've learned a lot in recent times. And again, I appreciate your detailed comments and offer for help. 👍
One thing that would be really nice to know about this stuff, is whether it yellows as it ages or is exposed to continual UV, as that seems to be a problem with a lot of clear resins? Keep us posted if you notice anything? Maybe an excessively long cure test would be worth considering? (This is something I'd like to see not just for this resin, but others as well, as I've noticed color changes from all sorts of resins after sitting for a month or being exposed to different environmental conditions.)
There's no indication on the Nova3D website that the resin is biodegradable. The resin still needs to be separated from the water. A common method is to evaporate the water away, or leave the container used in the sun. The resin comes out of solution and can be discarded as a solid.
You can definitely "sand" a square edge mate, but it requires some process/technique, but is quite easily accomplished once you know how; though I would categorize it under lapping. If you have a surface plate, or whatever your flat reference surface is, (piece of flat ceramic or marble tile, countertop, etc, are all decently flat and cheap options, though I have a B grade plate that's 9" wide by 12 with ledge edges that cost less than $100 delivered, that I use as a sacrificial plate specifically for flat lapping, as the abrasive will ruin the accuracy of a high quality A or better grade plate) I recommend adhering your sanding sheet down (3M 77 spray adhesive is my preference, a light single pass on the sheet alone, allow it to dry for 60 seconds, then press to the surface plate, this is easily removable and will leave minimal residue behind, allowing you to repeat this with different sheets numerous times before needing to clean the plate), then utilize a sacrificial 1-2-3 block, or angle plate, etc, to hold the part against maintaining square reference to the plate. Lap in one direction for the bulk of the work, lightly gripping it against the block, and pushing the part down gently into the plate with finger pressure on the side, ideally minimizing downward pressure against the 1-2-3 block. Push in the same direction along that long axis, like you would plane it. Now this will want to cut the leading edge slightly faster, but you can mitigate this with practice and more pressure on the rear. If it's minimal, start with a higher grit and you can mitigate this further. Regardless, the hand-planing test is very nice information to have, as that gives a strong indication as to how well this material will handle being milled (which is by far the easiest method to get a square corner, if you have the equipment). Cheers!
Thanks. I genuinely appreciate your comment. It adds to the general knowledge base of the discussion and I welcome robust contributions to techniques and processes. I guess I'm indirectly taking a position on the increasingly sloppy approach to teaching young students about measuring, marking, and cutting. Too often I see students instructed to cut 5mm or so away from their mark and then 'disc sand' to the line. Inevitably the result is wonky and leads to an over reliance on a machine I believe has become the 'swiss army sander'. I suspect most people won't have the kit you describe so well. But some might have a plane lying around. Interesting to note, though, that your last sentence mentions milling as 'by far the easiest method', which, ...is a cutting process. Maybe I should try routing the prints. 🤔 Although, managing speed will be an issue. Thanks again for your comment.
@@ColinKlupiec you should *definitely* try routing it, I think you'll be surprised how effective it is. Only caveat I would stress is to find/utilize really sharp cutters, not the typical rather blunt edge/angle bits that I typically see used for woodwork. I totally agree with you about the disc sanders. Grinding is the largest chunk of what I do, but I'll be the first to tell anyone, it's a quick way to screw something up without heavily practiced and proper technique, same as with filing. Disc sanders are especially problematic because seemingly very few people understand the obvious fact that you've got an exponential and continual change in cutting speed, across the entire surface of the disc, to effectively zero at the very center. You remove significantly more material on one side to the next, even if all other things like pressure and angle are equal, and flipping the part over just grinds a pyramid. Even in my industry the disc sander (grinder) is a woe-fully misunderstood tool, that is often utilized incorrectly to the detriment of their work... Regardless, router, or a shaper would make short work of squaring resin printed corners, just find or grind some HSS or high angle/sharp enough to cut you easily carbide tool bits. Hit me up if you need any help!
@@javandempsey3729 Thanks. That's more helpful than you realise. Resin printing square edges seems to be quite a challenge. I've got a few resins on the shelf still to test. Some claim to have better performance with straight edges etc. I'm wondering if post processing, like routing (or similar) will simply need to be designed into the print. I"m also going to try a much heavier support profile specifically for thick, square prints. I wonder if it has something to do with thin supports bending ever so slightly during the print. Either way, I've learned a lot in recent times. And again, I appreciate your detailed comments and offer for help. 👍
One thing that would be really nice to know about this stuff, is whether it yellows as it ages or is exposed to continual UV, as that seems to be a problem with a lot of clear resins? Keep us posted if you notice anything? Maybe an excessively long cure test would be worth considering? (This is something I'd like to see not just for this resin, but others as well, as I've noticed color changes from all sorts of resins after sitting for a month or being exposed to different environmental conditions.)
You make a good point. I'll use one of those prints to do a longer term yellowing test.
Looks awesome!
Thanks. It was fun to test this one.
Does the water used to "wash" the resin off the print become dangerous waste? Or is it biodegradable enough that it can safely go down the sink?
There's no indication on the Nova3D website that the resin is biodegradable. The resin still needs to be separated from the water. A common method is to evaporate the water away, or leave the container used in the sun. The resin comes out of solution and can be discarded as a solid.
@@ColinKlupiec ok that makes sense, thanks for the info!